Cavalry in the Franco-Prussian War

Actions of French Cavalry 1870
by Jean Jacques Théophile Bonie

Cavalry at Vionville & Mars-la-Tour
by Otto August Johannes Kaehler

Two views of European cavalry warfare in the 19th Century

If the American Civil War taught what war would become in the world of the post Industrial Revolution, the lesson was thoroughly learnt and its consequences best demonstrated in the Franco-Prussian War by Prussia itself. France remained anchored in spirit and much practice to the First Empire and paid the inevitable price exacted by her forward thinking enemy. Although the development of technology, logistical transportation, communications and mass production were making their presence felt in warfare, the fast, completely flexible movement of troops yet remained the province of the horse soldier and this may have provided a 'level playing field' for the protagonists. Yet even in this the Prussians out matched the French by rethinking the potentials of the mounted arm. The war contained cavalry engagements of massive proportions with appalling consequences for loss of life. For those who know anything of the history of cavalry at war the conflict of Mars-la-Tour, covered in depth in the pages of this book, will be significant. Two accounts of the cavalry during the Franco-Prussian War are included here. The first, written by a French cavalry officer shortly after the war, inevitably reveals the war from the French perspective. Bonie was an eyewitness to the events he describes and his text is immediate and poignant. Kaehler's text, from the perspective of the opposing camp, is a work of analytical history, though of equal value. This book originally appeared with a third piece concerning the American Civil War but this has been removed from this edition by the Leonaur editors to give the present edition a clearer more focus. Available in softcover and hardback for collectors.