fulfil the conditions named can be obtained; but in _them_ lies the
difficulty. Occasional instances of splendid charges will undoubtedly
occur in future warfare; but it seems to be an established fact that the
day for the glory of cavalry has passed. Once the mailed knight, mounted
on his mailed charger, could overthrow by scores the poor, pusillanimous
pikemen and crossbow men who composed the infantry; he was invulnerable
in his iron armor, and could ride them down like reeds. But gunpowder
and the bayonet have changed this; and now the most confident and
domineering cavalryman will put spurs to his horse and fly at a gallop,
if he sees the muzzle of an infantryman's rifle, with its glittering
bayonet, pointed at him from the thicket.

Another revolution effected in the mounted service by the improvements
in arms and the consequent changes of tactics, is the diminution of
heavy and the increase of light cavalry--that is, the transfer of the
former into the latter. These two denominations really include all kinds
of cavalry, although the non-military reader may have been puzzled by
the numerous subordinate denominations to be found in the accounts of
European warfare--such as dragoons, cuirassiers, hussars, lancers,
chasseurs, hulans, etc.

Heavy cavalry is composed of the heavier men and horses, and is usually
divided into dragoons and cuirassiers. It is designed to act in masses,
and to break the lines of an enemy by the weight of its charge. Usually,
also, it has had some defensive armor, and is a direct descendant from
the knights of the Middle Ages. But the cuirasses, which were sufficient
to resist the balls from smooth-bore muskets, are easily penetrated by
rifles. Consequently the occupation of this kind of cavalry is gone, and
it is likely to disappear gradually from the service. In this country we
have never had anything except light cavalry--the only kind adapted for
use in our Indian warfare. This kind of cavalry is intended to
accomplish results by the celerity of its movements, and all its
equipments should therefore be as light as possible. The chief
difficulty is to prevent the cavalry soldier from overloading his horse,
as he has a propensity not only to carry a large wardrobe and a full
supply of kitchen utensils, but also to 'convey,' in the language of
Pistol, or, in army language, 'gobble up,' or, in plain English, steal
anything that is capable of being fastened to his saddle.

It is evident