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Spanish Cavalry

The role of cavalry had declined in the Spanish army because the Spaniards had increased their infantry partly at the expense of it. Since a properly armored heavy cavalryman could cost four times as much as a pikeman or arquebusier, a small decrease in heavy cavalry could finance a huge addition to the infantry and bring about a dramatic alteration in the proportions between infantry and cavalry. Though a large part of their cavalry consisted of traditional full-armored lancers, the Spanish did have cavalry that performed a light cavalry's strategic duties of reconnaissance and attack on the enemy's stragglers, foragers, convoys, and logistic installations. Usually mounted arquebusiers filled this role. Because of the difficulties involved in using the arquebus while mounted, these horse arquebusiers were really mounted infantry. They usually dismounted to use their weapons. But on at least one occasion, after the battle of Ceresole in 1544 [C.E.], mounted arquebusiers pursued retreating heavy infantry and, by dismounting to shoot and remounting to continue the pursuit, managed effectively to simulate the traditional Parthian or Turkish tactics of light cavalry.

– The Art of War in the Western World


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The US Cavalry and Pancho Villa

On March 9, 1916 the border town of Columbus, New Mexico was attacked by forces under the command of the Mexican revolutionary, Pancho Villa. Eighteen Americans. were killed and a number of buildings were burned to the ground before the U.S. Cavalry, inflicting heavy losses, drove Villa and his mounted band back into Mexico. Frank Tompkins, a Major in the U.S. Cavalry at the time, led the counter-attack against Villa's mounted men on March 9th, and was with General John "Black Jack" Pershing during the subsequent year-long "Punitive Expedition" that sought to capture the elusive Villa in Mexico. The Columbus Raid and Punitive Expedition proved to be the last major campaign of the U.S. Cavalry. At the same time it presaged the more modern military techniques that would soon be employed by American forces in World War 1.

This book is the best available on the Punitive Expedition of 1916-1917. It was written by the hero of Columbus, Maj. Frank Tompkins, U. S. Cavalry in the 1930s. It also includes as one of the appendices, the report of Capt. Benjamin Foulois, U.S. Signal Corps, who commanded the 1st Aero Squadron. (At this time, aviation was considered an adjunct function for scouting, patrolling, and communications and was still part of the Signal Corps. Foulois went on to a distinguished career as one of the founders of the U.S. Air Service.) Tompkins, a major at the time of the raid, went on to higher command in France. During the Columbus Raid, he organized the pursuit of Villa's forces and chased them well into Mexico until turning back only because his men had exhausted their ammunition and did not have complete field equipment, having hastily fallen in with only their saddles and weapons while under attack. Many of the passages in the book were lifted directly from the National Archive files of the Southern Department, the immediate higher headquarters, and those of the Punitive Expedition. Whether Tompkins deliberately omitted his sources or the publisher did, or it just was that the historical writing conventions of the time did not place the emphasis on sourcing that we do now makes no difference in the validity or usefulness of the book. Tompkins had almost twenty years to think about and work up his book. Having the advantages of complete access to the official documents, having been there, and knowing all the other officers who were then serving, no one today could do what he did. A really useful memorial to a gallant group of professionals whose like we shall hardly see again. A definite must for cavalry research, especially those interested in last campaigning. The author lets us become dusty troopers, hungry, cold, and exhausted.

Swords and Sabers of Spanish Cavalry Troopers 

http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/3d/spanam/spanam.htm 3-D Spanish Cavalry Photos!

Villas - Navajo And Pancho Villa
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