Parade Ground, Ft. Bliss, TX. - Hart's Mill Location

Because it was a well known fact that towns corrupted soldiers and kept them from their main duty - chasing Indians out of the frontier, in September 1851 the garrison marched thirty miles upriver to a second station near Ft. Filmore, TX. The troops occupied some ranch buildings on six acres of land leased from Franklin Coons, the first postmaster in the area. At the urging of citizens of Franklin, TX, a new fortification at a third location, "The Post of El Paso", was established in January 1854 on leased property of Magofflin's Ranch, also known as Magoffsville, and in March it was named after a Mexican War Veteran of distinction, Lt. Colonel William Wallace Smith Bliss.

In 1859 the area outgrew the name of "Franklin" and thereafter became known by its logical name "El Paso", taken from the natural geographical surroundings. With the beginning of the Civil War, the Army evacuated, and the fort was used as an assembly point and base for the Confederate invasion of Mexico in 1862. After failure of that venture, the fort was burned and the Confederates withdrew. Following the war, the Army returned and temporally took quarters at the old fort and attempted to restore it.

Officers' Quarters, Concordia

On November 1867, orders were received to move to a fourth location and a new facility was constructed on a hundred acres of property leased from the Concordia Ranch. Magoffsville was not vacated until March 1868 when Camp Concordia was completed. Camp Concordia had three large adobe buildings that straddled three major roads. In addition there was six officers' quarters, plus a tree lined parade ground. In March 1869 Camp Concordia was redesignated as Ft. Bliss. Within the decade, tough economic times plagued the nation, and the government sought ways to reduce military expenditures. In part, even then, base closings were a means to save short term money. In January 1877, Ft. Bliss was closed.

On New Year's Day, January 1878 the fifth location of Ft. Bliss would rise again, like a Phoenix, by renting quarters in downtown El Paso which proved to be a poorly thought out plan. As the post needed better facilities than rented warehouses, a new site for the sixth Ft. Bliss was constructed on 135 acres, known by many as Hart's Mill, upstream at the mouth of the Pass of the North, which had been purchased by the War Department. The site was in an excellent location which provided the Army easy access through the mountain passes.

Pershing House, Ft. Bliss

It was so good that the railroads exercised their rights of "eminent domain" and laid their rails down through the middle of the parade grounds. The scheduling of drills, marches and ceremonies around the train schedules became too much of a headache. With financial support of the local citizens of Franklin, TX, The Army purchased a thousand acres of land on the edge of La Noria Mesa, adjacent to the town of El Paso, TX which had experienced vigorous growth. Construction on the, seventh and final, site at La Noria Mesa began in August 1891 and continued over the next two years. The garrison layout centered around a parade ground that was situated along the curve of the mesa. The initial construction featured officers' quarters along the west side of the parade ground and barracks, a mess hall, and a hospital along the east side. Upon completion of construction, the Army abandoned, the Hart's Mill facility in 1893. The La Noria Mesa site remains as the permanent station for Ft. Bliss.

Soon after the turn of the century, Ft. Bliss became the focus of activity to clear the Mexican border of marauders, cattle rustlers and thieves who took shelter in northern Mexico between raids. Below is a historical photograph surviving from those days: a picture taken on 27 August, 1914 at Nogales, AZ of Obregon, Villa and Pershing. Behind Pershing and to his left stands 1st Lt. George S. Patton, Jr.

Generals Alvaro Obregon, Pancho Villa and John S. Pershing Background Right: 1st Lt. George S. Patton, Jr., 8th Cavalry Regiment

On 15 March 1915, Pershing led an expedition into Mexico to capture Pancho Villa. Although there had been talk of war on the border for years, no steps had been taken to provide for the handling of supplies for such an expedition. Despite this and other hindrances, such as the lack of aid from the former Mexican government, and their refusal to allow American troops to transport troops and supplies over their railroads, Pershing organized and commanded the Mexican Punitive Expedition, a combined armed force of 10,000 men that penetrated 350 miles into Mexico and routed the revolutionaries of Pancho Villa severely wounding the bandit himself.

