The Black Sea Cossacks were initially created in 1811 as a guard unit, the Black Sea Sotnia, and incorporated into the Cossacks Life-Guard regiment.
The Black Sea Cossacks were mostly used to support infantry during deployment and to mount raids and maneuvers at the enemy rear. On the battlefield, they were used for sudden attacks, usually from ambush, on enemy cavalry and infantry.
The Black Sea Cossacks were armed with sabers and musketoons. Riders were well-trained to shoot from horseback and their gunnery inflicted heavy damage on enemy ranks. Cossacks were great masters of the saber and there was barely a soldier in the Russian army who could compete with them in swordsmanship.
Later on, General de Braque would say the following about the Cossacks: "Cossacks were the kind of troops who made this war extremely dangerous, especially for those of our officers who dealt with reconnaissance. Many of these preferred to search for information among the locals rather than to get far away from the camp, risking being charged by Cossacks. The Emperor thus wasn't able to obtain trustworthy intelligence".
For their feats of arms, the Black Sea Cossacks were awarded the Silver Tuba.