a body of soldiers that charge on horseback. The word comes from the French, cavalerie, and that from the corrupt Latin, caballus, a horse.

The Roman cavalry consisted wholly of those called equites, or knights, who were a distinct order in the distribution of citizens.—The Grecian cavalry were divided into cataphracta and non cataphracta, i.e. into heavy and light armed.—Of all the Greeks, the Thessalians excelled most in cavalry. The Lacedemonians, inhabiting a mountainous country, were but meanly furnished with cavalry, till, carrying their arms into other countries, they found great occasion for horses to support and cover their foot. The Athenian cavalry, for a considerable time, consisted only of 96 horsemen: after expelling the Persians out of Greece, they increased the number to 300; and afterwards to 1200, which was the highest pitch of the Athenian cavalry. The Turkish cavalry consists partly of Spahis, and partly of horsemen raised and maintained by the Zaims and Timariots.

The chief use of the cavalry is to make frequent excursions to disturb the enemy, intercept his convoys, and destroy the country; in battle to support and cover the foot, and to break through and disorder the enemy; also to secure the retreat of the foot. Formerly, the manner of the fighting of the cavalry...