Light Cavalry
What is the difference between the heavy cavalry and the light cavalry in the 18th-19th centuries wars ?
In the medieval ages the heavy cavalry had had plate armor and the horses were armed with steel plates, but in 18th-19th centuries they weren’t armed with anything, the heavy ones were the same as the light ones. So what is the difference between the heavy and the light cavalry in this period (say the Napoleonic wars) ?
Lancers and Hussars are classed as light cavalry
Dragoons were classed as medium cavalry (except in the British army who had Dragoons as Heavies)
cuirassiers were the heavy cavalry
what this means was that units such as Hussars, Lancers were usually smaller lighter men using smaller lighter horses and as such were faster units, these were the units used for scouting and patrolling, they delivered messages and protected important people. In battle they were used against infantry or other light cavalry, they protected the flanks of the army and engaged disorganised or fleeing troops were their greater speed and the endurance of the horses meant they could chase people down. (Lances were used as it was felt that with the greater range a lance gives they could fight a enemy at range, such as facing an infantry square they could just lean over and stab a solider and they would not be able to bayonet him back, or he had better reach than a man with a sword etc, the problem was if they missed and the enemy got ‘inside the point’ then the lancer was defenceless as he could not protect himself with a lance if the enemy was 2 yards away)
Dragoons were classed as medium cavalry, they were originally mounted infantry, simply riding into battle then dismounting and fighting as normal infantry with muskets, over the years they began to be used less as infantry and more as cavalry, but still were always issued with muskets as well as swords. By the time of napoleon they were basically used in purely cavalry roles apart from a couple of times when dismounted dragoons formed infantry units. they were used in a number of roles, they had bigger horses and were bigger stronger men so could be used as heavy cavalry in the shock troop role (i.e the cavalry charge) but also because they still used smaller horses also had the endurance to be used for patrolling and other light cavalry roles.
Cuirassiers were the heavy cavalry (the tanks of their time) they used the biggest horses and were usually the biggest men, a French Cuirassier in full armour mounted on his horse would weigh in at around 1 ton.
They did not do light cavalry roles, the horses were slow and because they had to carry so much weight were not fast or had great endurance. instead they purely came out on the battlefield.
There they were used as a armoured unit. delivering charges of incredible power into the enemy lines with the aim of breaking the line and allowing the smaller faster light cavalry to get in among the now disorganised enemy and cut them to pieces. Because of the fact the horses didn’t have great endurance on the battlefield heavy cavalry advanced at a walk, once within 100 yds of the enemy they sped up to a trot, only when they were within 20-30 yards of the enemy would they move up to the gallop so they were able to hit the enemy with full force. If heavy cavalry met light cavalry on the battlefield then it was totally possible the weight of a charging 1 ton heavy would knock a light cavalry horse of its feet. as such light cavalry only attacked heavies when the heavies were on tired horses and the lights could then move around them hitting them from the sides and rear.
Dragoons were a cheaper alternative to Cuirassiers (less armour, smaller horses etc) and as such in some armies were used as the heavy cavalry. (in addition to that on most armies pay scale a dragoon got paid less than a Cuirassier)
most armies had only 1 or 2 cuirassier type regiments. (usually guard units, Life Guards of Prussia and Britain for example) The french had 24 regiments of cuirassiers and over 30 dragoon regiments during the time of Napoleon, they also had over 50 various regiments of light cavalry, that is not including the 10+ regiments of Imperial Guard cavalry he had at his disposal
the average height of a british light cavalryman in 1813 was 5′4
the average height of a british heavy cavalryman in 1813 was 6′0 (with several being recorded at well over 6′0)
Suppé – Light Cavalry Overture – Karajan
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