07-06-2012, 03:26 AM
There's a note in Nicasie's Twilight of Empire to the effect that, over distance, infantry could actually move faster than cavalry. The source is Junkelmann, although sadly I didn't copy the exact reference.
Nicasie says that when a march takes more than four days, infantry can match cavalry for distance. When it takes more than seven days, infantry can cover more ground.
This, I suppose, depends on the need for cavalry to rest their horses more frequently. But does anyone know more about Junkelmann's reasoning or calculation for this? It does seem strange, bearing in mind the supposed institution in the 3rd century of a central cavalry reserve, presumably to respond more quickly to crises. Taking Vegetius' marching speed for infantry (20 Roman miles, or 18 modern miles, a day), this means that if the crisis in question is more than 70-80 miles away, the Roman commander would be better off sending the infantry...
Nicasie says that when a march takes more than four days, infantry can match cavalry for distance. When it takes more than seven days, infantry can cover more ground.
This, I suppose, depends on the need for cavalry to rest their horses more frequently. But does anyone know more about Junkelmann's reasoning or calculation for this? It does seem strange, bearing in mind the supposed institution in the 3rd century of a central cavalry reserve, presumably to respond more quickly to crises. Taking Vegetius' marching speed for infantry (20 Roman miles, or 18 modern miles, a day), this means that if the crisis in question is more than 70-80 miles away, the Roman commander would be better off sending the infantry...
Nathan Ross
