Whats the difference between light and heavy cavalry?
During the Napoleonic wars the Heavy Cavalry were the Dragoon Guards and Dragoons. A Heavy regiment refers to their role in battle where they would make heavy and decisive charges in pitched battle, they usually had heavy war horses than ‘light’ dragoons. The Light Cavalry had a slightly different role to the heavy regiments. Much of what they did was in the main skirmishing, communications between army encampments. They provided a vital communication, listening and watching role. They proved pivotal in roles such as retreats where they could hold off the enemy giving their army valuable time to regroup or cover distance before galloping back. But they would be used in combat.