COOKES CAVALRY TACTICS:

To the U.S. Regulars Civil War Archives Homepage.


	Philip St. George Cooke	Cooke's Cavalry Tactics (1862)
	CAVALRY TACTICS, OR REGULATIONS FOR THE Instruction, Formations, and Movements OF THE CAVALRY OF THE ARMY AND VOLUNTEERS OF THE UNITED STATES. PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT, AND AUTHORIZED AND ADOPTED BY THE SECRETARY OF WAR. By PHILIP ST. GEO. COOKE, BRIG. GEN. U. S. ARMY. VOL. I. PhILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & Co. 1862. CAVALRY TACTICS. VOLUME I SCHOOL OF THE TROOPER OF THE PLATOON, AND OF THE SQUADRON. TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE FIRST. BASIS OF INSTRUCTION. ARTICLE I.—Formation of a regiment of ten squadrons in line Posts of the officers and non-commissioned officers or the field and staff of a regiment in line. Posts of the officers and non-commissioned officers of a squadron in line. Assembly or a regiment, mounted Assembly of a regiment, dismounted Dress parade and guard mounting The standard Salute with the standard and sabre The order of battle ARTICLE II.—Formation of a regiment in column Order in column by twos or fours Order in column of platoons Order in close column Order in double column Compliments by cavalry under review Form and course of inspection ARTICLE III.—Duties of instructors ARTICLE IV.—Division, order, and progression of instruction ARTICLE V.—Gradation of instruction Recruits Corporals Sergeants Officers ARTICLE VI—Instruction to mount without saddle, and to saddle Manner of vaulting Manner of rolling the cloak Manner of saddling ARTICLE VII—Of training horses which have already been ridden Preparatory lesson. To make a horse tractable and steady at mounting To bend or supple the horse’s neck How to make a horse obey the pressure of the leg Circling on the haunches Reining back The horses paces, walk, trot, and canter Demi-pirouette Manner of accustoming the horses to leap To accustom horses to firing and military noises Practice of paces for maneuver ARTICLE EIGHTH. DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES. ARTICLE NINTH. SIGNALS SCHOOL OF THE SQUADRON, MOUNTED TITLE SECOND. INSTRUCTION ON FOOT. School or the trooper, dismounted Position of trooper, dismounted Eyes right—eyes left Right face, left face, about face, right—oblique. face, left—oblique face Common step To change feet To march by a flank To face to the right or left when marching Oblique face to the right or left when marching Quick step Double quick step Sabre exercise General observations and directions Manual of the pistol Inspection of arms Target practice Platoon, squadron, and regiment dismounted TITLE THIRD. INSTRUCTION ON HORSEBACK. 1st LESSON School of the trooper, mounted Position of the trooper, before mounting To mount To dismount Position of the trooper mounted The use of the reins The use of the legs The effect of the reins and legs combined To march To halt To turn to the right and to the left To turn about to the right and to the left To make a third of a lure to the right and to the left To rein back, and to cease reining back To file off 2d LESSON—To march to the right hand, and to march to the left hand To turn to the right and to the left in marching To halt, and to step off To pass from the walk to the trot, and from the trot to the walk Changes of hand To turn to the right and to the left by trooper in marching To turn about to the right and to the left by trooper in marching on the same line The same movements in marching in column 3d LESSON—Of the spur To march to the right hand or to the left hand To pass from the walk to the trot, and from the trot to the walk Change of direction in the breadth of the riding house Change of direction obliquely by trooper To march in a circle 4th LESSON—To turn to the right or to the left by trooper in marching To turn about to the right, or to the left, the troopers marching on the same line, (or abreast) The same, the troopers marching in column To pass successively from the bead to the rear of the column Being halted, to commence the move at a trot Marching at a trot, to halt To pass from the trot to the trot-out, and from the trot-out to the trot To pass from the trot to the gallop To passage to the right or to the left, the head to the wall To passage to the right or to the left, being in column 5th LESSON--To take the snaffle in the right hand To drop the snaffle The principal movements of the bridle hand To gather the horse To march To halt To turn to the right in marching To turn to the left in marching To turn about to the right and to the left in marching To make an oblique turn to the right and to the left in marching To rein back, and to cease reining heck Exercise of the 4th lesson with the curb bridle To passage to the right and to the left 6th LESSON.—Principles of the gallop Exercise et the gallop upon right lines Exercise at the gallop on the circle 7th LESSON.—Exercise of the 6th lesson with the sabre only Manual of arms at a halt To fire the pistol To load the pistol Inspection of arms Sabre exercise at a halt 8th LESSON.—Manual of arms in marching Sabre exercise at all gaits Leaping To leap the ditch To leap the fence Individual charge Circling on the forehand and haunches and demipirouette Target practice Record and reports of target firing SCHOOL 0F THE PLATOON, MOUNTED ARTICLE 1.—General principles of alignment Successive alignment of files in the platoon Alignment of the platoon To break the platoon by file, by twos, and by fours Direct march in column by file, by twos, and by fours Change of direction To halt, and to commence the march, in column Individual oblique march The platoon marching in column by file, by twos, or by fours, to form line face to the front, to the left, and to the right Manual of arms ARTICLE II.—To form twos and fours at the same gait To break by twos and by file at the same gait To form twos and fours in doubling the gait To break by twos and by file in doubling the gait Sabre exercise ARTICLE III.