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Cavalry piquets and other duties
Some illustrations of the nature and operations of cavalry piquets, scouts, skirmishers, or outposts
Most of this activity took place anywhere but on the battlefield, but there was still a place for cavalry piquets on some parts of the field, as in the Waterloo campaign:
The cavalry as skirmishers
In general terms cavalry might expect to skirmish prior to the start of a battle, and infantry during the course of it. The cavalry's mobility made them, especially the light cavalry, the army's screen, its scouts and a major provider of information. This work often required them to skirmish (fight) for information or to prevent the enemy obtaining it. The light cavalry (with horse artillery) provided an army's advanced guard and rearguard. On 17 June and well into the night, through violent thunderstorms and drenching rain, British light cavalry and horse artillery skirmished with the advancing French from Quatre-Bras, through Genappe and northwards towards La Belle Alliance. They were not, however, employed as skirmishers during the battle - this duty was handed to the infantry.
On the Duke's extreme left the 10th Hussars pushed a piquet south through Smohain which maintained vedettes further out. The 1st Hussars KGL had posted similar patrols to the east and along the Ohain road. At the western end of the line east of Hougoumont a squadron of the l5th Hussars did similar duty alongside some light infantry from the 51st Foot. This cavalry was not required to skirmish on the battlefield. ¹
Skirmishing with carbines Like their infantry counterparts, they operated in pairs, one firing only when the second has completed reloading so that one carbine was always loaded. The artists seems to be depicting the man at the rear still loading - bad tactics! Skirmishers would act as a thin line of these pairs with several metres between each. Given the nature of the carbines and difficulties in firing and loading in the saddle, the effect of this fire would be minimal. |
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Patrols and scouting The usual everyday job of light cavalry - acting as the eyes of the army. Operating as a screen of small groups or in patrols to specific locations to spot the enemy, question locals and providing advance warning of enemy activities. They would also try to prevent enemy piquets from approaching the main body of the army and stop them from doing the same job.
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Close escort and protection A small body of cavalry acting as escort to a senior officer, in this case
Empress Dragoons preceding Napoleon through Moscow. |
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Prisoner- or baggage guards Probably the least glorious role, but necessary all the same. On lines of communication in hostile territory, or as a basic security measure anywhere, various parts of an army's rear echelons would need the services of either patrols or close protection. |
Dismounted duty Dragoons were originally mounted infantry, or cavalry who fought on foot, and retained a legacy of this in their armament and sometimes their uses. Scouting piquets might also dismount for easier access to some places or to reduce their own profile to enemy observation. |
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And then, of course, there were the Cossacks... |
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| 1. M Adkin, The Waterloo Companion, London 2001 | |
