Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Coventry, Fred R.
Language:	English
Published:	Wright State University / OhioLINK 2014
Subjects:	History Military History Military Studies history military history military studies
Online Access:	http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1421276675

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spelling	ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-wright14212766752021-08-03T06:29:05Z Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry Coventry, Fred R. History Military History Military Studies history military history military studies The purpose of this thesis is to re-examine the nineteenth century British cavalry as an organization, one which has generally been characterized as deeply conservative and resistant to change in organization, operations and tactics. While the charge of conservatism is true in terms of the command structure of the British cavalry, this research demonstrates that the British cavalry of the nineteenth century typically adapted itself to the conditions in which it found itself, adopting whatever methods, tactics and weapons best suited the campaigns in which it fought. Beginning with the Crimean War’s cavalry actions as a baseline for what was generally expected of nineteenth century cavalry in the British Army, the thesis then moves on to demonstrate that in other circumstances the cavalry would neither follow such strict and stringent rules of engagement nor rely on the massed charge as the best or only method of engaging the enemy. Moving chronologically through several campaigns in which cavalry figured prominently, including the Indian Mutiny, Anglo-Zulu War, the war in the Sudan and the Anglo-Boer War, this thesis points out the many and varied ways in which the British cavalry adapted itself to different climates, opponents and tactics around the globe, and makes clear that the British cavalry was capable of a great deal of flexibility and resourcefulness. Thus, institutional intransigence was offset by operational flexibility in the actual theaters of battle, with official doctrine often being changed in the wake of a successful campaign or battle. 2014 English text Wright State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1421276675 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1421276675 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection	NDLTD
language	English
sources	NDLTD
topic	History Military History Military Studies history military history military studies
spellingShingle	History Military History Military Studies history military history military studies Coventry, Fred R. Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry
author	Coventry, Fred R.
author_facet	Coventry, Fred R.
author_sort	Coventry, Fred R.
title	Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry
title_short	Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry
title_full	Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry
title_fullStr	Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry
title_full_unstemmed	Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry
title_sort	acrid smoke and horses' breath: the adaptability of the british cavalry
publisher	Wright State University / OhioLINK
publishDate	2014
url	http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1421276675
work_keys_str_mv	AT coventryfredr acridsmokeandhorsesbreaththeadaptabilityofthebritishcavalry
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Acrid Smoke and Horses' Breath: The Adaptability of the British Cavalry

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