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The Cavalry General
The Cavalry General is a historical book written by Xenophon, a Greek historian, soldier, and philosopher. The book is a memoir of his experiences as a cavalry officer in the Persian Expedition of the Greek army led by Cyrus the Younger in 401 BC. Xenophon's account provides a vivid description of the campaign, battles, and the political intrigue that led to the expedition. He also gives a detailed account of the tactics and strategies used by the Greek army, particularly the cavalry. The book is divided into two parts. The first part narrates the events leading up to the expedition, including the recruitment of soldiers and the political situation in Greece at the time. The second part focuses on the military campaign, including the battles of Cunaxa and Thymbra, and the retreat of the Greek army through hostile territory.Throughout the book, Xenophon portrays himself as a brave and skilled cavalry officer, and his account provides valuable insights into the tactics and strategies of ancient Greek warfare. The Cavalry General is a fascinating read for anyone interested in ancient Greek history, military strategy, or the art of leadership.But, after all, no man, however great his plastic skill, can hope to mould and shape a work of art to suit his fancy, unless the stuff on which he works be first prepared and made ready to obey the craftsman's will. Nor certainly where the raw material consists of men, will you succeed, unless, under God's blessing, these same men have been prepared and made ready to meet their officer in a friendly spirit. They must come to look upon him as of greater sagacity than themselves in all that concerns encounter with the enemy.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
About the author
Xenophon
2,543 books513 followersXenophon (Ancient Greek Ξενοφῶν, Modern Greek Ξενοφώντας; ca. 431 – 355 BC), son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, was a soldier, mercenary and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates. He is known for his writings on the history of his own times, preserving the sayings of Socrates, and the life of ancient Greece.
Historical and biographical works:
Anabasis (or The Persian Expedition)
Cyropaedia
Hellenica
Agesilaus
Socratic works and dialogues:
Memorabilia
Oeconomicus
Symposium
Apology
Hiero
Short treatises:
On Horsemanship
The Cavalry General
Hunting with Dogs
Ways and Means
Constitution of Sparta
Historical and biographical works:
Anabasis (or The Persian Expedition)
Cyropaedia
Hellenica
Agesilaus
Socratic works and dialogues:
Memorabilia
Oeconomicus
Symposium
Apology
Hiero
Short treatises:
On Horsemanship
The Cavalry General
Hunting with Dogs
Ways and Means
Constitution of Sparta
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 29, 2016
I have no idea if the edition I read at Project Gutenberg is the best translation of this book, but H. G. Dakyns did a good enough job that I was able to understand and enjoy Xenophon's advice to the cavalry generals of his day.
There was no real introduction, just these two paragraphs, which tell about Xenophon himself and about this book:
Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was a pupil of Socrates. He marched with the Spartans, and was exiled from Athens. Sparta gave him land and property in Scillus, where he lived for many years before having to move once more, to settle in Corinth. He died in 354 B.C.
The Cavalry General is a discourse on the merits a cavalry general, or hipparch, in Athens should have. Xenophon also describes the development of a cavalry force, and some tactical details to be applied in the field and in festival exhibition.
From practical advice about choosing horses (and men) to battle tactics, Xenophon covered just about everything necessary in order for the cavalry units to do their jobs properly. I thought the book was interesting, and I liked the author's style. He does not preach or lecture, he simply explains what he knows, as if he is talking to a group of potential commanders, which of course he was.
I think the best advice he had was that the hipparch should be able to do everything he expects his men to do, and do it all much better. Mount his horse (no stirrups in those days, the rider had to be able to leap aboard his horse), ride at speed over all types of terrain, throw a javelin from horseback, endure lengthy marches. If you as the boss could not do these things, no man would be willing to follow you into battle.
And once in battle, well....let Xenophon tell you what he expects:
It is the business rather of the cavalry general to recognise at a glance the sort of ground on which infantry will be superior to cavalry and where cavalry will be superior to infantry. He should be a man of invention, ready of device to turn all circumstances to account, so as to give at one time a small body of cavalry the appearance of a larger, and again a large the likeness of a smaller body; he should have the craft to appear absent when close at hand, and within striking distance when a long way off; he should know exactly not only how to steal an enemy's position, but by a master stroke of cunning to spirit his own cavalry away, and, when least expected, deliver his attack.
