#union cavalry

[cavalrycommand1876]

Patrol Under Fire by Don Spaulding

[szkin-art]

NPC portraits for the Lancer game I'm playing in~

[revoltedstates]

George Keats Speed was born 9 Feb. 1846 in Louisville, KY. He joined the Union Army at age 15, becoming a lieutenant at age 16 in the 1st Kentucky Cavalry. He also served as adjutant and captain in the same unit, and worked on the staffs of Maj. Gen. Charles Gilbert and Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger. Image source: LOC. Info source: Findagrave.

[aunti-christ-ine]

[roscoe-conkling]

"So it came to pass that as he trudged from the place of blood and wrath his soul changed." ...Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage

[dw-flagler]

never say that

y'know the idea of personifying a country brings with it a mountain of complicated historical and ethnic baggage, brings into sharp relief the construction of national mythologies as viewed from without and within, raises questions as to what degree a nation can be considered a single entity--hetalia deftly avoids coming under this sort of scrutiny by eclipsing it all with a premise that ensures that the only reasonable response to being told it is simply "IT'S ABOUT FUCKING WHO????"

[vulturesouls]

Union Cavalry officer, Philadelphia, 1860s

J Paul Getty Museum

[froody]

Imagine you hired an obscenely drunk Union soldier in a saloon to kill your husband. He manages to accomplish the deed by removing the bullets from your husband’s gun through a sleight of hand trick before challenging him to a duel. This is somewhat impressive but what is more impressive is his strong work ethic, ingenuity, Irish accent, subtle chivalry and big brown eyes. You marry him and move onto the 15 acres of semi-arid land on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert he stubbornly wants to farm. He wants to name your firstborn daughter after his cavalry horse in the Civil War and your firstborn son after his commanding officer. He calls you widow woman as a term of endearment. He’s a good shot, he’s a good cattleman, a great husband and a subpar father. But what else can you ask from a man who lost his entire family in the Famine and came to this country alone at the age of 14?

Imagine you are a former Union soldier. You are 22 years old. You were only 19 when you enlisted, an Irish immigrant who worked in a livery stable in Cleveland until the outbreak of the war. You fought valiantly. You survived. In lieu of wages, you accepted a parcel of land in New Mexico territory. You’ve never had anything that was truly your own. Except for, perhaps, your horse. You arrive in New Mexico for the first time in your uniform, your horse goes lame the second you step onto your parcel, it’s so dry and rocky and red and you do not think it’s arable. You have to put down your horse. She dies with her head in your lap and you cry so hard you think you’ll die with her. When you’re done giving her a wake, knowing you have no ability to bury her, you begin walking in the direction of Las Cruces. Maybe you can sell this cursed land. Maybe you can get a job. First, a toast to Lula, the mare, the closest thing to family you have had in this country.

You’re seeing double by the time a little woman with an appraising expression approaches you. She is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, perhaps even better in double. A little older than you. Long, dark wavy hair that cascades over her shoulders, a perfect round face, a warm brown complexion and the most troubled eyes you have ever seen on a woman. What is most miraculous is that she wants to talk to you. You, drunk, sunburnt, covered in dust, the blood of your horse soaked into your pant leg. She motions to your pistol. She says she will pay you to do a job, pay you handsomely, enough to buy another horse. She says her husband is rich, he enticed her away from her family when she was very young, he holds her captive in his hacienda, he hurts her. He must be killed so that she can return to her sisters and live without fear. You will do it, you must do it. You do not care how much of the story is factual. You do not care if she intends to have the sheriff string you up after the deed is done. You do not care if she cannot pay the money she promised. You would do anything to remove the sorrow from her eyes. You kill her husband and sleep fine afterwards.

You do not buy that horse. You stay in the hacienda while she is out selling the bits and pieces of her husband’s life. You meet her sisters when they come, you help her pack away the pieces of her life so that she may start anew. You tell her of your own plans to start anew, of the patch of rocky soil that is your own. She tells you she grew up on land like that, tells you that it has always been her dream to work it. When her sisters leave for the mountains, she leaves with you.

