Cavalry in the Civil War

Cavalry at the Beginning of the Civil War

At the start of the Civil War, cavalry wasn’t used much. Cavalry were only used to make

quick charges. This was a tactic that people in the Roman times used. Soldiers from the infantry made jokes about cavalry like: “Have you ever seen a dead cavalryman?” Foot soldiers thought of cavalry as “dandies on horseback”. They thought the cavalry never saw much fighting and always has the easy life.

Use of Cavalry

The cavalry’s military role had dramatically changed by 1863 and the armies were making use of their horse soldiers in more combat situations. Cavalry divisions were used by commanders as scouts and as a fighting force. These new strategies started the largest cavalry battle of the war, fought on June 9, 1863 at Brandy Station, Virginia. Brandy Station was the opening of the Battle of Gettysburg.