CAVALRY (remotely from the Latin caballus, a horse') is that class of troops which serve on horseback. In the British army it consists of the two regiments of Life Guards, the royal regiment of Norse Guards, seven regiments of Dra goon Guards, and seventeen regiments of Light Dragoons, of which the 7th, 8th, loth, 11th, and 15th are Hussars, and the 9th, 12th, 16th, and 17th are Lancers. A complete regiment of cavalry is divided into four squadrons, and each of these into two troops. The full strength of a troop is 80 men ; and to each troop there is appointed a captain, a lieutenant, and a cornet.
The charge of the regimental establish ments of the Life and Horse Guards in the year 1845, was—Life Guards, each re giment 29,8031. ; Horse Guards, 26,295/. The number of rank and file in each of these regiments is 351; non- commis sioned officers, trumpeters, and drummer 53; officers 32 : total 436. The pay in the Life and Horse Guards is higher in every grade than for the cavalry of the line. k ourtecn regiments of dragoons cost altogether 239,442/. One regiment of Dragoon Guards (the 1st) contains 479 of all ranks, and costs 22,264/. The cost of six regiments of Light Dragoons, each with 791 officers and men, in service in India, is defrayed by the East India Company, and amounts to 34,638/. per annum for each regiment. The cavalry in the pay of this country for was 7970 officers and men, out of a standing army of 99,707, exclusive of cavalry in India; or including the Queen's troops in India, the charge for cavalry for was 808 Officers ..... . . • £190,322 1059 Non-Commissioned Officers 44,382 9634 Rank and File 235 519 £470,223 Dragoons are a species of light cavalry trained to act either on horseback or on foot as may be required. They appear to have been introduced into the English service before the middle of the seven teenth century ; but the oldest regiment of dragoons in the army is that of the Scotch Greys, which was raised in 1681. Dragoons perform the duty of advanced guards and patroles; they escort convoys, and harass the enemy in his retreat ; or, in reverses of fortune, they protect the dispersed and defeated infantry. The
name Dragoon appears to come from the Latin Draconarius, the appellation given to a standard-hearer, who carried a standard or colour with the figure of a dragon on it. (Ammianus Marcell. xx. 4, and the notes in the edition of J. Gro novius ; Vegetius, ii. 7.) Hussars are also a species of light ca valry, which originally constituted the national militia of Poland and Hungary. They are usually employed to protect re connoitring and foraging parties, and to serve as patroles.
The Lancers were introduced into the British service in order to correspond to the corps of what were called Polish Lancers in the French army. The long lance carried by this class of troops was supposed to be of use in a charge against infantry ; and the fluttering of the hag at the extremity of the lai.ce, by alarming the horse, to give an advantage over a dragoon otherwise armed.
In the late war a portion of the French cavalry was furnished with cuirasses, and, in imitation of them, the English Life Guards and Horse Guards have since borne the same heavy armour. These troops carry a sword, two pistols, and a carabine ; the heavy cavalry in general carry carabines, pistols, and swords ; and the light cavalry very small carabices, pistols, and sabres.
In the French budget for 1845-6, the estimate for the army was for 81,689 horses and 340,000 men. There are fifty-four regiments of cavalry, of five squadrons each, in the French service, besides four regiments (the African Chas seurs), each composed of six squadrons. The fifty-four regiments consist of—Cara hiniers 2; Cuirassiers 10; Dragoons 12; Lancers 8 ; Chasseurs 13 ; and Hussars 9 regiments.
In the Austrian service the number of regiments of Cavalry of the line is 37 : Cuirassiers 8; Dragoons 6; Light-horse 7 ; Hussars 12; Uhlans, 4.
The Russian cavalry in 1835 consisted of 86,800 men, besides 4000 Cossacks.
The Prussian cavalry in 1843 amounted to 19,960 men.