Osprey - Men-at-Arms 033 - U.S. Cavalry -Ocr.pdf

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MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES
E D I T O R : MARTIN WINDROW
U.S. Cavalry
Text by
J O H N SELBY
Color plates by
M I C H A E L R O F F E
HIPPOCRENE
BOOKS, INC.
© Copyright 1972 Osprey Publishing Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior
information of the publisher. For information
write to:
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
171 Madison Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10016
First published in the United States 1974
First published in Great Britain in 1972 by
Osprey Publishing Ltd, P . O . Box 25,
707 Oxford Road, Reading, Berkshire
Printed in Great Britain
U.S. Cavalry
The Early Years,
1772-1848
The Polish count, Casimir Pulaski, w h o in 1777
became the first American chief of cavalry
The first commander of American cavalry was
Count Casimir Pulaski. In 1772 Pulaski led a force
in a fight for Polish freedom; but was defeated by
the Russians, and had his estates confiscated. He
escaped to France, and when he heard about the
American rebellion against the British, saw
Benjamin Franklin in Paris and offered his ser-
vices to the rebels. Franklin gave him a letter of
introduction to George Washington who placed
him in command of the cavalry. At that time
cavalrymen were used only as messengers, and for
guard duties; but the aggressive Pole soon taught
them how to charge.
On 11 September 1777, at Brandywine near
Wilmington, Delaware, the British surrounded
an American force; and Pulaski saved it from
being completely annihilated by gathering small
groups of cavalrymen to charge the encircling
enemy, thus putting the British off balance.
Although superseded by General Stephen Moylan
as Chief of Cavalry, Pulaski was allowed to raise
Stephen Moylan, w h o took over the Continental
Cavalry at Valley Forge when Pulaski resigned
in March 1778
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Francis Marion, the 'Swamp Fox', whose cavalry
captured Georgetown
Light Horse Harry Lee, whose cavalry fought at
the Battle of Cowpens. His son w a s Robert E. Lee
w h o became c o m m a n d e r of the Confederate
forces in the Civil War
and lead a force of 300 horsemen of his own.
These were dressed in uniforms of varied design.
Some who had served with the French wore parts
of their French hussar uniform; three Poles, one of
them Pulaski's cousin, were dressed in remnants of
Polish uniform; and a number of Hessians were
garbed as they had been when they arrived in
America.
When the British landed at Egg Harbor, New
Jersey, in October 1779, Pulaski's force attacked
them and cut them to pieces; but a year later he
was mortally wounded by a splinter from a British
shell outside Savannah, Georgia.
Another early cavalry leader of note was Francis
Marion, 'the Swamp Fox'. Marion led three South
Carolina regiments of horse, who wore scarlet
coats, and in their hats had silver pins inscribed
'Liberty or Death'. Marion's troopers frequently
entered a fight on foot, only using their horses to
reach the battlefield. They won a great reputation
by making frequent surprise raids, and because of
this are considered to be the first Special Forces
of the United States Army. One of their most
notable achievements was the capture of George-
town, South Carolina, in 1781.
With the advent of the British Colonel Tarleton,
a proper full-scale cavalry engagement took place
in 1781 at Cowpens, 200 miles north of the east
coast port of Savannah. Outstanding here on the
American side was Colonel William Washington,
a cousin of the General. Sent in against Tarleton's
flank, Washington's squadron attacked with such
élan that they threw the British into confusion. In
the end the British suffered 830 casualties to 93
for the Americans, so the latter can justly claim a
victory.
Another leading cavalryman of the period was
Henry Lee, the father of Robert E. Lee of Civil
War fame. Lee constantly attacked the British
lines of communications, and in a space of less
than two months captured five British posts and
took 1,100 prisoners. Finally, at the British
surrender at Yorktown in October 1781, the
American cavalry of 100 dragoons combined well
with the more numerous allied French cavalry and
contained the British mounted forces effectively.
After Cornwallis's surrender the American
cavalry almost ceased to exist. In 1798, owing to
the fear of war with France, Congress authorized
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