According to Wellington, Napoleon frequently used his cavalry in seizing positions, which were then immediately occupied by infantry or artillery.
V.—How Used.
1. Cavalry generally manœuvres at a trot. At a gallop, disorder is apt to take place, and exhaustion of strength that will be needed in the charge.
2. The ordinary use of cavalry is to follow up infantry attacks and complete their success. It should never be sent against fresh infantry; and should generally, therefore, be reserved until towards the last of the action.
Napoleon, who, by concentrating his cavalry into considerable masses, had enabled himself to use it on the battle-field as a principal arm, sometimes produced great effects by heavy cavalry charges at the very beginning of the action.
But, though Napoleon's splendidly trained heavy cavalry might sometimes break a well-disciplined infantry without any preparatory artillery fire, it would be dangerous to attempt this with cavalry inferior to it in solidity; and the new rifled weapons would seem to render the cavalry charges of his day no longer practicable.
3. Cavalry may be hurled against the enemy's infantry—
(1.) When it has been a long time engaged, and therefore exhausted.
(2.) When it has been shattered by artillery.
And always should be—