The parts about craft and cunning made me realize why tricky Odysseus had been such an admired character in Homer's The Iliad. Especially when Xenophon goes on to say:
But over and beyond all that can be written on the subject—inventiveness is a personal matter, beyond all formulas—the true general must be able to take in, deceive, decoy, delude his adversary at every turn, as the particular occasion demands. In fact, there is no instrument of war more cunning than chicanery;. . .
Maybe this is not as outdated a book as it might at first seem to be! Seems to me that 'chicanery' is as much a part of war (and politics) as ever. But I digress.
Xenophon loved horses, and understood them better than many men of his time and most men of today. He commented about the need for the cavalry to drill, in order to have confidence in their abilities before the need to prove them in battle. And then he gets poetic about the value of riding skills:
Indeed, there is no accomplishment which so nearly realises the aspiration of a man to have the wings of a bird than this of horsemanship.
I like this man! I certainly would have loved to have shared a few gallops with him. Since I cannot do that, I look forward to reading the other titles available at Gutenberg.
He ends the book with these statements, in my opinion still quite valuable today, in any aspect of life:
To read these observations over a few times will be sufficient, but for giving them effect the officer will need perpetually to act as circumstances require. He must take in the situation at a glance, and carry out unflinchingly whatever is expedient for the moment. To set down in writing everything that he must do, is not a whit more possible than to know the future as a whole. But of all hints and suggestions the most important to my mind is this: whatever you determine to be right, with diligence endeavour to perform. For be it tillage of the soil, or trading, or seafaring, or the art of ruling, without pains applied to bring the matter to perfection, the best theories in the world, the most correct conclusions, will be fruitless.
There was no real introduction, just these two paragraphs, which tell about Xenophon himself and about this book:
Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was a pupil of Socrates. He marched with the Spartans, and was exiled from Athens. Sparta gave him land and property in Scillus, where he lived for many years before having to move once more, to settle in Corinth. He died in 354 B.C.
The Cavalry General is a discourse on the merits a cavalry general, or hipparch, in Athens should have. Xenophon also describes the development of a cavalry force, and some tactical details to be applied in the field and in festival exhibition.
From practical advice about choosing horses (and men) to battle tactics, Xenophon covered just about everything necessary in order for the cavalry units to do their jobs properly. I thought the book was interesting, and I liked the author's style. He does not preach or lecture, he simply explains what he knows, as if he is talking to a group of potential commanders, which of course he was.
I think the best advice he had was that the hipparch should be able to do everything he expects his men to do, and do it all much better. Mount his horse (no stirrups in those days, the rider had to be able to leap aboard his horse), ride at speed over all types of terrain, throw a javelin from horseback, endure lengthy marches. If you as the boss could not do these things, no man would be willing to follow you into battle.
And once in battle, well....let Xenophon tell you what he expects:
It is the business rather of the cavalry general to recognise at a glance the sort of ground on which infantry will be superior to cavalry and where cavalry will be superior to infantry. He should be a man of invention, ready of device to turn all circumstances to account, so as to give at one time a small body of cavalry the appearance of a larger, and again a large the likeness of a smaller body; he should have the craft to appear absent when close at hand, and within striking distance when a long way off; he should know exactly not only how to steal an enemy's position, but by a master stroke of cunning to spirit his own cavalry away, and, when least expected, deliver his attack.
The parts about craft and cunning made me realize why tricky Odysseus had been such an admired character in Homer's The Iliad. Especially when Xenophon goes on to say:
But over and beyond all that can be written on the subject—inventiveness is a personal matter, beyond all formulas—the true general must be able to take in, deceive, decoy, delude his adversary at every turn, as the particular occasion demands. In fact, there is no instrument of war more cunning than chicanery;. . .
Maybe this is not as outdated a book as it might at first seem to be! Seems to me that 'chicanery' is as much a part of war (and politics) as ever. But I digress.