[obtener2]

Mid-June 1863, the U.S. capital became desperate for additional defenders. An ominous rumble sounded beyond the Blue Ridge. Perilous gunfire could not be dismissed as rebel guerrillas, who hovered in small squads across the Potomac. Startling reports created panic. Rumors contradicted one another, except for one consistent theme—General Lee marched north. A Family and Nation Under Fire

iBooks https://goo.gl/SAVc8A

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Amazon: https://goo.gl/A3brGd

KSU Press http://goo.gl/Z3z4Xs

[cavalrycommand1876]

Union Cavalry Saber Charge

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Russian Calvary on Parade,” Chicago Tribune. February 17, 1933. Page 2. ---- Russian cavalry, part of the mighty Soviet war machine, on parade in Moscow during recent maneuvres. The Red army consists of 650,000 conscripts, but officials say they can put a force of several million held in short order.

[vox-anglosphere]

During the Great War the entire British Empire was called to arms.

[revoltedstates]

Soldiers of Co. H, 3rd Indiana Cavalry, smoking cigars and holding bouquets. Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Detail from a larger company photo, Library of Congress.

[ripstefano]

Wellington's Heavy Cavalry

At the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington’s heavy cavalry played a dramatic and decisive, though ultimately costly, role in the unfolding of the conflict. Early in the battle, as French infantry advanced in columns against the Anglo-Allied lines, Wellington ordered his heavy cavalry to counterattack. The Household Brigade and the Union Brigade surged forward in a thunderous charge that smashed into the French infantry formations. The sheer weight of their attack broke through several columns, scattering soldiers and causing significant chaos among the French ranks. The Scots Greys, part of the Union Brigade, famously charged through the melee and captured a French eagle standard, a rare and prestigious feat in Napoleonic warfare.

However, the cavalry’s enthusiasm turned into overreach. After their initial success, many troopers pursued the retreating French far beyond the safety of their own lines, losing cohesion and becoming disorganized. This exposed them to devastating counterattacks by French lancers and cuirassiers, as well as artillery fire. While their charge inflicted heavy casualties on the French and temporarily halted their momentum, the heavy cavalry themselves suffered significant losses, including the death of Major General Sir William Ponsonby, the commander of the Union Brigade. Despite their high cost, the charge underscored the power and peril of heavy cavalry in battle.

From "Wellington's Heavy Cavalry"

[karrakincavalrycollege]

The Karrakin Cavalry College is proud to announce that our political theory department has found that the Baronic Council is in fact a more fully democratic government than that of the Union Central Committee!

[bretwalda-lamnguin]

I’m not sure if this is a controversial take or not, but I don’t think Fingon was a particularly good or capable king. The Silmarillion almost seems to damn him with faint praise, his bravery and selflessness are always singled out. But nothing about him seems to suggest he’s a great leader.

All of his best and most heroic actions are either individual or directly leading small numbers of troops, the rescue of Maedhros, routing Glaurung with his horse archers. Not much is said of his leadership during the battle in Hithlum, between the fourth and fifth battles.

I think it’s quite notable that his lands in Dor-lómin are just handed over to Hador. It suggests to me that Fingon either had very little following there or that he wasn’t doing a good job of ruling it and even Fingolfin saw this. After Fingolfin’s death he’s the only viable Nolofinwean heir, Turgon and Aredhel are missing, Argon is dead.

I also think it’s notable that everyone calls the alliance the Union of Maedhros, and Fingon is unable to leverage Orodreth and Nargothrond to back it. Maedhros is the power behind Fingon’s throne, and everyone knows it. Maedhros is the politician and the military strategist. Fingon has little skill or little interest in these I think. I also like the idea that despite the love between them, Maedhros is manipulating Fingon at least a bit. Maybe unintentionally, but Maedhros is a Machiavellian at heart, a determined and capable pragmatist. He will trample the hearts of those he loves to get what he wants.

I also think it’s notable that Fingon charges in after Gwindor while Turgon hangs back. Fingon has let the tail wag the dog, and been drawn into breaking his strategy by one of his subordinates. He’s passionate and emotional, Húrin has to restrain him from charging even before this! Turgon doesn’t get drawn in even when Fingon does, and I’m pretty sure that Fingolfin and Maedhros would not have done this either. That’s not to say Gwindor should have been abandoned to die, but providing some force to relieve them and cover their retreat when they inevitably get bogged down and have to pull back (like Turgon did for Fingon) is very different to committing the whole army to a gamble made with no prior thought.

I like Fingon! He has many good qualities, and up until the 5th battle was a major factor in the success of the Noldor. He’s brave and dashing, selfless, a good cavalry commander. He rescued Maedhros and stopped a civil war! He routed Glaurung! But I do not think he was ever a good king.