| Heavy Cavalry | |
|---|---|
| |
| Belongs to | Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Weapon(s) | Sword |
| Ammunition | 0 |
| Soldiers in each unit | 15 |
| Charge bonus | 14 |
| Defense skill | 10 |
| Morale | 9 |
| Range | 0 |
| Accuracy | 0 |
| Reloading | 0 |
| Tech requirement | None |
| Produced from | Military Academy |
| Special abilities | None |
| Cost | 1050 |
| Upkeep | 310 |
Heavy Cavalry are melee cavalry in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
These cavalrymen see themselves as elite. It is their job to smash into enemy units and destroy them utterly.
Heavy cavalry are so called to distinguish them from the light cavalry forces. It is not the job of heavy cavalry to pursue enemies. It is their lot to use their speed and weight directly against enemies, battering them into breaking by shock of impact. To this end, they are usually armed with fearsome heavy swords that are quite capable of skewering a man or carving him in two. This role often means that heavy cavalry are held as a reserve by a wise general, so that they can be used to batter a hole in a critically weakened part of an enemy line.
Historically there was debate during the period about the purpose of cavalry forces. Some generals favoured having their men close with the enemy and use "cold steel" for its terrifying morale impact. Britain's John Churchill favoured this approach, keeping his men short of ammunition while on campaign so that they weren't tempted to use any bullets in battle! The other school of thought, naturally enough, favoured using cavalry firepower to break enemy formations. Heavy cavalry did, therefore carry carbines and pistols, depending on the army they served in.
General Information[]
Heavy Cavalry are the British, Swedish and Danish equivalent of Cuirassiers. As their name implies, they are durable, powerful cavalry designed to carry their charge into the thick of the fighting. Offsetting this is their very poor stamina. They are somewhat inferior to cuirassiers.
A select few other factions can train heavy cavalry, including Denmark, Savoy, Venice and Genoa.