—Direct march of the platoon in line Countermarch Wheelings To wheel on a fixed pivot To wheel on a movable pivot Individual oblique march The platoon marching in line to break it by twos or by fours at the same gait The platoon marching in column by twos or by fours, to form it at the same gait The platoon marching in line, to break it by fours or by twos, in doubling the gait The platoon marching in column by twos or by fours, to form it in doubling the gait Movements by fours, the platoon being in column or line ARTICLE IV. Running at the heads and pistol practice To leap the ditch and the fence To charge by platoon Rallying Skirmishing Prepare to fight on foot SCHOOL OF THE SQUADRON, MOUNTED ARTICLE I.--Successive alignment of platoons in the squadron Alignment of the squadron The squadron being In line, to form a column of fours To break the squadron to the right or left to march to the front To break by fours from the right to march to the left Direct march in column of fours Change of direction Individual oblique march The squadron marching in column of fours to march to the rear To break by fours to the right, column half left, (right or half right) The squadron marching in column by fours, by twos, and by file, to form line faced to the front, to the left, to the right, or to the rear To regulate the rapidity of gaits Sabre exercises ARTICLE II—The squadron being in line, to form it in open column To march in open column Changes of direction by successive wheels Individual oblique march Change of gait in open column To break by fours, by twos, and by file, to form twos, fours, and platoons at the same gait The same movements in doubling the gait The squadron marching in open column to marchto the rear. To halt the column The squadron marching in open column to form line faced to the left, to the right, to the front, and to the rear To break by platoons to the front To break by platoons to the rear from the right, to march to the left Movement by fours, the squadron being in open column ARTICLE III—Direct march of the squadron in line Countermarch Wheelings To wheel on a fixed pivot To wheel on a movable pivot Individual oblique march Oblique march by platoons The squadron being in line, to cause it to gain ground to the rear, and to face it again to the front, by fours The squadron marching in line to march it to the rear by wheeling the platoons about The squadron marching is line, to break it to the front, by platoons, and to reform it The same movement in doubling the gait Passage of obstacles ARTICLE IV—The Charge Rallying Skirmishing To fight on foot Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1861, by J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. War Department, November 1, 1861. THE system of Tactics and Regulations for the Cavalry of the United States, by Colonel PHILIP ST. Geo. Cooke, 2d Cavalry, having been approved by the President, is now published fur the government of said service. Accordingly, instruction in the same will be given after the method pointed out therein; and all additions to or departures from the exercise and maneuvres laid down in the system are positively forbidden. SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War. INTRODUCTION. To the Adjutant General U. S. Army: I report that, in obedience to orders, I have prepared regulations for the instruction. formations, and movements of the cavalry of the army and volunteers of the United States. In undertaking this important work I wanted to give much consideration to a growing military impression in favor of an important change to a single rank formation. Whilst the conservatism or prejudices of European establishments have slowly yielded, in the infantry arm, to the extent of reducing its formation from six to two ranks, the one great step from two to one rank in cavalry has not yet been made; but it was tested very successfully in the war in Portugal in 1833—’34 in a British legion. I found that it greatly simplified all cavalry movements; a great recommendation,— but especially in view of our national policy; it would go far toward lessening the difficulties, by many considered insuperable, of the efficient instruction of volunteer cavalry in a period of actual war. Prejudices of my own against the change were overcome. Adopting, then, the single rank formation, my work of revision became one of construction; and I have freely chosen what I judged to be the best points in the systems of France, Russia, Prussia, Austria, and England. I have added to all. The work will be found to amplify the old range of movements, whilst its simplicity renders it less voluminous. In the decisive action of cavalry the rear rank, under another name, will be screened from much of the enemy’s fire; will be reserved from the confusion which even success throws into the front rank; but that rank defeated, it not only escapes being involved, but is close at hand to profit by the impression which may have been made on the enemy. My confidence in a single rank system is further strengthened by its recommendation in the able work of Captain Geo. B. McClellan, and by which I have been much assisted. Respectfully, P.ST. GEO. COOKE, Colonel 2d Dragoons. WASHINGTON, January 11, 1860.

	Copy and Use Restrictions: The content, information, graphics, design, compilation, products, software, services and all other matters related to this web site ("Materials") are protected by law, including, but not limited to, U.S. Copyright law and international treaties. Except as stated herein, none of the Materials may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission. The navigation, design and text used are the Intellectual Property (IP) of the website author. Copyright © 2003, 2009. All Rights Reserved. www.usregulars.com - U.S. Regulars Archive

REGULATIONS

VOLUME I