Despite appearances, the colonial dragoons are not really cavalry but mounted line infantry, riding into a battle then fighting on foot. Horses give mobility, not shock value in combat. Colonial dragoons do not charge home, but ride to critical spots on a battlefield where infantry firepower is needed. They carry smoothbore, muzzle-loading muskets with shortened barrels (to make reloading easier) originally called “dragons” or dragoons; over time, this name transferred to the men. Colonial dragoons are also useful for riot control and civil suppression (“dragooning” is to bully people into a course of action). Their usefulness as infantry and “cheap” cavalry means that they can put down all kinds of trouble, as cutting down dissented natives is beneath the dignity of proper cavalry regimen