Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Unit of the Week - Zaporozhian Cossacks (Mounted)


Well, the basic description came in the last post.

Effectively, the Zaporozhians would initially take shelter behind their wagons, and once an enemy attack had been beaten off, they would mount their horses and ride out to counter-attack the disorganized foe, leaving enough foot soldiers behind to close up the gap in the "wall" until they returned. On attack, they would use the lance and the sword as their main weapons, preserving firearms for the defense of their mobile "wagon fort".

On the march, the mounted warriors would ride out in front, or on the flanks of the wagon column, providing warning of any potential threats that emerged.

They fought for and against Sweden, Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Also for and against the Ottoman Turks. They regarded themselves as an independent nation, and it was ultimately that desire that proved their undoing. Catherine "The Great" of Russia decided to put an end to it in the 1770s, and sent her armies in to crush the Zaporozhian "nation."

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