07-06-2012, 09:59 PM
Quote:Here's a hypothetical situation though - say you're the Governor of Britannia Secunda, based at York. You have a legion and two cavalry alae in camp or nearby, and you hear of a barbarian group approaching Hadrian's Wall. You need to reinforce the troops at the projected crossing point, which is about 90 miles away. If you sent the cavalry on ahead of the infantry, would they actually arrive first, or would the distance counter their speed and both bodies of men would arrive about the same time? (this sounds like one of those annoying questions in mathematics exams, but hopefully the context is more picturesque!)
I think this needs an answer from Vindex but I'll give it a shot. 90 miles = 144km. Legion march rate = 29 km/day, therefore take 5 days to reach the Wall. Of course, it could force march and arrive in 4 days (or less if they strip themselves of some standard kit and the troop-train). The cavalry can march at upto 80km/day, i.e take 2 days. But the horses wouldn't be much use after that and the men would have to man the Wall (maybe that would be the intention). But - I think - fit, trained horses could sustain a rate of 50km/day over a distance of 144km and arrive, still fit for mounted combat, in just under 3 days. Of course, the cavalry would have pack-horses (possibly mules) carrying fodder and grain which would also be supplemented by stores along the route. Maybe the cavalry would deliberately 'burn up' their pack-horses and mules by force marching at a great rate on day one, knowing that the cavalry mounts could feed that night and then continue the force march the next day without the exhausted pack-train (of course, my assumption here is that the pack-train animals are not as capable of quick, sustained effort as the cavalry mounts).
Also, and if I remember correctly, there are examples of horses being force-marched for two days without feeding.
Of course, for a short period both men and horses are capable of marching close to 24hrs in a day. In this case we need to know the relative stamina of the horses and men to determine which arrives first - not that either would be much use having arrived.
So, my answer, based on little supporting evidence and leaving aside the more extreme measures, is that the cavalry would arrive on day 3 and the infantry day 4. Needless to say, these enhanced marching rates are only prudent if travelling from known point A to known point B: very imprudent if used while campaigning!
Regards, Steve
