Dear Mr. Cornwell, I have read all of your series and enjoyed them all (Starbuck being my favourite and I hope you will finish that series someday). However my questions concern the British cavalry throughout the Napoleonic era. While I understand how one became an officer of the cavalry, but the entire entity of the cavalry is often referred to as ‘the Fancy Boys’. My question is therefore about the status of the common cavalry trooper. Were they richer men of the lower class who could bring their own horse to the army? Were they just ordinary men like those of the infantry who simply had some knowledge of horses? Or something altogether different?

My second question is about the status of cavalry officers in relation to infantry officers. For example was a Cavalry captain of any higher rank than an infantry captain? It seems unlikely to me, I only ask for the role of a squadron commander seems to entail a good deal more responsibilty than that of the commander of a company from a Line Regiment. Jimmy