I recently stumbled across an interesting 1897 text by English Field Marshall Evelyn Wood, VC, entitled Achievements of Cavalry. I found the following quotation on page vii of the preface particularly instructive with regard to the topic of this thread
Here's another interesting paragraph from the previous page (my emphasis added) in which Wood explains the distribution of the 12 examples he has choosen.Cavalry officers can become efficient leaders, after
adequate study, by two means:—
Firstly, by war service.
Secondly, by practice in cavalry, and combined
manoeuvres.
The former experience, costly in lives and money,
is not often available, and the latter means has
only been afforded to our Service during the last
few years, and even in that time but to a very
limited degree. The Prussians, on the other hand,
have had manoeuvres of some kind ever since the
time of Frederick the Great, i.e. for a century and a
half; and it is significant that during the twenty-two
years, 1821-43, m which no large bodies of cavalry
were assembled for manoeuvres in that country,
there was a tendency to eliminate warlike exercises,
and substitute parade movements for them.
Until recently our regiments had not got beyond
parade movements. I hope, however, that the British
public is beginning to recognize the necessity for
annual manoeuvres ; and, satisfied, as I am, that there
is an increasing desire for improvement amongst the
officers, I believe in the future of our cavalry.
The thoughts expressed in this second quotation may be even more germane to the discussion at this thread or the various discussion spawned by LTC Yingling's article.It will be observed that England, Poland, and
Russia each furnished the troops for only one of the
feats I have selected, Austria two, and France two,
while North Germany is credited with five out of the
twelve Achievements. This is to be accounted for,
so far as our cavalry is concerned, by the fact that
though it had many opportunities of achieving success
in the Peninsular War, yet the leading of its
commanders, being more indicative of courageous
hearts than of well-stored minds, was often barren of
results.
For those interested in the book, you can find it on-line here
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