More Magic-Realism
The high water mark of Napoleon Bonaparte's Empire, was during the Battle of Salamanca (1812) during the Spanish Campaign. French General Boyer was recently put in charge of a regiment of dragoons. Dragoons were not truly cavalry, but were more musket-firing soldiers who rode horses into battle, but dismounted and fought as light infantry. Boyer ignored convention and charged Wellesley's red-coated infantry, putting them to rout with a clever stratagem, and annihilating them with the sword (as heavy cavalry would have done.)
The French however lost the battle - badly. From then on the fortunes of the Empire dwindled. They were driven mostly out of Spain, and the debacle in Russia later that year, effectively put Napoleon out of business. And got him a ticket to Elba.