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"Theme From Lyndon Johnson's Texas" | | ||
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For those troopers who long for their "Texas Home" Composed by Glrnn Paxton & Cindy Walker 1st Cavalry Division Band - Ft. Hood, TX. | ||||
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The Outpost © HomePage Of America's "First Team" |
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| On The Trail To The Cavalry Outpost |
Some of you old troopers may wonder why a new Internet GateWay Site was
developed for the Cavalry OutPost ©, HomePage Of America's "First Team".
As you read the history of many of the subordinate regiments of the 1st
Cavalry Division, each grew out of the need for protection of the movements
and property of settlers of the Frontier as it slowly ebbed its way West.
As the operating areas of each of the Regiments began to be focused and
defined to the Southwest, Fort Bliss, TX began to play a more significant role
in controlling the movements of these Regiments. In a timely manner, the Army
established a permanent Cavalry Division Table of Organization & Equipment and
activated and organized the 1st Cavalry Division (as one of two authorized
Cavalry Divisions) at Fort Bliss, TX, and in the detailed organization,
designated many of local Regiments as its subordinate Units.
The information of this opening Chapter provides:
However, before browsing this website, it may be appropriate to view a map of
the first two URLs of the WebSite that highlights the critical links of the
various data bases so that your desired information of the 1st Cavalry
Division and its subordinate units may be obtained in a minimum of your time
and effort.
To access the 4 ways to enter the WebSite Database (which are on the 2nd URL
page). Expand the image to the left for improved viewability and follow the
sequences described below:
Read historical information contained on Ft. Bliss, Texas (the
organizational location of the 1st Cavalry Division and view its
early background development and current activities: or
Scroll down the main URL (www.first-team.us) until an image of the
OutPost Fort comes into view. Double clicking on the image link
will direct your browser to the 2nd URL (The Scout's Prologue -
Organizational Legacy of the 1st Cavalry Division and Subordinate
Units.
In addition to additional historical data about the 1st Cavalry Division the
2nd URL accommodates the branches that provide the separate links to enter the
WebSite data information website stream.
The time is the 1800s, the place of choice and Opportunity is the new western
frontier, and the mood has turned to adventure and search of wealth. It had
been several decades since the Unites States gained its independence, and
during this time its geographical area has tripled. By the nature of its
contagious landscape, the United States was destined to stretch from the
Atlantic To The Pacific Oceans. As the Eastern portion of the country became
more populated, the attention of many turned westward.
The phrase "Manifest Destiny" was coined to describe the philosophy
that the United States had a divine right to become a transcontinental nation.
Most of the public was in favor of territorial expansion, though some
politicians felt it contradicted the constitution. Strict constructionists
were against territorial expansion, while loose constructionists felt
expansion was the United States destiny. Strict constructionists centered
their platform around the fact that the constitution never directly stated
that the federal government had the right to acquire land. Those that view
the constitution liberally, or loose constructionists, counter that stand by
claiming the right of expansion falls under the implied powers of the
government. The idea of "Manifest Destiny" split American politics more
than any other factor up till the 1850's.
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Notwithstanding the growing contradictions to that end, the 1810s 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:
As a result of the perceived "Manifest Destiny", existence of these routes
gave proof to the declaration, "build it and they will come !". As more
and more emigrants and their wagon trains loaded with their worldly
belongings, rolling west, were being stalked and attacked by Indians the need
for control by the United States into the far reaches of a largely unsettled,
hostile territory became necessary.
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 along the
emigration trails throughout the Southwest, West and Northwest regions. 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. The operation of these territorial missions in the
1800s and early 1900s, began the long enduring sharpening of the tactical
skills of the independent, highly maneuverable cavalry regiments of
today.
By the 1830's it had become apparent that the rapidly expanding frontier
demanded highly mobile troops capable of tracking down and pursuing the
Indians beyond their usual haunts to cover the vast expanses of the American
West. 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. The US Regiment
of Dragoons was regionally organized covering a wide segment of the
country, as follows:
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In the field, enlisted men wore dark-blue wool fatigue jackets trimmed with
yellow worsted tape around the collar, cuffs and shoulder straps. Officers
generally retained their dress coats with two rows of brass buttons and gold
or yellow epaulets to indicate rank; noncommissioned officers wore yellow
sleeve chevrons. Trousers were sky blue, with a single yellow leg stripe for
enlisted men and a double stripe for officers and NCOs. Off the parade ground,
headgear consisted of the ubiquitous dark-blue round forage cap with its small
black leather visor and chin strap. The cap of the officers might sport large
brass stars or such other devices that caught their fancy.
When the US Regiment of Dragoons were organized, the Western Department of the
Army (Army of the West) protected the perimeter of the western frontier, a
line stretching from Fort Snelling, Minnesota, in the north, to Fort Gibson,
Arkansas Territory, in the south. In October 1833, the five companies first
organized were sent under Colonel Dodge to winter in the vicinity of Fort
Gibson which had been established 1824 in Indian Territory by Colonel Matthew
Arbuckle. They remained there until June 1834.
At headquarters, Colonel Henry Dodge and Lt. Colonel Steven Watts Kearny
mapped the campaign that lay ahead. In the summer of 1834, their first western
expedition, the first official contact between the American government and the
Plains Indians. was charged with impressing the restless Pawnee, Kiowa and
Comanche Indian Tribes of their presence and force. The US Dragoon Regiment
left Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, on 20 June, 1834. On 25 June, they joined with the
forces of General Henry Leavenworth, Commander of the Western Department of
the Army, for a two month exploration and survey of the western plains.
