smoke, there is no reason why other volleys should be fired after the first, for in the excitement of the fight the volley cannot produce a moral effect. The horses certainly find the rattling of fire at will more unpleasant than the sudden crack of a volley. The advantage of the volley, of permitting a unit to be kept better in hand, may be an important factor under certain circumstances however. The volley should, as a rule, be used by supports that are not exposed to fire. (8th Company of the 32nd Infantry at Wörth; the 1st and 2nd Companies of the 83rd Infantry, and the 5th Company of Jägers at Sedan).
Since the principal object of the fire is to destroy the cohesion of the charge, and as cavalry always closes toward the center while charging, no special importance need be attached to the distribution of the fire.
As regards relative numerical strength, a platoon of infantry consisting of 60 rifles (firing 360-500 rounds per minute), should be a match for 1-3 troops (Eskadrons), and a company of infantry, under favorable conditions, may be able to deal with a cavalry brigade.[1] Cavalry can become dangerous for infantry only when the infantry is surprised, finds no opportunity to fire, loses its steadiness and morale, or attempts to reach cover by running.
The Charge of the French Cuirassiers of the Guard at
Vionville.
At half past 12 on the afternoon of August 16th, 1870, the companies
of the 10th Prussian Infantry Brigade were advancing east of Flavigny
towards the Metz—Mars-la-Tour chaussee. As French infantry was not on
the spot to put a stop to this movement, the 3rd Lancers and the Guard
Cuirassier Regiment received orders to attack. The former regiment went
to the rear, as no definite objective (?) had been assigned to it.
The Guard Cuirassier Regiment was formed in two lines, 150 m. distance between them, with two troops (Eskadrons) in each line, a fifth troop
- ↑ A German cavalry brigade consists of eight troops (Eskadrons). Translator.
