Cavalry, 1804-1815

For the Emperor, the cavalry was the arm with which he was able to command; it gave him information and enabled him to make his action and his vision felt in the heart and the heat of the engagements.

He had to have as many squadrons as possible to avert danger, to take advantage of the slightest opportunity, and to create an event in the middle of a battle. It was essential for him to have a rapid reaction force of cavalry for manoeuvring (the Light Cavalry), a cavalry unit with which to break up engagements (the Heavy Cavalry) and cavalry for exploiting the terrain (the Cavalry of the Line and the Dragoons). For him, its swiftness made the cavalry the arm of the commander, the weapon par excellence to be used in a crisis.

This imperial thinking on the subject of the cavalry's role in general was naturally applicable to the cavalry of the Guard which itself, by the very nature of its function as a last resort unit, was the ultimate arm of command, to be used at the height of the engagement.