On 03 September 1834, Lt. Colonel Kearny, accompanied by three companies of
Dragoons totaling 113 men, left Fort Gibson, Oklahoma to establish and occupy
a new army post, Fort Des Moines No. 1, located at the mouth of the Des Moines
River (near present day Montrose, Iowa), which would protect travelers from
Indian encroachment, opening the new frontier territory for settlement. Such a
post, located in the upper Mississippi country, would also minimize open
warfare between the powerful Sioux, Chippewa and Sac Indian Tribes. In
subsequent explorations, lead by Lt. Colonel Kearny, the Dragoons would select
and recommended additional sites for two future military posts in the nearby
frontier areas, Fort Dodge and Fort Des Moines No. 2, which would eventually
become the cities of Fort Dodge and Des Moines, Iowa.
On 29 May 1835, Colonel Henry Dodge and the US Regiment of Dragoons went on a
second western exploration from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to the Rocky
Mountains. He traveled north, along the west bank of the Missouri River, to
the mouth of the Platte River. Moving in a western direction, he followed the
Platte River to its source in Colorado and went south to the head-waters of
the Arkansas River (near present day Leadville, Colorado) and returned to the
Kansas Plains down its valley.
In 1836, with the successes of the First Regiment Of Dragoons in penetrating
and mapping areas of the "New Frontier", quickly - additional cavalry units
were placed in service as the Second Regiment of Dragoons was organized and
the original United States Regiment of Dragoons was redesignated as the First
Regiment Of Dragoons. In 1846 the Regiment Of Mounted Riflemen was organized,
followed by the organization of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Regiments in 1855.
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On 02 February 1848, at the conclusion of the Mexican American War hostilities
- the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo awarded the United States a
significant land holding comprising the present states of Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, and California. As the United States assumed responsibility for the
security of its newest possession - the American Southwest, The War Department
issued General Order No. 58 (07 November, 1848) declaring "the six companies
of the 3rd Infantry Regiment now in Texas, will, as soon as the necessary
reconnaissance can be made in the direction of El Paso, be put enroute to
establish a post to protect the region."
Historically, the mission resulted in the establishment of "The Post Opposite
El Paso del Norte", 1849 - 1851, by Major Jefferson Van Horne and his troops
of the 3rd Infantry Regiment. The Post was later named "Bliss" in honor of
Lieutenant Colonel William Wallace Smith Bliss - a former Assistant Adjutant
General in the American-Mexican War, was located on six acres of land (now
downtown El Paso) leased for $250 per month from Benjamin Franklin Coons, a
local merchant in the area. With a new American settlement on the north bank
and adjacent to the Post, the Mexican city on the south bank of the Rio Grande
River, now comprised of several thousand people, became known as Cuidad
Juarez.
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| "The Post Opposite El Paso del Norte", (El Paso 1849 ~ 1851) |
The garrison of Fort Bliss, along with soldiers of Fort Selden, NM and other
Southwestern outposts, protected the recently-won territory from harassing
Apaches and Comanches. With constant Indian raids in the northern areas, the
garrisons of Fort Bliss had to be moved frequently to meet the shifting
threats. In 1851, the companies of troops stationed in El Paso were moved 40
miles (64 km) north to the area of Fort Fillmore, New Mexico. Records indicate
that for more than two years, there was none garrisoned at "The Post Opposite
El Paso del Norte".
In January 1854, at the urging of citizens of Franklin, Texas, a new
fortification at a third location, "The Post of El Paso", was established on
leased property of Magofflin's Ranch, also known as Magoffsville.
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In 1859 the surrounding areas outgrew the name of "Franklin" and thereafter
became known by its logical name "El Paso", taken from the natural
geographical surroundings. On 31 March 1861, the onset of the Civil War
brought about the surrender of all Texas Military Posts, including Fort Bliss
at Magoffinsville, to Confederate volunteers. Following acceptance of
surrender, the Confederates used Fort Bliss as an assembly point and base of
operations for their invasion into Mexico in 1862. After failure of that
venture, the Confederates destroyed what was left of the Fort and withdrew
after burning it to the ground.
In 1861, in a broader view of the divided political objectives of the North
and South, which was leading to the possibility of a Civil War, the Army
organized another new Cavalry Regiment (the 6th Cavalry Regiment) and
recognized a prior inconsistency in naming previous Cavalry units. The former
Regiments were numerically redesignated sequentially as they had been
organized:
On 16 October 1865, following the end of the Civil War, the US Army returned
to Magoffinsville, temporally re-occupied, took quarters at the remains of
Fort Bliss and attempted to restore it to an operable base of operations.
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In 1866, soon after the end of the Civil war, Congress initiated action to
continue expanding the number of cavalry regiments in recognition of the need
to fulfill the requirement to staff the growing frontier defenses, the 7th,
8th, 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiment were formed and organized. Among the
peacetime assignments of the established Cavalry Regiments occurred in the
Great Plains and the Far West Frontier because of their capabilities in
mounted mobile services.
The sound of the bugle and the cry of "Charge" sent the thundering hooves of
the US 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.
The cavalrymen pursued marauding Indians on horseback, and if the chase ended,
as it usually did, in a dismounted fight, the cavalrymen were trained for that
as well. During the years immediately following the Civil War, the Army was
indispensable to the opening of the Plains area. The numerous discoveries of
precious metals, the availability of cheap land, and the construction of
wagon roads and railroads brought more and more settlers to the new west. All
needed military protection since the Indians resisted the encroachment of
white society. The many posts established ahead of settlements, and abandoned
when the frontier had moved beyond them, testify to the fact that the Army
continuously cleared the way for civilization.
