Why you might read On the Cavalry Commander?
This piece shows us how Athens structured her standing army. It allows us to see their preparations for war. It rounds out our view of cavalry in Athens. In my education project, this fills in gaps in my understanding of ancient warfare.
Synopsis of On the Cavalry Commander
This short treatise gives us a look into what went into training, maintaining and commanding Athenian cavalry.
It starts with how to recruit cavalry, and raise the funds necessary. It continues with how to train the cavalry. Both as a unit and what you should instruct them to do on their own.
It sidetracks into how cavalry should be displayed during processions and feasts. The suggestions given would make the Cavalry look as good as possible.
Finally, it finishes with how to March and command a force at war. It covers both with and without infantry support.
Reflections on On the Cavalry Commander
Xenophon gives his ideas on how the cavalry should be trained and maintained. This holds quite a bit of weight as he commanded the army in the retreat from Persia. And while it holds a lot of insight into how the army, was run, we must hold it as one man's opinion, however, qualified he may be. We do not know if he ever had a chance to implement this regime and how successful it was in use.
His coverage of displaying the horsemanship of the men at festivals is a little hard for me to imagine. But I'm willing to trust Xenophon that it would be impressive. It is interesting that these displays are part of the festivals. I guess it is as good of a time as any to show the populace the prowess of the armed forces.
What others have to say about On the Cavalry Commander
"Xenophon is not shy about repeatedly mentioning the service the commander owes to the gods" From Ashoakkara
Comparisons with other texts
The easy comparison to make is between On the Cavalry Commander and
On Horsemanship. The big difference is that On Horsemanship focuses on the individual. By contrast On the Cavalry Commander is focused on the formation of horsemen.
An interesting comparison is between the use of the Cavalry in Athens and the supposed use of horses in, the much earlier,
Illiad. In the Illiad, chariots are used only to get to the battle. By contrast, the Cavalry of Xenophon are expected to fight, scout and generally be part of the order of battle.
Conclusion
This text completes Xenophon's discussion of the horse and its use in war. It covers recruiting men, training men and leading them in battle. It also sidetracks to give detail on how to display the cavalry in the festivals.
Have you read On the Cavalry Commander? If so what did you think of it?
Want to read On the Cavalry Commander but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.
Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.
