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Cavalry

 
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United States Cavalry
ArmyCAVBranchPlaque.gif
Cavalry branch plaque
Active 17 November 1775–1951
Country United States
Branch United States Army
Type Cavalry
Role Reconnaissance, security, assault
Size Division, Brigade, Regiment, Squadron, Troop
Patron Saint George
Insignia
branch insignia CavalryBC.gif
Mid 19th century U.S. Cavalrymen, in their most remembered form.

The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, is the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army. The role of the U.S. Cavalry is reconnaissance, security and mounted assault. Cavalry has served as a part of the Army force in every war the United States has participated in. Originally designated as United States Dragoons, the forces were patterned after cavalry units employed during the Revolutionary War. The traditions of the U.S. Cavalry originated with the horse-mounted force which played an important role in extending United States governance into the Western United States after the American Civil War.

Immediately preceding World War II, the U.S. Cavalry began transitioning to a mechanized, mounted force. During World War II, the Army's cavalry units operated as either horse-mounted, mechanized, or dismounted forces (infantry). The last horse-mounted cavalry charge by a U.S. Cavalry unit took place on the Bataan Peninsula, in the Philippines. The 26th Cavalry Regiment of the Philippine Scouts executed the charge against Japanese forces near the village of Morong on 16 January 1942.[1] The mounted reconnaissance company of the 10th Mountain Division, while not designated as U.S. Cavalry, conducted the last horse-mounted charge of any Army organization in 1945, in Austria.[citation needed]

The U.S. Cavalry branch was absorbed into the Armor branch as part of the Army Reorganization Act of 1950. The Vietnam War saw the introduction of helicopters and operations as an airborne force with the designation of Air Cavalry, while mechanized cavalry received the designation of Armored Cavalry. Today, cavalry designations and traditions continue with regiments of both armor and aviation units that perform the cavalry mission. The 1st Cavalry Division is the only active division in the United States Army with a cavalry designation. The division maintains a detachment of horse-mounted cavalry for ceremonies and morale purposes.

Contents

History

Private of the 3rd Continental Light Dragoons during the American Revolution.

Washington saw the intimidating effect of the small force of British 17th Light Dragoons that panicked his militia infantry at White Plains, and he appreciated the ability of the 5th Regiment of Connecticut Light Horse Militia under Major Elisha Sheldon to gather intelligence during the subsequent retreat of Continental forces into New Jersey. He asked the Continental Congress for a light cavalry force in the Continental army, and in late 1776 Congress authorized Washington to establish a mounted force of 3000 men.

American Revolutionary War

Main article: American Revolutionary War

On 12 December, 1776, Congress converted Elisha Sheldon's militia regiment into the Regiment of Light Dragoons. In March 1777, Washington established the Corps of Continental Light Dragoons consisting of four regiments of six troops and 280 men each. Many problems faced the light dragoon regiments, including the inability of recruiting to bring the units to authorized strength, shortage of suitable cavalry weapons and horses, and lack of uniformity among troopers in dress and discipline. Congress appointed the Polish revolutionary and professional soldier Count Casimir Pulaski to train them as an offensive strike force during winter quarters of 1777-78 at Trenton, New Jersey.

Pulaski's efforts led to friction with the American officers, resulting in his resignation, but Congress authorized Pulaski to form his own independent corps in 1778. Pulaski's Legion consisted of dragoons, riflemen, grenadiers, and infantry. Another independent corps of dragoons joined Pulaski's in the Continental Line during 1778 when a former captain in Bland's Horse, "Light Horse Harry" Lee, formed Lee's Corps of Partisan Light Dragoons, which specialized in raiding British supply lines. Colonel Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouerie ("Col. Armand"), a French nobleman, raised a third corps of infantry in Boston, called the Free and Independent Chasseurs, which later added a troop of dragoons, becoming Armand's Legion. Although a reorganization in 1778 authorized expansion of the four regiments to 415 men each, forage difficulties, expiration of enlistments, desertions, and other problems made this impossible, and no regiment ever carried more than 200 men on its roles, and they averaged 120 to 180 men between 1778 and 1780.