On November 1867, following the end of the Civil War and the recognition of
the need for additional facilities and personnel in the Southwest, orders were
issued to move to a fourth location and construct a new military facility on
a hundred acres of property leased from the Concordia Ranch. Magoffsville was
not vacated until Camp Concordia was completed in March 1868. 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.
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| El Paso, Texas - circa 1875 ~ 1880 |
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.
From 1866 until 1901 no new cavalry regiments were added to the Regular Army.
There were, however, some alterations in regimental organization. In the major
reduction of the Army in 1869/70, the cavalry companies lost a few
noncommissioned officers, but for six years thereafter the authorized strength
and organization of the companies were unchanged. In the meantime, campaigns
against the Indians continued and commanders clamored for more mounted troops.
At the time, cavalry units still constituted about one-fifth of the entire
Army, roughly the same ratio as in France and Germany.
By 1870 the bulk of the cavalry organizations were in the west. Ninety-two
companies were stationed among 59 posts within the vast area from the Canadian
border to the Rio Grande River and from Kansas to California. The Plains
Indians who had inhabited much of this area traveled and fought on horseback
with a skill that gained the respect of the US cavalrymen. They had mobility
and speed, and since these features were characteristic of American cavalry,
mounted soldiers were a more effective fighting force than infantry in
employment against them.
The fluid condition of the frontier caused most of the defensive tasks to be
performed by small units. Usually a company of infantry and one of cavalry
garrisoned a post, but often a single company constituted the only military
protection for miles.
In June 1876 the Sioux, when attacked, overcame nearly half (5 companies) of
the 7th Cavalry at the Little Big Horn. Partly as a result of this
catastrophe, Congress voted a permanent increase in the mounted force. The new
law actually cut 5,000 from the total number of enlisted men in the Army as a
whole, but added 2,500 to the cavalry units employed against the Indians. Each
company so employed could have 100 enlisted men, provided the total Army
strength of 25,000, then authorized, was exceeded by no more than 2,500. The
maximum 100-man cavalry company continued until 1890, but few units reached
the authorized strength and fewer maintained it.
On New Year's Day, January 1878, with emphasis on a strategic fortification for
the military protection, a fifth location. for Ft. Bliss was designated and it
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.
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| Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas - circa 1885 |
A new site for the sixth Ft. Bliss was constructed in 1878 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.
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| Parade Ground, Ft. Bliss, TX. - Hart's Mill Location |
In 1882 the troops of the ten cavalry regiments were dispersed among 55 posts
in the Indian country. The posts having the largest mounted forces were
located in the Departments of Missouri and Texas. The 1st and 5th Cavalry were
the most widely dispersed, troops of the 1st Cavalry Regiment located 10
stations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and California, and those of
the 5th Cavalry Regiment in 7 posts in Wyoming and Nebraska. Improvement in
troop distribution came about very slowly. During the late 1880's subjugation
of most of the Indians and completion of many miles of railroad made possible
the concentration of larger forces at fewer posts.
Meanwhile - at Fort Bliss, the location and growth of the surrounding
territories 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, Texas, 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 of 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.
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The Battle of Wounded Knee (29 December, 1890), subduing the Sioux in
southwestern South Dakota, was the last Indian engagement of any significance
to fall in the category of warfare; later incidents were more in the realm of
civil actions. The Army could now concentrate its forces at the larger and
more permanent posts and relinquish numerous smaller installations that had
outgrown their usefulness.
The specifics of the actions at Wounded Knee (Drexel Mission) have been
examined in detail by many representing all sides (Department of Army,
Department of Interior and the National Congress of American Indians) of the
issues which brought about military action. It is difficult to say that the
actions for all of the issues were vindicated or even validated. In 1999, the
Chief of Military History indicated:
However, with great losses in lives at Wounded Knee Creek, the next few years
(on the plains) were comparatively peaceful - which was the objective of the
original plan set forth for the Wounded Knee Mission. The abatement of the
Indian threat brought about the first reduction in cavalry strength since the
Civil War.
The nineteenth century was drawing to a close and the frontier was rapidly
disappearing. Territories were being replaced by states, and people,
settlements, government, and law were spreading across the land. The buffalo
were gone and the Indians were confined to reservations and dependent upon the
government for subsistence. An expanded rail system was available to move
troops quickly to trouble spots.
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The years following the Indian Wars saw some improvements in the mounted arm.
There were new drill regulations and the Army adopted a new shoulder arm - the
Krag-Jorgensen repeating bolt action rifle. Manufactured as both a carbine
and a rifle, the Krag-Jorgensen was a .30-caliber magazine weapon. It had a
muzzle velocity of about 2,000 feet per second, and it used a cartridge
containing smokeless powder. The new weapon was not in full supply by 1898
when the United States intervened in the trouble between Spain and her island
possessions in the Spanish American War, but there were enough carbines to
equip the Regular Cavalry and one regiment of Volunteers.
Despite minor improvements, the US cavalry of 1898 was not prepared for war.
Enlisted cavalrymen numbered fewer than 6,000, and they were as scattered as
at the opening of the Civil War, mainly through the western part of the
country, though part of the 3rd Cavalry was at Fort Ethan Allen,
Vermont, and part of the 6th Cavalry was at Fort Myer, Virginia. Most of the
troopers were garrisoning posts in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, and
other western states. Again they were called in from great distances, some
arriving on their mounts and others coming by rail.
On 25 April, 1898, the United States declared war on Spain following the
sinking of the USS Maine anchored in Havana Harbor. This event, resulted from
the intervention of the United States in the ongoing Cuban War of
Independence. Ongoing United States naval attacks on Pacific possessions of
Spain, beginning in Manila Bay 01 May, led to involvement in the Philippine
Revolution and ultimately to the Philippine - American War. Although the main
issue was Independence for Cuba, the ten week war was fought in the Caribbean
and the Pacific. Cavalry regiments engaged in conflicts occurring in:
Except for their wide dispersion, the Regular cavalry regiments of 1898 were
in no worse condition than was the rest of the Army at the time. There were
only 27,000 enlisted men in the entire Army and therefore the Army had to be
strengthened. For the Regular cavalry, an act of 26 April 1898 authorized the
reactivation of 2 troops in each regiment- some of the reactivated troops had
been inactive since 1890.
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. The United States involvement in the
Mexican Revolution (1910 - 1917) was varied. The United States relationship
with Mexico has often been turbulent. For both economic and political reasons,
the American government generally supported those who occupied the seats of
power, whether they held that power legitimately or not.
On 14 March 1916, Pershing led an expedition into Mexico to capture Pancho
Villa. Pershing organized and commanded the Mexican Punitive Expedition, a
combined armed force of 10,000 men that routed the revolutionaries of Pancho
Villa severely wounding the bandit himself. Advanced elements of the
expedition penetrated as far as Parral, some 400 miles south of the border,
but Villa was never captured. The campaign consisted primarily of dozens of
minor skirmishes with small bands of insurgents. There were even clashes with
Mexican Army units; the most serious was on 21 June 1916 at Carrizal, where a
detachment of the 10th Cavalry was nearly destroyed.
The American troops were operating in the domain of Pancho Villa where many
of the peasants held pro-Villa sympathies. The Mexican government officers
likewise questioned the right of Americans to be there. Even though American
officers carried and distributed a proclamation by Mexican Secretary of War,
Obregon, extending a vague permission to operate in Mexico, almost no Mexican
official believed the expedition to have any legitimate right to be
maneuvering through their territory.
In many respects the service performed by the troopers in Mexico was
comparable to that they experienced in tracking down the elusive Indians in
the years following the Civil War. The hardships they endured were increased
by the lack of co-operation on the part of the Mexican Government and the
natives. Conflicting information as to the direction the bandits took after
their forays more often than not sent the Americans on long circuitous routes,
thus delaying their arrival at strategic points and giving the bandits plenty
of time to escape. The rough, irregular terrain and the varied climate of
Mexico added many discomforts.
Although there had been talk of war on the border for years, no steps had been
taken to plan and provide for the handling of supplies for such an expedition.
Even so, virtually the entire Regular Army was involved, and most of the
National Guard had been Federalized and concentrated on the border before the
end of the affair.
On 10 January, 1917, General Funston informed Pershing "that it was the
intention of the United States government to withdraw from Mexico at an early
date." Pershing "recommended that the date of the beginning of the movement
from Dublan, Mexico, be not later than 28 January, 1917, the withdrawal to be
entirely by marching, and the command to assemble at Palomas, Chihuahua, and
march across the border together." The recommendation was approved, and the
Punitive Expedition officially ended the afternoon of 05 February, 1917.
Hostilities in Mexico continued well after the Americans left. On 11 March,
1917, Carranza was officially elected the new President of Mexico but
continued to fight off overthrow attempts by Villa and Emiliano Zapata. On 10
April, 1919, Carranza had Zapata assassinated. A year later Carranza himself
was assassinated after fleeing Mexico City during a rebellion. Pancho Villa
met a similar fate on 20 July, 1923. Around the same time, the army disbanded
troops stationed along the Mexican border, thus bringing to a close a
turbulent period in Mexican-American relations.
Although the expedition failed to capture Villa, it did provide a valuable
training experience for the troopers of the 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th
Cavalry Regiments who took part and later became units of the 1st Cavalry
Division. One of the largest military American military operations since the
Civil War, it provided lessons to be utilized as the United States inched
closer and closer to World War I. Also, it served as an effective projection
of American power which aided in halting raids and aggression along the
border.
From 1901 to 1916 the size of the Army varied from year to year. In 1901
Congress had set the maximum strength at 100,000 and authorized the
organization of 5 new cavalry units:
Following these authorized organizations and thereafter until 1916 the actual
strength was regulated by annual appropriations. From 1902 to 1911 the Army
averaged in excess of 65,000 personnel. Of this amount, the cavalry continued
to comprise about one-fifth of the total strength.
On 03 June 1916, the National Defense Act set the peace strength of the
Regular Army at 220,000 officers and men and of the National Guard at 450,000.
Increases to reach these strengths were to be spread over a period of five
years. In units, additions to the Regular Army amounted to 10 regiments of
cavalry, 33 of infantry, and 15 of field artillery; 13 battalions of
engineers; 93 companies of coast artillery; and a number of signal, medical,
and other auxiliary troops.
The regimental organization under the 1916 act remained unchanged, retaining
its 12 lettered troops in 3 squadrons, a headquarters troop, a supply troop,
and a machine gun troop. Enlisted strength of a line troop was fixed at 70
for peace and 105 for war. However the 1916 plan, increasing the strength of
the Army, authorized two new cavalry regiments in the first increment.
