“Members of the heavy cavalry would also wear chain mail and a cuirass made of leather covered iron scales.”

“One of the armoured ones sported the gold chevrons of an officer on his cuirass.”

“He turned his back to Hunter, showing his armor was a breastplate instead of a cuirass like Hunter wore.”

“By 1700, armor was largely out of use, but a specialist class of heavy cavalry, the cuirassier, continued to wear torso armor and a helmet.”

“Glancing back from time to time, he allowed the cuirassier major to come near enough to make conversation possible.”

“The cuirassier, being heavier, and mounted on a slower horse, was distanced.”

“By 1804, twelve French heavy cavalry regiments had become cuirassiers, with cuirasses and steel helmets.”

“Their riders had cuirasses and cuisses of the same materials, and helmets of burnished iron.”

“They have learnt to kill one another in glittering cuirasses, in helmets topped with plumes, or maned with scarlet.”