Skip to content
Curated playlist

Cavalry charges of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

  • Battle of Shubra KhitAt Shubra Khit, French soldiers stood in giant rectangles as Mameluke horsemen circled them for three hours.
  • Battle of Château-Thierry (1814)About 400 Prussian soldiers fought to a bridge at Château-Thierry, only to find it destroyed.
  • Battle of ChampaubertAt the Battle of Champaubert in 1814, a 19-year-old French conscript captured a senior Russian general.
  • Battle of MontmirailOutnumbered nearly three to one, Napoleon attacked instead of defending. He struck at Montmirail in 1814.
  • Battle of Arcis-sur-AubeAt Arcis-sur-Aube in 1814, Napoleon's army climbed a ridge and met a far larger enemy. He had roughly 28,000 men.
  • Battle of VauchampsAt Vauchamps, Blucher attacked a weak-looking French corps and met Napoleon. His army lost as many as 10,000 men.
  • Battle of MormantRetreat orders reached a Russian commander too late at the Battle of Mormant. French infantry advanced at five.
  • Battle of Mount Tabor (1799)Wild wheat hid a French relief force at the Battle of Mount Tabor in 1799.
  • Battle of CzarnowoThe village of Czarnowo changed hands several times before dawn in a December 1806 battle.
  • Battle of FriedlandAt Friedland in 1807, a Russian general marched his army into a trap. Its bridges were bunched at one village.
  • Battle of MontereauFrench cavalry seized two rigged bridges at Montereau before the fuses could be lit.
  • Battle of Aspern–EsslingThe Battle of Aspern-Essling was the first time Napoleon had been personally defeated in a major battle in ten years. It was fought on the 21st-the 22nd of May 1809. At four in the afternoon on the first day, his senior commanders met on…
  • Battle of Abukir (1799)A French cavalry general rode into an enemy commander's tent at the Battle of Abukir.
  • Battle of WaterlooWellington called the Battle of Waterloo "the nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life."
  • Battle of MondovìAn unguarded footbridge helped Napoleon win the Battle of Mondovì in 1796. Two assaults had failed.
  • Battle of EylauAt Eylau in 1807, Napoleon sent 11,000 cavalry straight at the Russian army to save his collapsing center.

Queue