To enable the new organizations to become operational as soon as possible,
experienced officers and men from existing cavalry regiments were transferred
to the new ones, and by mid-July 1916 the 16th and 17th Cavalry were in fair
shape. These were the last additions to the cavalry forces until after the
declaration of war on Germany.
The act also provided for the organization of brigades and divisions, which
previously had not been permanent- that is, they had been organized during an
emergency and existed only so long as the specific emergency lasted. Civil War
brigades and divisions, for example, were disbanded when the war ended, and
new ones created for the War with Spain were not continued after the close of
that struggle.
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| Proposed Cavalry Division Table Of Organization - May, 1916 |
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The new plan called for the formation of 2 cavalry and 7 infantry divisions.
The cavalry division proposed consisted of a headquarters, 3 brigades (each
with 3 cavalry regiments) , a horse field artillery regiment, a mounted
engineer battalion, a mounted signal battalion, an aero squadron, and the
necessary trains: ammunition, supply, engineer, and sanitary. The remaining 7
authorized cavalry regiments were assigned to the 7 infantry divisions, a
regiment to each division, to provide a mobile force capable of performing
reconnaissance, counter reconnaissance, and security missions for the division.
Because of their mobility, the cavalry divisions were free for reconnaissance
or other duties that took them considerable distances from the remainder of
the Army.
On 02 April, 1917, when President Woodrow Wilson asked for a declaration of
war against Germany. it surprised no one. Congress, taking fast action, issued
the declaration four days later, When the United States entered World War-I
against Germany, the cavalry organization of seventeen regiments in effect was
based upon the National Defense Act of 1916. In May 1917 emergency laws called
for immediate increase to the full strength authorized by the National Defense
Act, and organization of the remaining eight new cavalry regiments, numbered
18th through the 25th to begin at once.
On 18 May 1917, an act of Congress provided for twenty National Army (or
temporary) cavalry regiments, which were designated 301st through 320th.
Fifteen of them, the 301st through the 315th, were organized in early 1918 at
various National Army camps, but in August of that year they, too, were
converted to field artillery. Thirty field artillery regiments, the 44th
through the 72nd, and nine trench mortar batteries, the 15th through the 23rd,
were organized from them. None of those units served outside the United States
and all were demobilized in January-February of 1919. The 316th through the
320th Cavalry were not activated during the war years.
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By the time the United States entered World War-I, the machine gun, together
with improved artillery, barbed wire, and elaborate field fortifications, had
produced a stalemate on the European Western Front. The Allies and the
Germans, with their opposing armies anchored on the sea in the west and on the
mountains in the east, repeatedly used waves of infantrymen and heavy
artillery barrages in vain efforts to break the deadlock. Their critical need
was for mobility and shock action, both traditional roles of horse cavalry,
but static trench warfare and the machine gun had made use of the horse
impractical.
Since US cavalrymen had been trained to fight dismounted as well as mounted,
many of them did see action as foot soldiers. Again, as in earlier wars, many
individual awards for gallantry were earned by the dismounted troopers who
fought in other arms and services.
Only a very small portion of the US cavalry saw any mounted service in
France. In late August 1918, just before the St. Mihiel offensive, a
provisional squadron was formed from Troops, "B", "D", "F", and "H" of the 2nd
Cavalry. Fourteen officers and 404 enlisted men from those troops with
convalescent horses furnished from the veterinary hospital moved to old Camp
Jeanne d'Arc, near Neufchateau, for training in mounted action.
After about ten days of training, one troop of the Provisional Squadron was
detached and marched to Menil-la-Tour, where it reported for courier duty with
the 1st, 42nd, and 89th Divisions. The remainder of the squadron reported to
the 1st Division on the night of 11 September 1918, and by a few minutes past
noon of the next day US cavalrymen, mounted, were at Nonsard, about five miles
behind the original front line of the enemy. Sent out on reconnaissance duty
beyond their capabilities, the cavalrymen met the enemy in considerable force
and were routed.
After the armistice, Headquarters, Band, and six troops of the 2nd Cavalry
acted as an advance guard for the Army movement into Germany, and afterward
were stationed along the Rhine with the American Army of Occupation.
Few recognized during World War-I that the means for returning mobility and
shock action to combat was already present in a device destined to
revolutionize warfare on the ground and in the air. This was the internal
combustion engine, which had made possible the development of the tank
and eventually would lead to the mechanized forces that were to assume the
old roles of horse cavalry and to loosen the grip of the machine gun on the
battlefield. With increased firepower and protection, these mechanized forces
would, only some twenty years later, become the armor of World War II. When
the armored artillery, the armored personnel carrier, the wheeled cargo
vehicle, and supporting aviation- all with adequate communications- were
added to constitute the combined arms team of the modern armored division,
commanders regained the capability of maneuver in most of the land areas of
the world.
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In the early stages of World War I, neither the Allies nor the Germans
foresaw the ultimate value of the tank. In late 1914 after observing a small
American-made caterpillar tractor in France, an English Officer, recommended
to the British Committee of Imperial Defense that caterpillar tractors be
armored and armed for use in combat. Although his proposal was not immediately
accepted by the committee, it gained strong support of one of its members,
Winston S. Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty.
In 1920, the Office of the Chief of Cavalry was established by the National
Defense Act. The total personnel authorization for cavalry was set at 950
officers and 20,000 enlisted men; its actual strength on 30 June 1920 was 965
officers and 15,812 men. In numbers of units, cavalry was little affected by
the immediate reduction in the Regular Army at the war's end, since the
mounted arm already had been fixed at 17 regiments by the National Defense Act
on 03 June 1916,
In addition to the established regiments, squadrons, and troops, the
larger units of cavalry divisions and brigades were provided by the 1920 act.