Evolution of a Division

In the early 1800s, the phrase Manifest Destiny was coined to describe the philosophy shared by many that the United States had a divine right to become a transcontinental nation. To that end, the 1830s began a rapid territorial exploration and expansion that extended the domination of the United States into the far southern, western and northern regions of the North American continent. The most significant and noteworthy exploitations of these new areas was brought about by the establishment of a number of key, well traveled, overland routes. Some of the more notably famous were The Oregon, Overland, Santa Fe, California, Boseman and Cherokee Trails. These routes, a result of the perceived "manifest destiny", extended the control of the United States into the far reaches of a largely unsettled, hostile territory. As their use continued, more and more wagon trains loaded with settlers, rolling west, were being attacked by Indians.

The Army, having the charter to explore the large areas of land masses and protect the growing number of people who moved into the new territories, established a number of military posts at strategic locations throughout the Southwest, West and Northwest. These "frontier outposts" were staffed with a fast, mobile and high spirited striking force of cavalry troops to provide protection along the arteries of emigration and commerce. These territorial missions in the 1800s and early 1900s, and the first overseas assignments brought about by the Spanish-American War, sharpened the skills of the independent, highly maneuverable cavalry regiments.

Map Of The Western Frontier Regions

In 1866, soon after the end of the Civil war, Congress initiated action to expand the number of cavalry regiments. The sound of the bugle and the cry of "Charge" sent the thundering hooves of the U.S. Cavalry troopers to protect the western bound settlers in an era when Indians roamed the western frontier and pioneering settlers clung to their land with determination. The 1st, 7th, 8th and 10th Cavalry Regiments, which in the future would form the nucleus of the 1st Cavalry Division, clashed with the Sioux, Comanche, Arapaho, Apache and the Indian Nations during the Indian Wars. Led by colorful characters like Colonel George Armstrong Custer, the next ten years were more eventful than the Civil War.

On 04 April 1921 the Army established a permanent Cavalry Division Table of Organization & Equipment. It authorized a Square Division organization of 7,463 Officers and Men, organized into a Headquarters Element (34); two Separate Cavalry Brigades (2,803 each); an Engineer Battalion (357); a separate Ambulance Company (63); a Field Artillery Battalion (790); a Division Quartermaster Trains Command (276); and a Special Troops Command (337).

Each Cavalry Brigade was organized into a Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (101); two Cavalry Regiments (1,155 each); and a separate Machine Gun Squadron (392). Each Cavalry Regiment was organized into a Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (121); two Squadrons (428 each); a separate Supply Troop (127); and a Medical and Chaplain Detachment (51). Each Machine Gun Squadron was organized into a Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (47); three Line Troops (110 each); and a Medical and Chaplain Detachment (15). Each Cavalry Squadron was organized into a Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (35); and three Line Troops (131 each).

The Field Artillery Battalion was organized into a combined Headquarters and Headquarters Battery and Combat Trains Command (227); three Batteries (161 each); and a Medical and Chaplain Detachment (30). The Special Troops Command was organized into a Headquarters Element (11); the Division Headquarters Troop (161); a Signal Troop (78); an Ordnance Maintenance Company (36); a Veterinary Unit (38); and a Medical and Chaplain Detachment (13).

The Division Quartermaster Trains Command was a unitary structure that contained all of the Quartermaster Corps elements of the Division. At this time, all transportation was pack or animal-drawn (horse or mule), except for 14 automobiles, 28 trucks, and 65 motorcycles that were scattered throughout the various unit headquarters. Without the Trains Command, the 1st Cavalry Division occupied 6.5 miles of road if it moved in a "column of twos".

Subsequently on 20 August 1921 the 1st Cavalry Regiment, the first unit assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, was preassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division nearly a month before the formal activation of the Division. On 13 September 1921, with the initiation of the National Defense Act, the 1st Cavalry Division was formally activated at Ft. Bliss, Texas and Major General Robert Lee Howze, a Texas native from Rusk County and seasoned veteran of the Frontier Indian Wars, Spanish American War, Philippines Insurrection, Mexican Expedition, World War I and recipient of the Medal of Honor, was selected as its first Division Commander.

Newly Organized 1st Cavalry Division Passes In Review

Upon activation, the 7th, 8th and 10th Cavalry Regiments were assigned to the new Division. With almost a century of service behind the oldest of its regiments and sixty five years of service for its youngest, the units that had already ridden and fought its way into the pages of history were organized into the newly formed divisional structure. The four regiments were now to fight side by side. Other units initially assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division in 1921 included the 1st and 2nd Machine Gun Squadrons, Weapons Troops, 10th Light Tank Company, 13th Signal Troop, 15th Veterinary Company, 27th Ordnance Company, 43rd Ambulance Company, 82nd Field Artillery Battalion (Horse) and the 1st Cavalry Quartermaster Trains which later was redesignated as the 15th Replacement Company.

The 1st Cavalry Division was assigned to the VIII Corps Area and its Division Headquarters and 2nd Brigade Command along with its units were assigned to Ft. Bliss, TX. The 1st 1st Brigade Command and its units were assigned to Camp Harry J. Jones in Douglas, AZ. Later, the 5th Cavalry Regiment was assigned on 18 December 1922, relieving the 10th Cavalry Regiment. It would not be until 03 January 1933 that the 12th Cavalry Regiment, organized in 1901, would join the 1st Cavalry Division, relieving the 1st Cavalry Regiment.

Consolidation of these units into the 1st Cavalry Division and its specialized support functions, along with new tactical equipment training and developments enabled the Division to evolve into the modern, highly trained, mission ready, assault and support force of today. As such, it is well staffed and equipped to execute any on-order mission to deploy by land, sea or air to any part of the world on short notice and at once engage the threat and neutralize, suppress or destroy the enemy.

Over the next twenty years, units of the Division, remained stationed at the home base of Ft. Bliss with elements occasionally temporally based at Camp Marfa and Ft. Clark, all located in Texas. The early missions of the Division were comprised of rough riding, patrolling the Mexican border, and constant training. Operating from horseback, the cavalry was the only viable force capable of piercing the harsh terrain of the desert to halt the band of smugglers that operated along the desolate Mexican border. In spite of the lack of ample funding and the limited availability of new equipment, priorities were placed on readiness preparation and evaluations by conducting extensive field maneuvers. To this end, the large expanse of land south of Ft. Bliss, in the Marfa-Shafter-Alamito area of the Big Bend District, was used to stage its many divisional-level maneuvers.

Additional training and preparation for involvement in the anticpated World War was carried out at the national level by the 1st Cavalry Division by their participation in the first 3rd Army maneuvers held in the summer of 1940 at Camp Polk, Louisiana and in the following year - 1941, from 10 August to 04 October 1941, the 1st Cavalry Division then staffed to approximately seventy percent of their authorized strength, joined in the second 3rd Army field readiness maneuvers that were held in the vicinity of Leesville, Louisiana.

On 07 December 1941, the era of World War II dawned with the Division fated to continue in the role of border patrol which its currently assigned regiments had performed during World War I. Although the Division was anxious for immediate combat, its first wartime mission was to continue border surveillance as a component of the Southern Land Frontier and the Southern Defense Command. They patiently served on border patrol and participated in the third 3rd Army LOUISIANA MANEUVERS which were held near Mansfield, Louisiana from 04 August to 19 September, 1942.

New Addition - Cavalry Scout Cars

The period following the LOUISIANA MANEUVERS became an extension of field exercises and unit testing which continued throughout the winter as rumors of deployment possibilities circulated around the post. In February 1943 the entire 1st Cavalry Division was alerted for an overseas assignment and it began the historic transition to an Augmented Leg Infantry Division. In a compressed schedule, the Division trained the troopers in a mobile environment while beginning staging for movement to the Southwest Pacific theater as infantry foot solders with the support of mechanized vehicles; tanks, armored cars, trucks and scout cars.

