1st Cavalry Regiment
History
"Courageous and Faithful"
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| Manual For Saber Exercise and Drill |
Regimental Coat Of Arms
Introduction
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| Manual For Saber Exercise and Drill |
Introduction
The 1st Cavalry Division, a major subordinate command of the US Third Mobile
Armored Corps, is a 19,000 soldier, heavy armored division stationed at Ft.
Hood, TX. As one of the two "on-call" heavy contingency force divisions of the
Army, the First Team has an on-order mission to deploy by sea, air or land to
any part of the world on a short notice. The following narratives, divided in
timeline eras of major operational missions, describes the threat environment,
tactical conditions, evolution of equipment technology and the strategic
methodology employed by one of its subordinate units, the 1st Cavalry
Regiment, to contribute to the successful missions and enhancement of the
warring organization of the 1st Cavalry Division.
On 22 January 1921 the 1st Cavalry Division was constituted in the US Regular
Army. Subsequently on 20 August 1921 the 1st Cavalry Regiment, the first unit
assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, was preassigned to the Division nearly a
month before its formal activation. On 13 September 1921, with the initiation
of the National Defense Act, the 1st Cavalry Division was formally activated
at Ft. Bliss, TX and Major General Robert Lee Howze, a Texas native from Rusk
County and seasoned veteran of then 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.
The early history of the organic units assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division
was closely tied to the movement of people and trade along the Oregon and
Santa Fe Trails. These routes, a result of perceived "manifest destiny",
extended the western domain of the United States into the far reaches of a
largely unsettled territory. More and more wagon trains, loaded with settlers,
rolling west were being attacked by Indians.
By the 1830's it had become apparent that the rapidly expanding frontier
demanded highly mobile troops capable of covering the vast unpopulated areas
of the rugged terrain of the west, tracking down and pursue the Indians beyond
their usual haunts. The roots of the 1st Cavalry Division are found in an
answer to those who advocated a mounted military force for speed and mobility,
yet trained and properly equipped to fight dismounted as well as mounted. In
02 March 1833, the US Regiment of Dragoons was constituted in the Regular Army
and subsequently on 04 March, the Regiment was organized at Jefferson
Barracks, Missouri. The unit was commanded by Colonel Henry Dodge, a former
member of the Battalion of Mounted Rangers. Dragoon Lt. Albert M. Lea
described Colonel Dodge as "a splendid man, soldierly, erect, with an eagle
eye, but lacking in the amenities and grammar."
When the War Department created the US Regiment of Dragoons, it retained a
number of the officers of the Battalion of Mounted Rangers. Among the
commissioned staff of the Dragoons' were a number of experienced infantrymen
who were to become famous as cavalrymen, Lt. Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny -
3rd Infantry, Lt. Jefferson Davis - 1st Infantry and Lt. Philip St. George
Cook - 6th Infantry. However, the reorganization did not include any of the
enlisted personnel. Instead, the Adjutant General, who was responsible for
recruiting, sent the officers of the new regiment throughout the different
states with directions to recruit an elite unit. The orders emphasized aiming
for a better class of recruits than usual and for "native born" Americans. The
Dragoons were flamboyant by any military standard. Long hair, colorful scarfs,
facial hair and even earrings was adorned by these elite troopers.
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 US Cavalry troopers, many who had
former service in the Civil War, to oversee and 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, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th
and 10th Cavalry Regiments (all eventually subordinate maneuvering units of
the 1st Cavalry Division) clashed with the Sioux, Comanche, Arapaho, Apache
and the Indian Nations during the Indian Wars.
This folio of material highlights of the many subsequent historical critical
missions performed by members of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, whose actions,
operations and the many critical issues resolved over its 176 year history to
meet the changing threat and the honors they achieved are summarized in the
following sections:
Table of Contents
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Copyright © 1996, Cavalry Outpost Publications ® and
Trooper Wm. H. Boudreau, "F" Troop, 8th Cavalry Regiment (1946 - 1947). All
rights to this body of work are reserved and are not in the public domain, or
as noted in the bibliography. Reproduction, or transfer by electronic means,
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Revised 28 Aug '09 SpellChecked