Two cavalry divisions, the 1st and the 2nd, were proposed to be added to the
Regular Army, the 1st being active and the 2nd inactive. Each division
contained two cavalry brigades, and each brigade had two regiments, a machine
gun squadron, and a headquarters troop. Other divisional elements were a horse
artillery battalion with 75-mm. guns, a mounted engineer battalion, an
ambulance company, the division trains, and special troops.
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).
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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".
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This first set of video clips provides the basis for appreciation of the
of the role formalized and continually executed by the 1st Cavalry Division
since its organization and activation. From the beginning and throughout all
of its history, the 1st Cavalry Division has met the ever changing challenges
of the defense needs of the United States. The narratives of this and the
continuing Organizational Legacy sections of the 1st Cavalry Division and its
assigned, attached and legacy commands and subordinate units describes the
historical combat encounters that brought about the evolution of the 1st
Cavalry Division's warring capability.
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.
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.
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.
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| Newly Organized 1st Cavalry Division Passes In Review |
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, Texas. The 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.
In early September 1921. the first venture of the 1st Cavalry Division into
the aviation environment was in cooperation with the 12th Observation
Squadron, one of the oldest Unites States Air Force Squadrons, that operated
out of Ft. Bliss. The Air Corps furnished the plane and pilot for observation
of artillery fire while the field artillery furnished the observer. Doctrine
specified that such observation planes should be attached to corps and from
there allotted to Cavalry Units on a mission-by-mission basis as the situation
dictated. The coordination process between Cavalry requirements and Squadron
fulfillment became a major obstacle in its implementation. The General Staff
officers of the Cavalry were often out of touch with the requirements of
modern aerial warfare that their chief complaint about air personnel was the
disrespectful manner in which flying officers flouted regulations by refusing
to wear their cavalry spurs while flying airplanes. The joint venture
experiment ended in June 1926.
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| The Line Of March Covered The Harsh Terrain Of The "Big Bend" District |
In the fall of 1923 the 1st Cavalry Division assembled at Camp Marfa, Texas
to stage its first divisional-level maneuvers since its organization. The
maneuvers were held in the Marfa-Shafter-Alamito area of the Big Bend
District, Texas. The line of march was Fabens, Ft. Hancock, Sierra Blanca, Hot
Wells, Lobo Flats, and Valentine. The wagon trains, all drawn by four mules
(no motorized vehicles yet), seemed endless. Terrain covering an area of 900
square miles was obtained through the generosity and public spirit of ranch
owners. The enormous tract was mapped and marked by a detachment from the 8th
Engineer Battalion.
The actual maneuvers consisted of both one-sided and two-sided problems with
brigade against brigade and included the entire division as a whole. The 12th
Observation Squadron participated in maneuvers with the Division. The use of
aircraft allowed the maneuvers, in every detail, to conform with actual war
conditions. (It was during this period, from 1922 to 1923, that Captain
Claire Chennault, of later "Flying Tiger" fame, served with the 12t has
aviation engineer officer.) Since this was the first major United States
Army training exercise since WW I, the maneuvers were attended by
representatives of several foreign governments.
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This video clip of the 1st Cavalry Division, conducting a day of field
maneuver training in 1923, was filmed in the open, rough, desert terrain
surrounding Marfa, Texas. This historic document begins with a scene of the
7th Cavalry Regiment deploying for the attack. As soon as the Regiment
establishes its "attack" starting location, and before the exercises started,
troopers from the supporting 82nd Field Artillery Battalion drove their
mobile "French" 75mm (rapid fire) field artillery pieces to a strategic
sighting and fire location.
On 02 July 1926, when the Army Air Corps was created by Act of Congress, it
began to develop specialized types of aircraft to perform its several
functional needs. Although the helicopter (still in its early stages of
development) was recognized for its ability to operate out of rough terrain -
such as the cavalry operated, it became clear that the fixed wing aircraft
was the device to develop for its operations. Various operational needs of the
cavalry were studied and the Army began to develop specialized types of
aircraft to perform its several functions. For observation - a tandem
two-seater, open cockpit biplane was generally used. Rather heavy, it required
a hard surface runway or its near equivalent.
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Published results of the exercises of the 1st Cavalry Division attracted the
interest of other cavalry organizations, nationally and international, which
placed emphasis on the incorporation of additional realism in successive
exercises which were planned to be repeated on an annual basis. However,
facing the aspects of the dilemma of the Army Organizations between realism and
idealism, financial constraints made that objective impossible. Only in 1927,
through the generosity of a few ranchers who provided free land, was the
Division able to conduct such exercises again.
In 1927 the 1st Cavalry Division carried out the second divisional field
maneuvers and readiness testing in the Marfa area. From a Time Magazine
article dated Monday, 10 October 1927: "Not since the Civil War had US
cavalry engaged in maneuvers on the scale of those conducted last week on 120
square miles of terrain in and about Marfa, Texas. Some 280 officers, 4,000
men, 3,200 horses and 1,500 mules were deployed over gulches, hillocks and
sagebrush plains - the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (Fort Bliss) playing
"Brown" army to the "White" army of the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
(Fort Bliss) and 1st Cavalry Regiment (Marfa). Tanks, cannon, airplanes, Red
Cross ambulances and every appurtenance of real war, right down to hot
weather, secrecy and red tape, accompanied the show."
