Galloping At Everything:
The British Cavalry in the Peninsula War
and at Waterloo 1808-15; A Reappraisal
by Paul Chamberlain
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Galloping At Everything is a new appraisal of the role and reputation of the British cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars. The author maintains that the poor reputation of the cavalry in the Peninsula is a false one and is based 'upon a handful of high-profile misadventures, such as Vimeiro, Talavera and Maguella'. The book is also a reappraisal of historians such as Oman who, the author contends, came to a number of conclusions about the British cavalry that were often erroneous and which have been followed blindly by later historians. The subject is approached from all angles so that the reader can understand the way the cavalry was raised and equipped within the British Army, prior to discussing the way this force was used on campaign. The section on Officers and Men comments on the commanders of the cavalry and their abilities, or otherwise! Stapleton Cotton is described as being not brilliant nor a genius, but reliable and obedient to Wellington, a good team player in fact. Le Marchant was an innovator and had a significant effect on the British cavalry of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries with his drill manual and the Light cavalry sabre he devised. Paget was also an innovator who made improvements to the cavalry arm, put his influence was affected by his poor relations with Wellington. Erskine was positively mad, while Slade was eccentric, and would avoid action if he could, along with even basic staff work. Other officers were totally inept. The recruitment and training of the other ranks is discussed briefly, and while the senior officers receive a good proportion of coverage in the book the troopers, I feel, could have been dealt with in more detail to arrive at a more balanced account of the men who made up the cavalry. Horses and Forage examines the colour and breed of horses used and their treatment by the troopers and the problems in transporting them by ship to the Peninsula. The French regarded English horses as superior to their own, and captured despatches indicate that officers in France were sending requests to their comrades in Spain for 'fine English officer's chargers'. Campaigning in Spain gave rise to serious problems in finding forage for the horses, but the author maintains that the lack of adequate forage was not the reason why the British cavalry suffered in that country, it was more to do with losses sustained in action. In Organisation, Tactics and Training there is a discussion of the British Cavalry Officer's obsession with the charge, often to the exclusion of all else, even in the manuals of the time. During this period the training of the cavalry improved, with cavalrymen improving their combined sword drill and horse control, an essential combination of skills when in combat. A brief chapter on cavalry weapons looks at the sword and carbine used in the British cavalry, and a comprehensive section follows this on Piquet and Patrol Work. Piquet and patrol were the two most common activities of cavalry, and it is within these subject areas that the British cavalry's reputation suffered, due to two high-profile misadventures, the first by the 13th Light Dragoons at Olivenza in April 1811, and the second involving the 11th Light Dragoons in June the same year. While these two incidents were disasters, much of the piquet work performed by the cavalry was done so efficiently and effectively, and Ian uses numerous contemporary accounts to examine the role of this arm in such work. Much effective patrolling was undertaken by the British cavalry regiments, and the author points out that on occasion even the French were faulty in this activity at times. In these crucial roles the British cavalry has been much criticised by Oman who, it is argued, is a source of much myth and flawed research in this area. One of the strengths of Galloping At Everything is that the author examines every aspect of the cavalry before looking at detail in the regiments in action. Ian has much experience of travelling and examining the battlefields of the Iberian Peninsula, and this is put to good use in describing the countryside over which Wellington's cavalry had to operate. An examination of the various battlefields and their suitability for cavalry action ends the first part of the book. Part 2 looks at the cavalry in action beginning with the small force that landed with Wellesley in Portugal in August 1808, and makes use of an interesting account by Norbert Landsheit (20th Light Dragoons) to describe this early stage of the campaign. The Battle of Vimeiro was an early example of a lack of control of the British cavalry after an initial success in the attack, and this was a recurrent theme with the British. While we tend to regard the British cavalry as lacking in control and look upon this as their major failing, prior to becoming uncontrollable they had often achieved some success in the attack, and their subsequent failings were due more to lack of control by their commanders. One affair that stands out against the cavalry's reputation is that at Villar de Puerco where the French repulsed the 14th and 16th Light Dragoons but Ian argues that it was Craufurd and his handling of the fight that was at fault. Again, at Campo Mayor, another controversial action, the Heavy Cavalry did not support the 13th Light Dragoons as Beresford did not allow them to advance. As a result, the 13th suffered. The strength of this book is that it examines cavalry actions in detail and shows where other historians (notably Oman) have omitted to tell the full story, and thus have given a false impression of the British cavalry and emphasised their failures, while not examining in detail their successes. Perhaps the campaign in which the British cavalry's failings are most notable is that in 1815, but in Galloping At Everything we are presented with an account of this force from the start of the campaign, through the retreat from Quatre Bras to Waterloo. Many authors only deal briefly with the retreat from Quatre Bras and the role of the cavalry, but here Uxbridge handled his troops with skill. The Battle of Waterloo is covered in some detail, looking at the charge of the Household and Union Brigades. The subsequent uncontrolled charge across the field to the opposing French artillery is usually given prominence in accounts of the battle, but the initial attack on D'Erlon's Corps was very successful, in that 2,300 sabres scattered 15,000 French infantry. Their lack of control caused their destruction but they had achieved the aim of their charge. Aside from this action, the role of the Light Cavalry at Waterloo is also discussed in detail. Ian Fletcher has produced a balanced view of the British cavalry, examining all the activities on campaign in which they were supposed to play a part. Much of the cavalry's reputation is due to Oman quoting Wellington's views, formulated in response to specific failures in the Peninsula, without examining the details. The author recommends reading outside Oman to gain a more balanced view of the British cavalry, and this is exactly what Galloping At Everything has achieved. The research for this book has involved the use of many secondary sources as well as Oman and Fortescue, to reappraise historians views of the cavalry as much as to present a more balanced view of the cavalry during the Peninsula and Waterloo campaigns. Galloping At Everything is a very good, well-balanced study of the subject. There is very little mention of the success of the King's German Legion cavalry in the Peninsula. While the author stated intent was to examine the British cavalry, I feel that as the KGL was part of Wellington's forces they should have been included in this study. Some of the text is repetitive in the form of 'as we have seen', which I did find a bit irritating, but these are only minor criticisms. This book is a valuable addition to the study of Wellington's forces in his two major campaigns in Europe, and as such is highly recommended. 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Author: Ian Fletcher