heavy cavalry engaging heavy cavalry

[Urselius]

The term "cavalry of the line" and its infantry equivalent ("infantry of the line") were not precise terms. Whereas guard units were never "of the line" the demarcation of other units was and is less certain. For the British Army the Lifeguards and the Royal Horseguards were not of the line, the position of the seven regiments of Dragoon Guards is debatable, due to their quasi-guard status. They had a distinct numbering sequence, 1st to 7th, apart from that of the Dragoons and Light Dragoons, who were numbered 1st to 25th. However, they served in exactly the same way as, and were armed identically to, the Heavy Dragoons (1st to 6th in the list). The same with the infantry, the Foot Guards were not of the line, but the light infantry regiments and rifle regiment were of the line in the sense that they were in the same numbering system with "ordinary regiments", but not in the sense that they had distinct training and functions.