In 1779, Washington ordered the 2nd and 4th Continental Light Dragoons equipped temporarily as infantry, and deployed the 1st and 3rd Continental Light Dragoons and Pulaski's Legion to the South to join local militia cavalry and to oppose the new British strategy for controlling that area. Battle engagements in South Carolina largely seriously attrited the 1st and 3rd Regiments in the spring of 1780, who almagamated into a single unit. Following the capture of Charleston, South Carolina on May 12, 1780, the remnants tried to regroup and reconstitute in Virginia and North Carolina. In August, 1780, Armand's Legion was with General Gates at the disastrous Battle of Camden.

The most significant engagement of the war involving Continental light dragoons was the Battle of Cowpens in January 1781. Southern theater commander General Nathanael Greene reorganized part of Lee's Legion and elements of the amalgamated 1st and 3rd Light Dragoons in Charlotte and dispatched them on a series of raids against Loyalist forces in western Carolina. The British responded by organizing a large force of dragoons and infantry under British Lt-Col Banastre Tarleton to stop the raids and put down the mobile forces. The dragoons joined the "flying corps" commanded by General Daniel Morgan at Cowpens, charged the advancing lines of Tarlton's infantry at a calculated moment, broke their ranks, and secured a crucial victory. Later, the 3rd Legionary Corps participated in Greene's maneuvers across North Carolina and fought Cornwallis's army well at Guilford Courthouse.

In January, 1781, the practice of the dragoons in employing both mounted and dismounted troops resulted in their official reconfiguration as Legionary Corps, the mounted dragoons supported by dismounted dragoons armed as infantry, an organization that persisted until war's end. In 1783, the Continental Army was discharged and the dragoons were released.

War of 1812

Main article: War of 1812

The first cavalry unit formed by the Congress of the United States of America was a squadron of four troops commanded by Major Michael Rudolph on 5 March 1792. In 1799, Congress established a provision for mobilization of three cavalry regiments in the event of a war. Equipment for 3,000 men and horses was procured and stored. The Congressional act of 12 April 1808 authorized a standing regiment of light dragoons consisting of eight troops. As war loomed, Congress authorized another regiment of light dragoons on 11 January 1812. These regiments were respectively known afterwards as the First and Second United States Dragoons.

Secretary of War John Armstrong, Jr. granted Colonel Richard Mentor Johnson permission to raise two battalions of volunteer cavalry in 1813. Johnson recruited 1,200 men, divided into 14 companies. In autumn, after much training, Johnson's Volunteers, as they had come to be called, clashed with the British 45th Foot along the Thames River, 90 miles east of Detroit. The training and the tactical leadership of Col. Johnson resulted in the surrender of the British.

Congress combined the First and Second United States Dragoons into one Regiment of Light Dragoons on 30 March 1814. This was a result of cutting the costs of sustaining two organizations when neither could maintain a full complement of riders. At the end of the year, the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. The regiment was disbanded on 3 March 1815, with the explanation that cavalry forces were too expensive to maintain as part of a standing army. The retained officers and men were folded into the Corps of Artillery by 15 June 1815, all others were discharged.

Westward expansion

In 1832, Congress formed the United States Mounted Ranger Battalion to protect settlers along the east bank of the Mississippi River and to keep the Santa Fe trail open. The battalion comprised volunteers organized into six companies of 100 men. To correct what was perceived as a lack of discipline, organization and reliability, Congress formed the United States Regiment of Dragoons as a regular force in 1833, consisting of 10 companies (designated A through K) with a total of 750 men. The Regiment fought against the Seminole nation in 1835, when Chief Osceola led warriors from his tribe in the Second Seminole War in protest to the Treaty of Payne's Landing. For a year, the established units had difficulty containing the Indians. Congress responded by establishing the 2nd United States Regiment of Dragoons in 1836.

War with Mexico

Captain Charles A. May's squadron of the 2d Dragoons slashes through the Mexican Army lines.
Main article: Mexican–American War

The First Dragoons[citation needed] served in the Black Hawk Wars and the Mexican War, and Charles A. May's squadron of the Second Dragoons helped decide the Battle of Resaca de la Palma.