Following the maneuvers in October, the Division added the capability of
aerial observation by the assignment of the 1st Aero (Observation) Squadron,
US Army Air Corps, a unit that had previously been with General Pershing, in
1916, on the Punitive Expedition into Mexico. The unit, a component squadron
of the 9th Observation Group, remained with the Division until the end of its
subsequent organizational changes in February 1929. Today, its predecessor
unit, the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, 9th Reconnaissance Wing operates the
high altitude SR-71 (YS-12) Reconnaissance Aircraft and continues to play a
vital role in the defense of America.
In 1929 the 1st Cavalry Division carried out its third divisional field
maneuvers, reflecting organizational changes that occurred earlier. In 1928
the Chief of Cavalry, in an early bid to increase the firepower of the cavalry
division while at the same time having to remove personnel, reorganized the
four cavalry regiments of the Division. Aside from redistributing the
machine guns by giving them to each regiment, he authorized the addition of an
Armored Car Squadron.
In the 1929 maneuvers, Liberty Trucks were of the World War I vintage in terms
of motorized transportation. included the first incorporation of armored cars
and anti-tank guns, and the Division revisited the use of "Portee (using
trucks and trailers to more speedily transport horses and their supplies)
Cavalry". "A" Troop, 1st Armored Car Squadron, participated in the maneuvers.
The armor plating was soft and the vehicles were armed with .30 caliber
machine guns. The mechanized scouts earned high marks for their ability to
conduct delaying operations, but their good mobility was attributed to dry
weather and the lack of fences and ditches along the Texas roads that
otherwise would have prevented them from gaining any degree of off-road
mobility. There was some surprise at the relative "invisibility" of the cars
until they moved.
The "Portee Cavalry" concept employed during the tactical exercise were given
high marks for strategic mobility, but were valued little for their tactical
mobility. During the regimental phase of the maneuvers the platoon conducted
reconnaissance ten miles forward of the main body and across a five-mile
front. Radio sets mounted in the vehicles allowed them to send reports every
two hours. The platoon was generally successful in delaying the opposing force
with the tactical use of ambushes and effective long-range machine gun fire.
Opposing forces learned to get off the roads and using their own towed
anti-tank weapons as a supporting base of fire, maneuvered to the flanks of
the armored cars.
For the next fifteen 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.
The history of Fort Bliss up to World War II essentially paralleled that of
the 1st Cavalry Division. But in a larger sense, the fortunes of the post
reflected the interplay of three factors. 1st and most important), the
revolution and resultant instability in Mexico determined the degree to which
the southern border needed protection. 2nd) the interwar years were
characterized by severe budget restrictions of the Army, a situation that did
not begin to improve until the military buildup of the late 1930s. 3rd and
last), the role of the horse cavalry as a combat arm in modem warfare
continued to decline.
By the mid-1930s even the most diehard cavalrymen at Fort Bliss could not have
been overly optimistic about the future of the cavalry. But the 1st Cavalry
Division was determined not to go out of existence with a whimper. 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 in the
Marfa-Shafter-Alamito area of the Big Bend District, south of Ft. Bliss, was
used to stage its many divisional-level maneuvers.
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During the fall of 1937, the 1st Cavalry Division, along with other troops
stationed at Ft. Bliss engaged in the Provisional Infantry Division (PID)
Tests at Ft. Sam Houston and Camp Bullis, Texas. The PID Tests developed the
partially motorized triangular division that was employed in World War II.
Following the completion of the tests, the Division returned to Ft. Bliss for
a brief period to rehabilitate the horses. In the early spring of 1938, the
Division moved out again and, against the background of growing international
tensions, began its fourth divisional maneuvers staged in the mountainous and
desert areas near Balmorhea and Toyahvale, Texas. In these maneuvers, the 1st
Cavalry Division conducted tests and evaluated the many organizational
recommendations for a Provisional Cavalry Division made by the Modernization
Board.
01 September 1939, the starting date for the fifth divisional readiness
maneuvers of the 1st Cavalry Division, coincided with the invasion of Poland
by Germany who used the most modern and deadly military force of its time, the
blitzkrieg. Against the background of the invasion of Poland, the Division
conducted their maneuvers from 07 to 30 October 1939, not stopping for the
turn of events, in the barren desert terrain around Balmorhea and Toyahvale.
TX. These exercises, made even more memorable and intense by their timing,
were observed by many international military personnel who would be soon
involved in a world conflict.
On the eve of the United States' entry into World War II, the authorized
strength of the 1st Cavalry Division was now 10,110. By 1940 the 1st Cavalry
Division had constructed the Logan Heights Cantonment area (temporary living
accommodations) for four National Guard Units (20,000 troops) and had made
significant improvements in the facilities at Biggs Airfield, the Ft. Bliss
air terminal. Additional training and preparation for involvement in the
anticipated 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. By Executive Order No 8594, issued on
16 November, 1940, the 56th Cavalry Brigade of the Texas National Guard was
federalized and integrated into the 1st Cavalry Division for intensive field
training.
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Early in 1941, the Division consolidated all its subordinate units on Fort
Bliss. The 12th Cavalry Regiment arrived from Camps Ringgold and Brown, and
the border patrols that had so long been a critical mission were discontinued
after Mexico declared war on Germany. In 1941 the Texas National Guard Unit
was replaced by the 1st Cavalry Brigade, previously stationed at Harry J.
