Charge!: Great Cavalry Charges of the Napoleonic Wars

by Digby Smith

Overview

Dramatic charges of the Napoleonic wars

The color, panache, and drama of Napoleonic battle

Details the different mounted troops of the era and their various roles

In this dramatic and spirited history of cavalry in the Napoleonic period, Digby Smith examines how battles could be decided by the skillful use of cavalry. Charge! reveals how cavalry could be deployed in an offensive and defensive capacity or how an effective and well-timed cavalry charge could overcome almost any obstacle.

Digby Smith is a respected historian of the Napoleonic Wars and the author of a number of acclaimed books on the period. For Greenhill he has produced Napoleon's Regiments (1-85367-413-3), 1813: Leipzig (1-85367-435-4), and The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book (1-85367-276-9).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784380007
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	01/24/2020
Series:	The Napoleonic Library
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Digby Smith has been writing books on European military history since 1973, concentrating mainly on the armies of continental Europe and in particular the many German states. His main areas of expertise are the Seven Year&sgrave; War and the Napoleonic period.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Military Heritage, October 2007

“Throughout military history, the sound of bugles accompanying a cavalry charge has had an air of romanticism surrounding it … Charge! explains the different types of cavalry, the tactics they employed, and the care of the horses during various battles of the Napoleonic era … Author Digby Smith has included comprehensive charts at the end of the book listing the many cavalry units employed by both sides in the battles he examines meticulously in his book.”

Editorial Reviews

Noted Napoleonic Wars historian Smith (Napoleon's Regiments; 1813: Leipzig; The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book) has produced a very readable and useful book discussing the role of the cavalry in the campaigns fought across Europe and Russia, from Marengo in 1800 to Waterloo in 1815. Beginning with a chapter describing the different types of mounted troops used by all of the combatants, the author focuses on 13 specific battles to illustrate how cavalry could and did turn the tide. Key engagements such as Austerlitz, Eylau, Borodino, Albuera, Marengo, and Waterloo are addressed along with the more obscure clashes at Liebertwolkwitz and Mockern and the Allied raids of 1813. These discussions describe how cavalry were deployed both offensively and defensively and illustrate how training, leadership, terrain, etc., affected the results of a charge. Expressed in a very readable narrative, this book achieves its goal of enhancing our knowledge of an integral part of 19th-century warfare. Recommended for all military history collections.-David Lee Poremba, Detroit P.L. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

"Digby Smith’s new book is an interesting addition to the Napoleonic library. The book is written in easy language and reads very fast. It will provide the basic information on the major engagements of the era and will certainly prompt the reader to seek out more information. Those with intimate knowledge o f the period would probably find it lacking in details, but certainly enjoy the appendices and the maps. For the newcomers to the Napoleonic wars, this volume will be good way to start."

The Napoleon Series