INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Army Cavalry units are a mounted force of the United States Army that originated in 1776, during the Revolutionary War. The role of the Cavalry is reconnaissance, security and mounted assault, and the Cavalry has served as a part of the Army force in every war in which the United States has participated. The Cavalry has its origins and traditions as a horse-mounted force that played an important role in extending United States governance into the Western United States.
The American Civil War, 1861-1865, saw extensive use of Cavalry by both the North and the South. Cavalry performed a variety of functions including mounted charges, but it was during this period that they began to concentrate on modern cavalry functions, such as raids, security operations and reconnaissance.
The Indian wars were characterized by small vicious engagements in which neither side asked for or gave any quarter. The most famous of these battles was of course "Custer's Battle" in Montana. By the late 1880's, the Indian Wars were virtually finished. In 1895 the United States went to war with Spain over the island of Cuba. Five Cavalry regiments were committed to the campaign. The United States became involved in a small guerrilla war in the Philippines the following year. From 1899 to 1901, nine regular Cavalry regiments were dispatched to fight the guerrillas.
In 1916 after a devastating attack by Mexican bandit Pancho Villa on Columbus, NM in which 17 Americans were killed, General John J. Pershing led several thousand cavalrymen into Mexico in pursuit of the bandits. General Pershing's raid into Mexico was significant for two reasons. It resulted in the mobilization of over 400,000 troops, who were then available when the United States entered World War I. More important for the Cavalry, it was the last large scale military operation of the Cavalry on horseback.
World War I marked the end of the primary use of the horse in battle. When the United States entered the war in 1917, the cavalry forces stationed in France were used as couriers and to garrison remount posts for the Transportation Corps. It was soon became apparent that the horse Cavalry could not match the strength and firepower of armored tanks or machine guns.
Immediately preceding World War II, the Cavalry began transitioning to a mounted, mechanized 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 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. The mounted reconnaissance company of the 10th Mountain Division, while not designated as cavalry, conducted the last horse-mounted charge of any Army organization in 1945, in Austria.
The Cavalry branch became 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 referred to as air cavalry. Cavalry designations and traditions continue with regiments of both armor and aviation units that continue 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.
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CAVALRY GARRISON & DRESS UNIFORMS
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