Yellow Tavern 11 May 64

Email Me When A New Comment Is Made
Show Only Poster Name and Title Sort in Reverse Order Posted

longrifle RE:Yellow Tavern 11 May 64 5/11/2006 5:30:36 PM

I think Sheridan commanded a corps of three divisions for about 10,000 troops total. Stuart and Fitzhugh Lee showed up with two brigades totalling about 4500 troops. It seems like Stuart should have conducted a fighting withdrawal facing those odds. I'm not sure what the strategic importance of Yellow Tavern was, maybe that wasn't an option. I've also read, I can't remember where now, that the battle started soon after the Confederates arrived, and that both their horses and men were tired. If that's true it's ironic that Custer was a brigade commnader in one of Sheridan's divisions. About twelve years later he arrived at the Little Bighorn and began a battle, outnumbered, with tired men and horses.

Quote Reply

ConZ RE:Yellow Tavern 11 May 64 5/12/2006 8:47:55 AM

I understand what you mean, but JEB being killed by a pistol shot really doesn't indicate well any new change in horse warfare, I must say. You could say that stirrups changed it dramatically, or the bow, but I think what REALLY changed mounted warfare was the combustion engine. It had nothing to do with weaponry, per se, and everything to do with industrialization of transportation. IOW, it was logistics.

Quote Reply

AlbanyRifles RE:Yellow Tavern 11 May 64 5/12/2006 9:07:41 AM

No, my point in what I said was they idea of the cavalry raid and sweeping charges were gone...cavalry had become mounted infantry.

Quote Reply

CJH RE:Yellow Tavern 11 May 64 5/20/2006 8:29:54 PM

I thought that the "idea of the cavalry raid and sweeping charges" was mostly gone after the appearance of pike men and the long bow armed foot soldiers as at Agincourt. In the Civil War, wasn't cavalry for harassing communications, screening infantry and performing reconnaissance? Since Jan Sobieski's Polish lancers lifted the last Ottoman seige of Vienna, has a cavalry charge performed anything significant in war?

Quote Reply

longrifle RE:Yellow Tavern 11 May 64 6/1/2006 7:30:52 PM

>>Since Jan Sobieski's Polish lancers lifted the last Ottoman seige of Vienna, has a cavalry charge performed anything significant in war?<< Yes. The Australian Light Horse charged Beersheba, under heavy Turkish fire, on October 31, 1917 and captured the town. The town was important because of it's wells. The British Army was going to be in a world of hurt without the water.

Quote Reply

AlbanyRifles Beersheba 6/2/2006 11:59:19 AM

And as I recall, since they were Mounted Rifles and not organized as cavalry, they had to use their 18 inch SMLE bayonets as sabers since they did not have swords or sabers issued. Good lesson on why you need to adjust your sights!

Quote Reply

CJH RE:Beersheba 6/2/2006 8:05:09 PM

"And as I recall, since they were Mounted Rifles and not organized as cavalry, they had to use their 18 inch SMLE bayonets as sabers since they did not have swords or sabers issued." Right, they were mounted infantry (I saw the movie). The Germans used a cavalry division to guard the Pripet Marshes in WWII in Russland IIRC.

	News As History - November 22, 2009
	Home News How to Make War Wars Around the World Austin Bay's On Point Dirty Little Secrets Features Al Nofi's CIC Prediction Market Wargames Measure of Respect On War and Warfare Videos Photos Jokes Community Military Discussion Boards Military Jokes Military Photos Military Book Reviews Military Movie Reviews Military Links Wargame Store StrategyPage Subscribe Login Feedback About Us Search Account Manager Advertise With Us