Essay On Cavalry In Ww1

Cavalry has been used for many years, including throughout the Civil War and World War 1. Through looking at the types of cavalry, the breeds of horses they used, and the success they had, one can see how important cavalry truly was to the Civil War. In addition, through exploring the uses of cavalry, the breeds of horses used, and the struggles that were faced, one can also learn of the difficulties cavalry experienced in World War 1.

Cavalry was specifically forces who fought solely on horseback , and a small percentage of mounted forces actually fell into this particular category. The majority of cavalry during the Civil War was located in the Union (Hooper 80). Each cavalry regiment had twelve companies and each company consisted of one hundred men. Each company was led by the usual hierarchy of command such as a captain, lieutenants, and sergeants; yet, they also contained their own farriers and saddlers ("Commanders"12).

The three other types of mounted forces included the following: mounted infantry, dragoons. and irregular forces. The mounted infantry was similar to the cavalry, however, they were allowed to dismount for fighting on foot if needed. Another category of mounted forces was dragoons (Hyslop 284). Dragoons were armed cavalrymen, who were expected to be proficient in fighting on horseback, as well as on foot ("Commanders" 11). Although they were extremely skilled on the battlefield, they were also used for additional purposes (Hyslop 284). Dragoons provided protection for the main army and assisted them by taking on a supportive and helpful role ("Commanders" 11). Irregular forces, also known as partisan rangers or guerrillas, were generally mounted forces (Corrick 74). Irregular forces were used to dis...

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...rtillery. Cavalry units were converted into basic infantry to accommodate this new technology (Vuksic 260, 262, 267). Many of these warrior horses also perished during the intensity of battle. For instance, at the beginning of the war, there were 22 million horses, by the end, there were only 2.3 million (Moore 39).

In the Civil War, the cavalry flourished due to the various types of mounted forces they established, their skilled tactics, and their outstanding selection of horse breeds to accomplish their military tasks. Although the cavalry of World War 1 tried to implement the same effective tactics and also used exceptional horse breeds, the new inventions of modern artillery surpassed these mounted forces. Even though cavalry might not have been as successful in World War 1 as it was in the Civil War, it still proves to be as significant part of history today.