Charge!: Great Cavalry Charges of the Napoleonic Wars

by Digby Smith

Cavalry was the queen of the Napoleonic battlefield. Surging squadrons of dragoons, dashing hussars, or the awesome might of heavy cuirassiers often snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and decided the fate of kingdoms. In this dramatic and spirited history of cavalry in the Napoleonic period, Digby Smith examines how battles could be decided by the skilful use of cavalry. He outlines the development of the mounted arm--describing the various types of mounted unit, their roles, and their abilities--and then sets out to describe how cavalry could turn the tide of battle. By examining such key battles as Marengo, Eylau, Albuera, the crossing of the Beresina, and Waterloo, Charge! reveals how cavalry could be deployed in an offensive and defensive capacity or how an effective and well-timed cavalry charge could overcome almost any obstacle. The scenarios have been carefully selected to reveal how leadership, training, weather, terrain, and the condition of the horses could affect the success of a charge. Replete with eyewitness accounts and tales of outstanding courage and valor, Charge! is a dramatic read as well as a fascinating insight into the role and performance of cavalry on the Napoleonic field of battle.

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2006

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses on some of the better known cavalry charges of the Napoleonic period such as Garcia Hernandex and Waterloo as well as others such as Liebertwolkwitz and Fere-Champenoise. There are maps, but, unless you are familiar with the terrain, they may not help much. I enjoyed reading about some of the lesser known battles, but obviously since they were part, and frequently a small part, of the larger battle, it's important to have the cavalry clashes in context. Many of the clashes played their parts in saving their armies, but were not the deciding factor in winning or losing.

[Bill Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say it but I wasn't impressed with this book it was ok. I was expecting more details and better maps. It wasn't until the last couple chapters that I thought Digby Smith finally started to get into more detail and made the reading more exciting. I've read a number of books by Digby Smith but this disappointed me. If you want just general overview, this is the book for you.

[Jose Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very irregular books some chapters really interesting (for example La Albuera, Borodino or Waterloo) and others really boring.

[Josh Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great topic, mediocre book. The author tries to cover way to much in less than 250 pages and doesnt do it justice. What there is for the most part is descent, with the exception of a few chapters that if i hadn't know better i wouldn't have realize the book was about cavalry charges. The book ends quite abruptly with the end of the Waterloo chapter and the lack of an epilogue left it feeling incomplete. I gave it 3 stars because i did enjoy it but it feels more like and incomplete manuscript rather than a properly fleshed out book.

[Ed Barker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed, unable to fully access the information given in the orders of battle because the list's formatting was corrupted

Disappointed with the Kindle version of this book because much of the information given in the lists of the orders of battle were corrupted because of what I believe to be formatting issues.