Review of "U. S. Cavalry," by John Selby

 Review of

U. S. Cavalry, by John Selby ISBN 0850450829

Five out of five stars

Synopsis of the history of the U. S. Cavalry forces

 As odd as it may sound, there is still a role for a limited number of cavalry in the U. S. military. Who can forget the image of mounted U. S. special forces troops riding into combat in Afghanistan in the first years of the twenty-first century? Those men were the latest iteration of a long tradition of mounted troops in the U. S. military. This book is a short history of their role in the nations wars.

 For obvious reasons, major history of the cavalry in U. S. wars took place in the Revolutionary, Mexican and Civil Wars. Yet, in popular culture, the image that most comes to mind is the cavalry riding to the rescue in the western movies. That has a historical basis, the long distances involved in the lengthy war between the U. S. and Native Americans required both sides to be mounted and capable of rapid and sustained movement.

 This book is an excellent primer on a branch of the military that was once key to winning battles yet has now largely been relegated to an occasional action.