Civil War

Main article: Cavalry in the American Civil War

Shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War the Army's dragoon regiments were designated as "Cavalry", losing their previous distinctions. The change was an unpopular one and the former dragoons retained their orange braided blue jackets until they wore out and had to be replaced with cavalry yellow. The 1st United States Cavalry fought in virtually every campaign in the east during the American Civil War.

World War II

Starting before World War II the Army commenced experimenting with mechanization, and had partially mechanized some cavalry regiments, such as the Wyoming National Guard's 115th Cavalry Horse-Mechanized. During World War II, many of the Army's cavalry units were mechanized with tanks and reconnaissance vehicles while other's fought dismounted as infantry. Some units were converted into other types of units entirely, some of which made use of the cavalry's experience with horses. The Mars Men of the China Burma theatre give such an example.

The last horse cavalry charge by an Army cavalry unit took place against Japanese forces during the fighting in the Bataan Peninsula, Philippines, in the village of Morong on January 16, 1942, by the 26th Cavalry Regiment of the Philippine Scouts. Shortly thereafter, the besieged combined United States-Philippine forces were forced to slaughter their horses for food and the 26th Regiment fought on foot or in whatever scarce vehicles were available until their surrender. The mounted reconnaissance unit of the 10th Mountain Division is reported to have conducted a mounted charge as late as 1945 in Austria.[citation needed]

Vietnam

The Vietnam War saw the first combat use of air cavalry warfare; and twenty armored and air cavalry units were deployed in Vietnam, during the war. Armored cavalry units in Vietnam were initially equipped with the M48 Patton tank, armed with a 90 mm main gun, and the M113 Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle (ACAV). In January 1969, the cavalry began transitioning from the Patton tank to the M551 Sheridan Armored Airborne Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle.[2] By 1970, all armored cavalry units in Vietnam were operating the Sheridan except for the tank companies of the 11th ACR, which continued to use Patton tanks.[3]

Recent and Contemporary Development of Dragoons in the U.S. Army

The distinct Cavalry branch ceased to exist when it was absorbed into the Armor branch in 1951, during the Korean War. Other regiments of both armored and air cavalry exist in the Army. The patches on 1st Cavalry Division helicopters that served in Vietnam retained the symbol of a horse, symbolizing the mobility that characterized the original horse cavalry. In spite of the formal abolishment of the branch, however, the recognition of it continues on within the Army's armor branch.

The 1st Dragoons was reformed in the Vietnam era as 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry, and continues to this day in the Iraqi War as the oldest cavalry unit, as well as the most decorated unit, in the U.S. Army. Today's modern 1-1st Cavalry is a scout/attack unit, equipped with M1A1 Abrams tanks and M3 Bradley CFVs.

Another modern United States Army unit informally known as the 2nd Dragoons is the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker). This unit was originally organized as the Second Dragoon Regiment in 1836 until it was renamed the Second Cavalry Regiment in 1860, morphing into the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment in the 1960s. The regiment is currently equipped with the Stryker family of wheeled fighting vehicles. As equipped with the Stryker, the 2nd Cavalry once again can be accurately referred to as a "Dragoon" force - mounted infantry. [4]

Traditions

The cavalry, like any other military force, has its own unique traditions and history. Among these traditions include the Order of the Spur commonly called "Spur Ride", cavalry Stetson, Saber Arch, Fiddler's Green poem, the song or rallying cry Garryowen, and the Order of the Yellow Rose. Units in the modern Army with cavalry lineage often adopt a Black Stetson hat as unofficial semi dress headgear, recalling the black felt campaign hats of the American frontier era.

Cavalry designation

The distinct cavalry branch ceased to exist when it was absorbed into the Armor branch in 1951, during the Korean War. Other regiments of both armored and air cavalry exist in the Army. The patches on 1st Cavalry Division helicopters that served in Vietnam retained the symbol of a horse, symbolizing the mobility that characterized the original horse cavalry. In spite of the formal abolishment of the branch, however, the recognition of it continues on within the Army's armor branch, where some officers choose cavalry branch insignia over the very similar armor branch insignia.

