Cavalry
Contemporary observers mention cavalry in numerous actions. For example in Tientsin Chinese cavalry are often reported manoeuvring within the Chinese lines. However it is true that given the vast areas involved and the size of the ICA, it was deficient in cavalry.
The few well trained and equipped cavalry units in the regular Chinese units were with Yuan Shih Kai, often fighting against the Boxers, and Chang Chih Tung, who was not involved in the fighting. The ICA was therefore largely dependent on irregular cavalry for scouting and communications.
In theory ICA regular cavalry was divided into two different groups. The Tchou Fang Ma, about 120,000, was distributed in camps established in the inner and outer provinces, and along the borders. The Lou Ying Ma, around 110,000, was stationed in the main garrison centres.
Cunningham wrote favourably of the performance of some regular cavalry in 1897:
‘...the dash of these troopers on that wretched slippery path, guiding their ponies with reins in one hand and gripping the lance with the other was a revelation...(after they had dismounted and faced the enemy) not withstanding that they were facing death...(they) were eager, grim and steady. Not a man moved until a sharp order was given – a number in Chinese – and up went their rifles at the ready!’
Beresford reports a cavalry camp at Kaiping in 1899, supposedly of 1,500 men but extremely short of horses. Russian officers had replaced the Germans who had been drill instructors.
Uniforms
An eye-witness in the earlier Arrow War quoted in Knight described Manchu Bannermen cavalry:
‘The Tartars were dressed in the ordinary Chinese hat of black silk, with the brim turned up all round, and two squirrels’ tails projecting from the hat behind, which are the decoration only worn by military men. They had on light coloured jackets over a long under-garment of darker material, and blue trousers tucked into black Tartar boots.’
An illustration in Knight based on eyewitness sketches shows the uniform described above: the squirrel tails are black, the short sleeved jacket reaches to the waist, and is buff-coloured, with a black trim around the cuffs, down coat front seam, and bottom edge, from the latter there are fleur-de-lye like decorations on the front of the hips. The plain under-garment is a pale purple-mauve colour.
A contemporary Japanese print shows Chinese regular cavalry in black Mandarin hat with red tassel or animal tail, short pale blue tunic with white cuffs, pale purple either sleeveless waistcoat or front panel to the tunic trimmed all around with black and black writing on them, pale buff trousers (the lower legs are not visible).
A Manchu cavalryman in Heath is shown wearing the black Mandarin hat with red crown and two brown tails, mid blue short jacket closed down the right side and trimmed with a wide red edge with a very narrow white inside band on collar, front edge, bottom edge and cuffs. The plain under garment is buff. Trousers white in black white-soled boots .
Tung-fu Hsian’s Kansu soldier cavalry were described by Ambassador MacDonald as wearing red uniforms with black velvet facings, with three characters on the chest denoting ‘The Cavalry of Kansu’.
Weapons and Equipment
Traditional regular cavalry were armed with sword, lance, and powerful composite bows carried in a hard case on the left side, with the arrows in another case carried on the right, both slung from a waistbelt usually worn under the short jacket. In an illustration in Knight the bow case is mid blue with lighter blue line decoration. Some lances had red horse-hair hanging from the shaft where it joined the ironwork. Units were increasingly armed with carbines or rifles, initially at least in addition to the other weapons.
The colour of the horse equipment varied but the style was basically the same from the highest officer down to the ordinary trooper, including the very large rounded brown leather saddle skirts. They rode with short stirrups, which had a large, round flat base, enabling the rider to stand in the stirrups, for example to shoot.
Mounts were hardy ‘Mongolian’ ponies. Government provided ponies were 12.5 to 13 hands high. Chestnut, black, bay (brown), white, dun (beige-mustard coats with black mane and tail and stripe along the back, often white stockings), grey, pale grey and piebald are said to be the most common. The horses were not shod, special horse-shoes with wooden strips or iron cleats were used when necessary. In some cavalry units the men provided their own mounts.