Napoleanic Times

"Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won."
-- Sir Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, in a dispatch after touring
the battlefield at Waterloo on his own horse, Copenhagen

Napoleon knew that horses provided an extremely important tactical weapon, but he considered them an expendable resource -- a fact which may have led to his defeat!

Napoleon had an eye for horseflesh and he acquired large numbers of good quality horses for his cavalry. His orders to his mounted men were to chase all retreating forces to the bitter end and destroy them. Napoleon's men and horses were relentless with the enemy, but even they could not withstand a lack of supplies. As horses died from starvation, Napoleon had them replaced with a seemingly unending supply.

The final blow came when Napoleon gathered his troops and had them march on Moscow. Overtime, the Russians had often relied on their bitter environment to serve as a weapon. Overmatched by Napoleon, the Russians burned their city and its supplies, leaving the soldiers and horses to withstand the difficult winter. Few did. Tens of thousands of horses died on this campaign.

When Napoleon faced Wellington at Waterloo, Napoleon had only a remnant of his trademark cavalry to make his sweeping attack. It is believed that this diminished strength of Napoleon's cavalry helped assure Wellington's victory.