The cavalry of an army are a part of a machine, in which reliance must be placed, and in which every nut or screw of doubtful metal is a danger. Cherfils rightly says: “Three-quarters of the strategy of war lies in the method of employment of the cavalry.” Why? Because of the supreme importance to the generalissimo of _Liberty of Manœuvre_. But this liberty can only be gained by a thrusting forward of masses of cavalry, _which must go on_ and get the greatest share of the terrain intervening between the two armies. As an instance of this, in the Ulm Campaign on the 4th October Napoleon in his orders to Murat makes it plain that he wants him to push aside the enemy’s patrols and make plenty of prisoners; he tells him to take _three_ divisions of cavalry and do so, leaving _one_ division only to watch his left flank, that on which Napoleon was making his main infantry advance. He left the initiative to Murat. Does any one imagine that these cavalry masses could, solely by means of musketry fire, drive the enemy out of the positions which they will take up, on finding a stronger force of cavalry in front of them? We believe certain people do reckon on this, though it has never occurred in actual combat, and (in the opinion of those who have witnessed attempts at it) will not do so in the immediate future. Across the open plains the weaker, worse armed and equipped cavalry will keep falling back rapidly to the next defensive line. If this is a river or range of hills, experience shows that the stronger cavalry will soon cross it and move forward. Too much emphasis can hardly be laid on the value of success in the first great cavalry combat, in “initial ascendancy.”[54] Let those who doubt this inquire of any who have been on stricken fields and have learnt the great lessons only taught by defeat. But these lessons are not to be confused with the tendency to say “A” nation beat “B” nation, therefore “A” nation’s methods are right, and forthwith slavishly follow their methods, even carrying this so far as to follow the fashion of some pelisse or _pickelhaube_ as well.