The word "cavalry" is known to almost everyone, in contrast to the term "cavalry". What are horsemen? In fact, these are the same cavalrymen, the exploits of which can be found in history books and films about the wars of the 18th-20th centuries. It is also the name of one popular American actor and singer. About who this is - the equestrian, and about the various meanings of this word will be discussed in the article.
Dictionary word
Where to start the study of the fact that this is a horseman? The meanings of the word are presented in the explanatory dictionary, namely:
- The general name of the military personnel belonging to the cavalry (cavalry).
- The name of the athlete involved in equestrian sports, as well as in general the one who rides a horse.
- “The Red Horseman Oleko Dundich” is the title of the book by Milorad Dragovic about the life and exploits of a civil war hero of Serbian origin.
- Charles Connick is an American artist who lived in 1875-1945, engaged in monumental painting and architecture. Especially famous for his magnificent stained glass works, which can be seen today at the Catholic Cathedrals of Pittsburgh.
- Harry Connick Jr., born in 1967, is a famous American singer, jazz pianist, actor and songwriter.
As follows from the above, this term has several meanings. Some of them will be described in more detail below.
Cavalry description
As mentioned earlier, a cavalry is a cavalryman. The term comes from the Latin word caballus, which translates as “horse”. This is a type of army in which horses were used to carry out combat missions, as well as movements.
Talking about cavalrymen (horsemen), it should be noted that they had high maneuverability and mobility, which were combined with speed and the ability to deliver a powerful blow to the enemy. In so many battles, horsemen played a decisive role.
A great advantage was the fact that these soldiers had the opportunity and, most importantly, the ability to carry out military operations, being at a considerable distance from the base of their troops. Horsemen over a short period of time covered significant distances on the battlefield, suddenly appearing on the flanks or behind enemy lines. They could be quickly dispersed both by horseback and on foot to perform various maneuvers. In fact, cavalrymen were universal fighters.
History of occurrence
Cavalry initially appeared in the countries of the ancient world as an irregular military branch. Before the emergence of standard cavalry in the armies of China, India, Egypt and several other states, war chariots were used, which became the forerunners of cavalry.
It is known that the first cavalry appeared in Urartu and Assyria in the IX century BC. e. In Persia, it occurs in the IV century BC. e., gradually spreading to other countries. In the Persian army, cavalry becomes the main type of troops and is divided into heavy and light. The differences were in the weapons that the riders were equipped with.
Regular cavalry originally appeared in ancient Greece, but the number of these soldiers was relatively small: about a thousand horsemen in Athens and half as much in each of the neighboring cities. But she did not play a key role, since the main combat missions were solved by foot hoplites, who were in battle on the flanks. The peak of the development of cavalry troops came in the IV century BC. e. under Alexander the Great, who with their help conquered vast territories.
In ancient Rome, cavalry became an auxiliary type of troops, and the main striking force was infantry. Nevertheless, the riders were quite well armed and solved various combat missions. It should be mentioned that horsemen are the kind of troops with which the Carthaginians defeated the Roman army at the Battle of Cannes.
Cavalry development
Cavalry existed among the southern Slavs in the 7th-8th centuries AD. e. Later it is also found in the Middle Ages - during the time of knights in Europe. In the 9th-10th centuries, cavalry was an obligatory military branch in Ancient Russia. In the future, it also existed under Dmitry Donskoy and Alexander Nevsky, who are known for their great victories. Genghis Khan, who conquered most of the world at one time, also had cavalry, which had its own characteristics.
After the appearance of firearms, cavalry is modified: methods and methods of warfare are being reviewed. Light cavalry armed with firearms begins to advance in the forefront. Cavalry regiments and squadrons appear.
In our country, horsemen were in the service of both the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War. During the fight against the Nazis, cavalrymen showed their effectiveness in battles with the enemy, without machine guns and cannons. Cavalry is the kind of troops that served in almost every country in the world and demonstrated its effectiveness over and over again.
Book and actor
Considering the term being studied, it should be noted that Connick is the name of a famous actor who is also a singer, songwriter and jazz pianist. He was born in New Orleans in 1967 and already at the age of 8 began to play jazz. He made a brilliant musical career, and is currently acting in films.
Also worth mentioning is the book “The Red Horseman Oleko Dundich”, written by Milorad Dragovic. It tells about the exploits of a real person during the Great October Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War. Basically, the plot of the book is based on events that took place at that time.
Such a variety of meanings has the word "horse", which today is not used as often as in the old days.