Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot with muskets or rifles. The original dragoons were essentially mounted infantry. A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment (such as a uniform and weapon) to defend that country or its interests. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk The word musket also means a male sparrowhawk. ... A rifle is a firearm that uses a spiral groove cut into the barrel to spin a projectile (usually a bullet), thus improving accuracy and range of the projectile. ... A light dragoon from the American Revolution Statue of a dragoon on the Triumph Arc of the Louvres in Paris During the late 17th and early 18th centuries a dragoon was traditionally a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transported himself on horseback. ...

With the invention of accurate and quick firing repeating rifles in the middle of the 19th Century, cavalry started to become increasingly vulnerable. Many armies started to use troops which could either fight on horseback or on foot as circumstances dictated. Fighting on horseback with swords or lances would allow rapid movement without cover from enemy fire, whilst fighting on foot with rifles allowed them to make use of cover and to form defensive lines. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century A sword (from Old English sweord; akin to Old High German swerd, lit. ... The term lance has become a catchall for a variety of different pole weapons based on the spear. ...

The distinction between cavalry and mounted infantry was in practice somewhat vague, but the mid-19th century onwards some cavalry units in the American Civil War, the Boers in the Boer Wars and others usually fought as mounted infantry. The first mounted infantry units to be named as such) were raised during the Mexican-American War (as the Regiment of Mounted Rifles, but redesignated Third Cavalry Regiment in 1860) and others followed, for example in Australia in the 1880s. Terms such as "mounted rifles" were often used. The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-four mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right of secession from the... Afrikaners are white South Africans of predominantly Calvinist Dutch, German, French Huguenot, Friesian and Walloon descent who speak Afrikaans. ... Boer guerrillas during the Second Boer War There were two Boer wars, one from December 16, 1880-March 23, 1881 and the second from October 11, 1899-May 31, 1902 both between the British and the settlers of Dutch, French and German origin (called Boers, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Strength 60,000 40,000 Casualties KIA: 1,733 Total dead: 13,283 Wounded: 4,152 25,000 (Mexican government estimate) The Mexican-American War was fought between the United States and Mexico between 1846 and 1848. ... // Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ...

In the British Army, infantry units in some parts of the British Empire had a mounted platoon for scouting and skirmishing. In addition, many locally raised units such as the Cape Mounted Rifles and Natal Carbineers fought as mounted infantry. In the Second Boer War, the British copied the Boers and raised large forces of their own mounted infantry. Among various ad hoc formations, the Imperial Yeomanry was raised from volunteers in Britain in 1900 and 1901. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The British Empire was the largest empire in history. ... The Natal Carbineers Regiment is an Infantry regiment of the South African Army. ... The Second Boer War, also known as the South African War, was fought from October 11, 1899 until May 31, 1902. ... The Imperial Yeomanry was created on December 24, 1899 — most units being raised during 1900 and 1901 — to allow volunteer cavalry troops to fight as mounted infantry alongside regular troops of the British Army in the Second Boer War as, at that time, Yeomanry regiments had no obligation to fight... 1900 (MCM) is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

As part of the lessons learned from that war, British regular cavalry regiments were armed with the same rifle as the infantry and became well-trained in dismounted tactics (although they never lost their obsession with the charge).

The French Foreign Legion used mule-mounted companies from the 1880s. Each mule was shared by two legionnaires, who took turns riding it. This arrangement allowed for faster and more prolonged marches that could cover 60 miles in one day. Légionnaires in dress uniform. ... For other uses of the word mule, see mule (disambiguation). ... // Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ...

Many European armies also raised cyclist battalions, which used bicycles in the same way that mounted infantry used horses. However they were handicapped by the need for proper roads. A satellite composite image of Europe // Etymology Picture of Europa, carried away by bull-shaped Zeus. ... Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO code In military terminology, a battalion consists of two to six companies typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. ... This racing bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminium tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. ...

Mounted infantry largely disappeared with the demise of the horse as a means of military transport in the 1930s and 1940s. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Countries with entrenched military traditions like Switzerland retained horse-mounted troops well into the Cold War, while Sweden kept much of its infantry on bicycles during the snow-free months. Germany deployed a few horse-mounted infantry units on the Russian Front during the Second World War, and cyclist units on both fronts as well, and both Germany and Britain (which had used cyclist battalions in the First World War) experimented with motorcycle battalions. Germany also utilized organic horse and bicycle mounted troops within infantry formations throughout World War Two, although bicycle use increased as Germany retreated into its own territory. Japan deployed cyclists to great effect in its 1941 to 1942 campaign in Malaya and drive on Singapore during World War II. A horsed cavalry regiment of the Philippine Scouts assisted in the defense of the Philippines at the onset of World War II. The 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army also maintained a Mounted Reconnaissance Squadron throughout World War Two, which saw service in Italy and Austria during the war. For the generic term for a high-tension struggle between countries, see cold war (war). ... The Eastern Front was the theatre of combat between Nazi Germany and its allies against the Soviet Union during World War II. It was somewhat separate from the other theatres of the war, not only geographically, but also for its scale and ferocity. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest... Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... Imme R 100,Germany, 1948/1949 A 125 cc motorcycle, the Italian-manufactured Cagiva Planet. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... The Federation of Malaya, or in Malay Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, was formed in 1948 from the British settlements of Penang and Malacca and the nine Malay states and replaced the Malayan Union. ... Philippine Scouts were native Pilipinos attached to the US Armys Philippine Department prior to, and during, World War II. These troops were generally enlisted and under the command of American officers, however, a handful of Pilipinos did receive commissions from the United States Military Academy. ...

See also

• Dragoon
• Cavalry

A light dragoon from the American Revolution Statue of a dragoon on the Triumph Arc of the Louvres in Paris During the late 17th and early 18th centuries a dragoon was traditionally a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transported himself on horseback. ... Italian cavalry officers practice their horsemanship in 1904 outside Rome. ...

External links

• Society of the Military Horse