I'm delving deep into the history of the Napoleonic and French Revolutionary wars lately. I just finished David Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon, for instance. Whenever I read about the cavalry, though, it always describes charge and counter-charge.
I do know from further research, though, that French cavalry (and that of other nations) were at least armed with pistols and usually a carbine or musketoon. My question is, how would you use that, or any firearm, during a charge/a pitched battle? Was it more suited for skirmishing or dismounted combat? I can't see it being a lot of use in the hell-for-leather charges at Eylau or Waterloo; maybe I'm reading this wrong?
Carbines and muskets by cavalrymen were typically used when dismounted. In a cavalry charge, a firearm would be relatively useless as only the front rank could fire, could not fire very accurately, and would be too rushed to pull out their saber for the initial contact with the enemy.
That said, it must be stated that cavalry charges were not nearly as violent as depicted in movies. Cavalry typically only dared charge head-on into units that were routing, and would be stopped dead in their track if the infantry unit held their ground. Similarly, when charging other cavalry units, it was noted (particularly at Waterloo) that the cavalry would just seem to slip by one another, the horses just kind of weaving in and out of each other and soldiers would usually use their sabers defensively, and not slash any enemies. In fact it was not uncommon for the units to slip right through one another and swing right around and do it again immediately.