Xenophon loved horses, and understood them better than many men of his time and most men of today. He commented about the need for the cavalry to drill, in order to have confidence in their abilities before the need to prove them in battle. And then he gets poetic about the value of riding skills:
Indeed, there is no accomplishment which so nearly realises the aspiration of a man to have the wings of a bird than this of horsemanship.
I like this man! I certainly would have loved to have shared a few gallops with him. Since I cannot do that, I look forward to reading the other titles available at Gutenberg.
He ends the book with these statements, in my opinion still quite valuable today, in any aspect of life:
To read these observations over a few times will be sufficient, but for giving them effect the officer will need perpetually to act as circumstances require. He must take in the situation at a glance, and carry out unflinchingly whatever is expedient for the moment. To set down in writing everything that he must do, is not a whit more possible than to know the future as a whole. But of all hints and suggestions the most important to my mind is this: whatever you determine to be right, with diligence endeavour to perform. For be it tillage of the soil, or trading, or seafaring, or the art of ruling, without pains applied to bring the matter to perfection, the best theories in the world, the most correct conclusions, will be fruitless.
February 11, 2012
Great if you are interested in this period and how cavalry was used. Reads like a manual so not an exciting read.
May 14, 2015
Good advice
This book holds a lot of wisdom that could be put to good use in today's world very easily, in war and also other endeavors.
This book holds a lot of wisdom that could be put to good use in today's world very easily, in war and also other endeavors.
June 30, 2015
Very interesting reading
October 4, 2026
Good book. At times I think the teachings of Socrates shine through, and it helps to explain the cause of the "two" books in Xenophon's Anabasis as well.
So, overall the book is really well made and easily serves as a Western counterpoint to Sun Zi's Art of War. It offers a lot of practical insights into leading yourself so that you may lead men, whereas Sun Zi is more concerned about leading your men so that you may lead other nations. So it's more introspective I guess.
But, the Socrates thing.. there is somewhere in the middle of the book where Xenophon suddenly says like "in peace times, encourage your soldiers to always ride the difficult road home after a training session, so that they will always be prepared." And it's such an odd sentence, because it is mixed in with like the most practical and useful and serious advice ever such as "when you are drilling your cavalry, make sure to ride in all sorts of difficult, mountainous terrain, because you never know where the enemy will flee towards" sort of thing. And then, in the middle of the overall extremely good and solid advice, is this just like banal thing that you tell your children but you still know they won't listen to. After training is done, it is a universal constant that "unless we have to", people will not take the long and treacherous route home. No, you do that during training. But once training is done, especially if it is peace time, you're not going to.
And it sort of made me think.. that sort of wishful, almost absurdly "detached from reality" quote, sounds an awful lot like Socrates. Because Socrates often (not always) has this problem of like "Socrates I can't pay my rent, what should I do?" "But what is rent, really?" You know. Obviously I'm exaggerating, but I think that at least if you've read Plato's Republic you aren't going to be surprised by Aristophanes' criticisms of Socrates in the Clouds, if you catch my drift. And that one comment "encourage fit, young, rich, healthy men with blond German photo models for wives to take the long and arduous route home"... it just screams Socrates. That... simply the absurdly detached from reality perspective on humanity.
And then I started to think about Anabasis. Suppose you find yourself in that situation. You follow the Prince deeeeeeep into enemy territory to attack the King. The Prince is killed in combat. The King calls your foremost generals to a meeting... and he kills them. In *that* moment, you *need* someone who is detached from reality to step up and take charge. If you have someone grounded and down to earth, you're all going to die. At that point, being trained by Socrates is what saved those 10 000 Greeks, and laid the groundworks for Alexander 70 years later. However, as you will remember from reading my review of Anabasis, once the Greeks reach the Black Sea, the book takes a nose dive. It's literally within like 2-3 pages and you're like "where has the magic gone?" And, if you think about it, the magic's gone out the window *because the Greeks are back to reality*. And suddenly, "detached from reality Socratic teachings" aren't that helpful, and *BOTH* the book itself, *and also reality itself as it played out* suffered from it.
So, overall this is a good book, and... well... the 1 sentence detached from reality doesn't destroy it or anything, it's more of a curious artifact from Socrates which has snuck its way into yet another of Xenophons books, and which helps to shed light on his true masterpiece, Anabasis. It's a good read overall.
