The Nineteenth and Their Times

This is horse-soldier history at its most granular and evocative. Colonel John Biddulph traces the improbable arc of four British cavalry regiments that carried the number Nineteen across two centuries of empire: the 19th Light Dragoons, the 19th Hussars, and their successors in name and spirit. From the dusty campaigns of the Seven Years' War through the revolutionary chaos of America and the apocalyptic cavalry battles of the Napoleonic era, these regiments charged through history with sabers drawn. Biddulph, writing from within the military tradition he chronicles, offers more than roster lists and battle dates. He captures the texture of cavalry life: the particular courage required to gallop toward enemy fire, the bond between man and horse, the pride of regiments whose identities shifted with reorganization but never lost their edge. The Indian campaigns and North American engagements receive particular attention, showing how these mounted warriors adapted to colonial warfare across vastly different terrains. For military history enthusiasts, for anyone fascinated by the mechanics of empire rendered through one number's journey through time, this book preserves the gallop and glory of a cavalry age now past.