Chief, the last surviving tactical horse of the United States Cavalry, died in 1968, at the age of 36.

There is still one Army Military Occupational Specialty that is active and has been since the early cavalry days: 19D, Armored Cavalry Reconnaissance Specialist, or Cavalry Scout.

The 1st Cavalry Division is the only presently existing division of the United States Army that retains the "cavalry" name and the division retains one detachment of ceremonial horse cavalry for morale and ceremonial purposes. The division is otherwise divided into four armored brigades and one air cavalry brigade, both of which contain subordinate units that perform traditional cavalry tasks.

Heraldry

  • Branch Insignia:
    Two crossed sabers in scabbards, cutting edge up, 11/16-inch in height, of gold color metal. The cavalry insignia was adopted in 1851. Officers and enlisted personnel assigned to cavalry regiments, cavalry squadrons or separate cavalry troops are authorized to wear the cavalry collar insignia in lieu of their insignia of branch when approved by the MACOM commander. Some of the armor and aviation units are designated cavalry units.
  • Branch Plaque:
    The plaque design has the Cavalry insignia and rim in gold. The background is white and the letters are scarlet.
  • Regimental Insignia:
    Personnel assigned to cavalry units affiliate with a specific regiment of their branch or cavalry unit and wear the insignia of the affiliated regiment.
  • Regimental Coat of Arms:
    There is no standard cavalry regimental flag to represent all of the cavalry regiments. Each cavalry regiment has its own coat of arms that is displayed on the breast of a displayed eagle. The background of all cavalry regimental flags is yellow, and they have yellow fringes.
  • Branch Colors:
    Yellow is used as a branch color for personnel assigned to cavalry units. In March 1855, two regiments of cavalry were created and their trimmings were to be "yellow." In 1861, the designation of dragoon and mounted rifleman disappeared, all becoming cavalry with "yellow" as their colors. Yellow was continued as the color for cavalry units subsequent to abolishment as a branch. Although the regimental flags for cavalry units are yellow, the troop guidons are red and white without an insignia on the guidon.

See also

U.S. Army Cavalrymen

Historical units

1st Cavalry Division's Horse Cavalry Detachment charge during a ceremony at Fort Bliss, Texas, 2005.
  • First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry also called Philadelphia Light Horse, mustered into Federal Service. now Troop A, 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment Pennsylvania National Guard
Dragoons
Cavalry
With colors flying and guidons down, the lead troops of the famous 9th Cavalry pass in review at the regiment's new home in rebuilt Camp Funston. Ft. Riley, Kansas May 28, 1941

Current units

1-153th Cavalry Squadron, FL ARNG
  • 158th Cavalry Regiment (United States), MD ARNG
  • 163rd Cavalry Regiment (United States), MT ARNG
  • 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, TN ARNG
  • 299th Cavalry Regiment, HI ARNG
  • 303rd Cavalry Regiment, WA ARNG

References

Text document with red question mark.svg
 This article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (September 2009)
  1. ^ Shortly after, the besieged, combined United States-Philippine force was forced to slaughter their horses for food, and the 26th Regiment continued to fight on foot until their surrender.
  2. ^ Starry, p. 142
  3. ^ Starry, p. 227-234
  4. ^ US Army Europe Fact Files - Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment, http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/factfiles/factfile_history-002scr_2007-10.pdf
  5. ^ 16th Cavalry Regiment article at globalsecurity.org
  • Starry, Donn A., General. "Mounted Combat In Vietnam." Vietnam Studies; Department of the Army; First printing 1978.

External links

Recommended reading

  • Brackett, Albert G. (1865 reprinted 1968). History of the United States Cavalry: From the Formation of the Federal Government to the 1st of June 1863, .... New York City: Greenwood. p. 337. 
  • Connecticut Adjutant General's Office (1889). Record of service of Connecticut men in the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood & Brainard. p. 959. 
  • Heitman, Francis Bernard (1903 reprinted 1968). Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903. I. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co.. p. 890. 
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