So, overall the book is really well made and easily serves as a Western counterpoint to Sun Zi's Art of War. It offers a lot of practical insights into leading yourself so that you may lead men, whereas Sun Zi is more concerned about leading your men so that you may lead other nations. So it's more introspective I guess.
But, the Socrates thing.. there is somewhere in the middle of the book where Xenophon suddenly says like "in peace times, encourage your soldiers to always ride the difficult road home after a training session, so that they will always be prepared." And it's such an odd sentence, because it is mixed in with like the most practical and useful and serious advice ever such as "when you are drilling your cavalry, make sure to ride in all sorts of difficult, mountainous terrain, because you never know where the enemy will flee towards" sort of thing. And then, in the middle of the overall extremely good and solid advice, is this just like banal thing that you tell your children but you still know they won't listen to. After training is done, it is a universal constant that "unless we have to", people will not take the long and treacherous route home. No, you do that during training. But once training is done, especially if it is peace time, you're not going to.
And it sort of made me think.. that sort of wishful, almost absurdly "detached from reality" quote, sounds an awful lot like Socrates. Because Socrates often (not always) has this problem of like "Socrates I can't pay my rent, what should I do?" "But what is rent, really?" You know. Obviously I'm exaggerating, but I think that at least if you've read Plato's Republic you aren't going to be surprised by Aristophanes' criticisms of Socrates in the Clouds, if you catch my drift. And that one comment "encourage fit, young, rich, healthy men with blond German photo models for wives to take the long and arduous route home"... it just screams Socrates. That... simply the absurdly detached from reality perspective on humanity.
And then I started to think about Anabasis. Suppose you find yourself in that situation. You follow the Prince deeeeeeep into enemy territory to attack the King. The Prince is killed in combat. The King calls your foremost generals to a meeting... and he kills them. In *that* moment, you *need* someone who is detached from reality to step up and take charge. If you have someone grounded and down to earth, you're all going to die. At that point, being trained by Socrates is what saved those 10 000 Greeks, and laid the groundworks for Alexander 70 years later. However, as you will remember from reading my review of Anabasis, once the Greeks reach the Black Sea, the book takes a nose dive. It's literally within like 2-3 pages and you're like "where has the magic gone?" And, if you think about it, the magic's gone out the window *because the Greeks are back to reality*. And suddenly, "detached from reality Socratic teachings" aren't that helpful, and *BOTH* the book itself, *and also reality itself as it played out* suffered from it.
So, overall this is a good book, and... well... the 1 sentence detached from reality doesn't destroy it or anything, it's more of a curious artifact from Socrates which has snuck its way into yet another of Xenophons books, and which helps to shed light on his true masterpiece, Anabasis. It's a good read overall.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2024
Un tratado de caballería, no cambia la vida pero es interesante.
Cuando critica a los generales que cuando están confiados llevan a poco ejército y cuando no llevan todo proponiendo llevar todo a pesar de estar confiado (pues no pierdes nada) y una pequeña élite (para intentar dañar y retirarte rápidamente) con las menos bajas posibles no se me había ocurrido pero es lógico
Cuando critica a los generales que cuando están confiados llevan a poco ejército y cuando no llevan todo proponiendo llevar todo a pesar de estar confiado (pues no pierdes nada) y una pequeña élite (para intentar dañar y retirarte rápidamente) con las menos bajas posibles no se me había ocurrido pero es lógico
April 27, 2026
What (in my opinion) makes a military classic? If the work can be reinterpreted to advances in tactics/technology then it can be said to 'stand the test of time'. Change the word 'cavalry' with 'tanks' and you will still find sound advice here. I have been told that both Patton and Rommel read this book - I can see why.
July 30, 2023
The short military treatise from Xenophon is packed full of strategic wisdom and anecdotes. Also provides important insights into the history of the Athenian military.
March 1, 2026
Très actuel, faites gaffe à vous si vous me voyez diriger des chevaux
August 8, 2026
7/10
How to be a horse man.
How to be a horse man.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews