It has often been noted that the cavalry played a rather reserved role during the Revolutionary Wars. This was because the conditions under which it had previously been deployed no longer existed, and the conditions under which Napoleon would soon find a fruitful and completely new field of activity for it had not yet been conceived. Tactics were renewed through the use of large rifle units, the simplification of battle formations and advances in artillery. Overall, operations were still characterised by the old strategic principles: they did not yet exhibit the speed that makes the use of a very large and highly mobile cavalry indispensable for facilitating manoeuvres, preparing battles and securing decisive victories. On the contrary, since the time of the Consulate, Bonaparte had been introducing a new system of warfare. He no longer wanted to fight for partial and secondary objectives, or for the possession of a fortress: he wanted to aim straight for the main objective, the possession of which had to be decisive. Efforts on the various theatres of war must, in a sense, be directed towards this single objective, and on a single theatre of war, the forces deployed will take on entirely new dimensions. The period of the First Empire is certainly the most fruitful in terms of useful lessons, especially with regard to the cavalry. The study of its organisation, its regulations, its marches and battles is therefore not only of purely historical interest. It remains the best school in which we can learn those magical feelings that inspired our ancestors: enthusiasm and confidence.
