pike shotte epic battles english civil wars cavalryHuge numbers of cavalry were fielded in the warfare of the 17th century. The most common being light cavalry harquebusiers, armed with doglock carbines which could be fired from the saddle. Parliament cavalry initially relied on pistols rather than an all out charge with cold steel, as favoured by the dashing Royalist cavaliers, though by war's end full blooded charges were the norm. Cuirassiers were rare in the English Civil Wars, limited to only a