Cavalry and chariots against infantry

[Domen]

Reply to Macedon,

OK - I admit that I have not enough knowledge about this particular battle to dispute it further, whether it was a disorganized melee or a rather organized battle. I've only read about it in the article quoted above and on some internet fora and in books generally about husaria (rather than specifically about this battle) - but there were no extensive descriptions. Perhaps I can consult the author via private message on another forum and ask him about more details.

Anyway - there are more examples of husaria charging and defeating pikemen in battle. Some of these examples that comes to my mind at the moment (but this is not a complete list) are:

- Lubieszow 1577 - Landsknecht pikemen (as well as Danzig militia)
- Byczyna 1588 - Austrian pikemen
- Kircholm 1605 - Swedish pikemen (twice, in two subsequent phases of the battle)
- Klushino 1610 - Swedish-German-Scottish and Russian pikemen
- Moscow 1611 - Russian pikemen (also western-style ones)
- Mitawa 1622 - Swedish pikemen
- Smolensk 1633 - English & German pikemen in Russian service
- Mogilev 1655 - Russian pikemen
- Domany 1655 - Russian pikemen
- Polonka 1660 - Russian pikemen
- Liubar 1660 - Cossack pikemen (already discussed above)

Actually at Polonka in 1660, Russian pikemen did repulse some other charges of hussars - but hussars charged there without lances (they already broke their lances and had no time to go to supply columns for new ones - as Polish-Lithuanian armies transported spare lances in their supply trains).

More controversies are regarding how exactly did this happen. There were several methods.

Already quoted author, Radosław Sikora, deals with some of these battles in detail and describes how exactly the hussars were able to beat pikemen in each of them. But regarding some battles there are still controversies or lack of enough detail to establish everything with 100% certainty.

However, primary sources from the era tell us enough to conclude that horses of hussars were trained enough to have no problem with charging against solid or pointy objects.

For example already mentioned R. Sikora deals with this myth. He quotes primary sources from different battles (Kluszyn 1610, Kumejki 1637, Lubnie 1638, Olkienniki 1700) which prove that horses could hit with their chests into: pikes, fences, wagons, various wooden obstacles.

We have also some depictions from the era, showing hussars versus pikemen combats.

Below I provide some excerpts from the era combined with pictures from the era:

From the battle of Klushino 1610 - confrontation of Strus' hussars vs Taube's infantry (ultimately the hussars were victorious and pushed Taube off the field, but after multiple charges):

"(...) our horsemen, after ramming fences, with which the enemies treacherously strengthened their defences, plunging into pikes with chests of horses, suffered a lot of damage. (...)"

"German musketeers (...) deployed near field fortifications like behind a swamp, behind a fence, in dense formation, harmed us, protected by pikemen."

And here a picture depicting the confrontation of Strus' Hussars and Taube's infantry:



Photo comes from Radosław Sikora's article (in English) about the battle of Klushino:

Article about the battle of Klushino in 1610:

http://www.radoslawsikora.republika.pl/m...luszyn.pdf

Here another painting (by Peter Sayers) - from the battle of Kircholm 1605 - hussars breaking a pike-shot regiment:

"(...) our lancers wipe out not only enemy cavalry, but also pikemen, as fresh examples from Livonia prove."

"Hussars attacked against pikemen, as it had to be, they broke the enemy formation, but not without own damages."



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Some interesting discussion took place here (see also You Tube videos showing behaviour of modern horses) - in total 9 pages and surely many controversies:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.p...2&start=30