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Cavalry Units
Hussars
| Hussars constituted a light cavalry used for bold raids into enemy's rear, reconnaissance, outposts, and frontier service.
In the period of linear tactics, hussar squadrons took on special significance. They were escorting infantry squads and intercepting deserters. In this
way they helped maintaining discipline and order in the infantry that often consisted of ragtag and bobtail. Hussars were usually regarded as
adventurous and spoils-hunting people. The main feature of this force was their speed and maneuverability. They were perfect riders capable of numerous
tactical moves in a battle. Naturally, they were inferior to heavy cavalry in attack power, but that was easily countervailed with their maneuvers,
ambushes, and sudden charges into the rear or flanks. Hussars were armed with a saber, a pair of pistols, and a short flint musket or blunderbuss (for
buckshot fire at short range). Their equipment had many Hungarian traditional features and comprised a dolman (a jacket embroidered with golden or
silver cords), a pelisse (an outer jacket with fur worn on the left shoulder), chuckchirs (leather-cased trousers) or riding breeches, boots with
tassels, and a sabretache worn on the left side. |
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