In June the overseas deployment from Ft. Bliss, Texas to Camp Stoneman, California was made in two echelons. The first body, elements of the 5th and 7th Cavalry Regiments, and the 8th Engineer Combat Squadron would be followed by the remaining units of the main body of the Division. Another twenty-eight years (in which the 1st Cavalry Division, served in the completion of the WW-II Pacigic Campaigns, Occupation of Japan, The Korean War, Re-occupation of Northern Japan, security of the Korean Demilitarized Zone and the Vietnam War) would pass before the Division would return to Texas in 1971.

On 26 March 1971, the First Team struck their "colors" at a Stand Down Ceremony at Bein Hoa marking their departure of the 1st Cavalry Division from Vietnam. With the simple but brief ceremony highlighted by the 1st Cavalry Division Band and the bright colors, their tour of duty came to a close. After sixty-six months "in country" and continuously in combat, the First Team and left the 3rd Brigade (Separate) to carry on. The new home base of the 1st Cavalry Division was designated to be located at Ft. Hood, Texas, not Ft. Bliss, Texas, their organizational home base.

Ft. Hood, TX had begun its own long history beginning on 15 January 1942, when the War Department announced that a camp, to be a permanent station of the Tank Destroyer and Firing Center, would be built in the vicinity of Killeen, Texas. Orders were issued for the Real Estate Branch of the Engineer Corps to acquire 10,800 acres of land northwest of Killeen. On 17 February 1942, the Army announced that the camp would be named Camp Hood in honor of General John Bell Hood, the "Fighting General" of the famous "Texas Brigade" of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, who was later Commanding General of the Confederate Army of Tennessee.

On 05 May 1971, the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division, minus those of the 3rd Brigade (Separate), were moved from Vietnam to Ft. Hood, TX and were passed to the commander of the former 1st Armored Division, Major General James C. Smith. After twenty-seven years of outstanding dedicated service, hardships and service overseas, the major organizational units of the 1st Cavalry Division were relocated back in the state of Texas where it had been organized a half century before.

TRICAP Ceremony 05 May, 1971

1st Cavalry Division Headquarters - 1971

In mid June 1972, the stand-down ceremony for the 3rd Brigade (Separate) was held in Bein Hoa, Vietnam and their colors were returned to the United States. The last trooper left from Tan Son Nhut on 26 June, completing the Division recall which had started on 05 May 1971. With the 3rd Brigade completing its withdrawal, the 1st Cavalry had become the first US Army Division to go to Vietnam and the last to leave.

On 21 February 1975, with the conclusion of the TRICAP test evaluations, the 1st Cavalry Division was once again reorganized, becoming the newest armored division in the Army. In the organizational structure of "armor", the Division was deployed overseas for four major Operations; the Persian Gulf War, Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM 1990 - 1991; the United Nations Bosnia peacekeeping mission, Operation JOINT FORGE 1998 - 1999; the SouthWest Asia for preparation and participation in the invasion of Iraq, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM 2003 and the occupation of Iraq, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II 2004 - 2005. Following each of these deployments, changes in the tactical organizations and supporting equipments of the Division were made to improve its mission performance ability.

Upon its return from Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II in 2005, the 1st Cavalry Division was reorganized and aligned into the new Modular Force of the Army structure. With limited expansion areas for forces at Ft. Hood, TX an element of the Division - the 4th Brigade Combat Team was organized and activated in a ceremony at Noel Field, Ft. Bliss, TX on 18 November 2005, celebrating the return of the Division to western Texas sixty-two years after its overseas deployment to the Pacific Theater in World War II. A major reason for enabling the remote relocation of the Brigade is that the structure and organizational capability of the new brigades allows them to be deployed as a single, self sustaining, combat unit that replicates the war-fighting capabilities of the Division on a somewhat smaller scale. The 4th Brigade Combat Team will remain remotely located at Ft. Bliss until its return with the Division from its second deployment to Iraq.

