Dismounts

This is one of the pictures that were taken of me for my senior pictures.  My senior pictures were taken at our farm where I knew where everything was at.  I wanted to have some pictures where I was in my uniform, both Union and Confederate.  Here I am in my Confederate Dismounted Cavalry uniform in one of our cherry trees.  During the Civil War, dismounted cavalry would be cavalry soldiers who were ordered to dismount and give their horses to one man to take to the rear.  The rest acted as foot soldiers, usually as scouts or to go on raiding missions.  I really like the dismounts because there is a lot more freedom in battle as we are not required to stay shoulder to shoulder in firing lines in the hot sun in the middle of a field.  Instead, we have the freedom to take cover in wooded areas and provide cover fire for infantry.  During tacticals, or unscripted battles, we are often called on to sneak around and flanks of the enemy, often capturing artillery or officers.  I really like this picture because it shows how soldiers of the time began to think.  After the Civil War, the days of the mass charges began to die off, and new tactics were brought into service.