On 07 July 2006, in anticipation of redeployment to Iraq for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM IV, the 15th Support Brigade Sustainment Brigade (SB) and their Special Troops Battalion (STB) cased their colors in a ceremony at the parade grounds of Coopers Field, Ft. Hood, TX. Their departure, on 29 July, marked the start of the scheduled return of the Division to Iraq over the coming months which culminated on 15 November, when the 1st Cavalry Division took the reigns for the Multi-National Division in a Transfer Of Authority Ceremony at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq. In order to accommodate the accelerated build-up of troops in Iraq ("the surge"), the deployment of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM IV, which was originally planned to be for one year, was extended to a total of 15 months in the combat zone. During the deployment, with an influx of the Division's resources on the ground patrolling the streets, bomb attacks decreased 73 percent as well as the number of explosive devices identified and detected before they could detonate and cause causalities.

On Wednesday, 27 February 2008, having completed their Transfer Of Authority for operations in northern Iraq to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, returned to Ft. Bliss and refreshed from their block leaves, thousands of the 4th Combat Brigade Team, 1st Cavalry Division Troops marched through the downtown streets of El Paso, TX. in a "Welcome Home Heroes Parade".

4th Brigade Combat Team Marches Through Downtown El Paso

The majority of the operations of the 4th Combat Brigade were in northwestern Nineveh Province of Iraq. However, some of the soldiers served in the Iraq capital city of Baghdad. They had deployed to Iraq in November 2006 and after 14 months, the last soldiers returned the day before Christmas, 2007.

Capitalizing on the "Lessons Learned" from the most recent deployment in Iraq, several reconstitutional changes were studied, considered and implemented in the retraining processes of each unit in order to be more prepared and ready when called for their next deployment. In an accelerated effort all of the changes were incorporated by mid year and on 23 June 2008, approximately 200 Soldiers of the advance staging party, 4th "Long Knife" Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division arrived at Tallil Airbase, Iraq to begin their 15-month deployment in support of Operation IRAQ - VI (Rotation 08-10).

On 01 May 2009, the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, the last Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division closed out its deployment departure schedule in support of Operation IRAQ - VI (Rotation 08-10).

However it was not long before Ft. Hood began to be repopulated with returning 1st Cavalry members as soon as 04 May, the "Torch Party" of almost 30 from the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, began their rotation of return deployments as they came back to hundreds of cheering family members, fellow Soldiers and other guests at Cameron Field, located near the 4th ID Headquarters.

0n 13 January 2010, the 1st Cavalry Division closed out its responsibilities of Operation IRAQ - VI (Rotation 08-10), formally "Multi-National Division Forces - West and Baghdad" by executing a Transfer Of Authority to the commander of the incoming division (now designated as "USD - Center") of control, the 1st Armored Division. The next day, 14 January, the flight of the trail party of the 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters Soldiers arrived at Ft. Hood, TX and as they gathered at the homecoming ceremony at Coopers Field to greet their family and friends, the Colors of the 1st Cavalry Division were uncased, signifying the return of the Division from the combat operations of Operation IRAQ - VI (Rotation 08-10).<
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1st Cavalry Division Uncases Its Colors On A Rainy And Cold Evening

On 17 March, the advanced party of the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, the last organizational unit of the 1st Cavalry Division scheduled to leave Operation IRAQ - VI (Rotation 08-10), began its return to Ft. Hood as 150 soldiers were welcomed back from Iraq at Cooper Field. Soldiers from across the Brigade made up the advance party that will prepare for the arrival of the rest of the Brigade in April.

Continuing To Build On Their Lineage, America's First Team Moves On!

Mission of the Cavalry OutPost

The charter mission of the Cavalry OutPost © was, and still is, to search continuously, conduct reconnaissance and document the activities of the past and current elements of the 1st Cavalry Division and its future generations of units that will follow. The subsequent sections of the OutPost WebSite starts with the early days of the horse soldier regiments whose initial mission was to protect the western movement of people and trade along the Northwest Oregon and Southwest Santa Fe Trails and railroads and continues to the present day organization and its worldwide operations.

Your are invited to enter the Cavalry OutPost to review tableaux of the history and operational accomplishments of the 1st Cavalry Division, also know as "The First Team".

"The Cavalry Outpost ©, circa 1840"
OutPost Entrance		OutPost Entrance