Jones in Douglas, AZ. As America was poised to enter World War II, only two
active cavalry posts remained - Fort Riley, a cavalry post by tradition and
Fort Bliss, the last to have a strategic cavalry mission.
In 1941, the 1st Cavalry Division then staffed to approximately seventy
percent of their authorized strength, began planning for participation in the
second 3rd Army field readiness maneuvers that were to be held in the vicinity
of Leesville, Louisiana. The maneuvers would become a severe test for the men,
their equipments and horses. For the initial movement of the 1st Cavalry
Division, railroad cars were assembled from all over west Texas at El Paso,
Texas. In anticipation of extended marches over gravel roads in rural
Louisiana, each horse was provided with a spare set of shoes. Material and
horses were shipped by rail while the men and their personal gear were
transported by motor convoy to the maneuver areas.
From 10 August to 04 October 1941, the 1st Cavalry Division participated in
the second 3rd Army field readiness maneuvers that were held in the vicinity
of Leesville, Louisiana. The Division covered approximately 900 miles in the
maneuver area in the 60 day period. The "Blue" and the "Red" Armies that were
selected for this set of LOUISIANA MANEUVERS were the finest and best equipped
this country could then field. They represented a small part of the US Army
Military Establishment of about a quarter million, in total, who would soon
form the strong backbone of a mighty army in excess of thirteen million under
arms, so called today as "The Greatest Generation,
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This second video of the 1st Cavalry Division preparing for a day of field
maneuver training was filmed in 1942 at Fort Bliss, Texas. This historic
document begins with the troopers leaving the stable barns carrying their
saddles, saddle blankets and saddle bags. The troopers prepared for a long,
strenuous, training day starting with tending their horses in the stable yards
and carefully saddling them and adjusting equipment straps. Mounted, they
assemble in an orderly formation of a column of twos. As they move toward the
assembly area of the parade grounds, the street background scenes provide a
brief look and the barracks and base housing with trees and mountains in the
horizon.
Assembling on the parade grounds, the mounted troops move out toward the
surrounding training areas of open desert terrain, closely followed by the
training supply, support vehicles and weapon carriers that will also
competitively participate in the field exercises. Passing by buildings and
the landmark water tower of Fort Bliss, the rough and rugged terrain of the
forever present Franklin Mountains are seen in the background.
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This third video of the 1st Cavalry Division conducting field manuever
training exercises is a continuation of the video clip above, was filmed in
the desert training grounds surrounding Fort Bliss, Texas. This historic
document begins with the troopers traversing the sagebrush laden, rugged, open
desert in a penetrating, galloping "group charge". Note that several of the
mounted troops are also leading, alongside, a pack mule that carries support
equipment and ammunition. This training exercise also included the integration
of jeeps, scout cars and weapons carriers in order to evaluate their ability
to maneuver rapidly over and through the rough desert terrain as well as the
mounted cavalry units.
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.
Although the Louisiana maneuvers provided invaluable data on modernizing the
Regular Army, the nation was actually more vulnerable when the maneuvers ended
than it had been before they started. Even as the Army's two improvised Corps
sparred along the Calcasieu River, across the Atlantic ten German panzer
divisions spearheaded a stunning assault that shattered the French Army and
drove the British expeditionary force out of the continent.
However, even with the advantages of terrain mobility, the deployment of the
cavalry divisions proved to be a thorny problem. The cavalry units remained
unpopular with theater commanders because their horses and equipment required
shipping space and logistic support far more than that of other units. As a
result, the need for units in the Southwest Pacific led General McArthur to
accept the 1st Cavalry Division on the condition that they be dismounted.
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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 February 1943, the entire 1st Cavalry Division was alerted for an overseas
assignment. The 1st Cavalry Division was then converted with equipment as an
Augmented Leg Infantry Division. In the meantime, the troopers continued to
feed and water their horses until the Quartermaster assumed control of them.
Many of the proud cavalrymen would rather turn their stripes, bars, or stars
than trade in their saddles for a seat in any vehicle to become "cushion
pounders".
| 1st Cavalry Division Dismount Ceremony, Ft. Bliss, Texas |
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On 28 February, each of the Mounted Regiments, 5th, 7th, 8th and 12th Cavalry
held a dismount ceremony before they were stripped of their horses and with
mixed emotions, began the process of turning in horses, saddles, and bridles.
Rather than return the horses to the remount stations, the majority of them
were auctioned, at bargain prices, to owners of the large ranches around the
El Paso area. For many years following the end of WWII - many of the cavalry
horses, identifiable by the Preston Brand (on the left shoulder), were still
serving out their duty to the ranchers.
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. At the time of
deployment. no one would have ever thought that it would be twenty-eight years
before the Dvision would return to the United States. During the long
departure of the 1st Cavalry Division, it was deployed for engagement in the
following campaigns:
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, Texas 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, Texas 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.
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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.
A second interval of fourty years (18 October 2005) passed before a 1st
Cavalry Division unit was stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas. In tyhis time period
the Division was deployed for engagement in the following campaigns:
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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, Texas an
element of the Division - the 4th Brigade Combat Team was organized and
activated in a ceremony at Noel Field, Ft. Bliss, Texas 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.
In celebration, the Horse Cavalry Detachment of the 1st Cavalry Division, with
sabers raised high and pistols blazing in a traditional charge, concluded the
ceremony with a reenactment of the famous "Cavalry Charge" across the field
that was named in 1928 after Lt. Paul A. Noel, 1st Armored Cavalry Troop, 82nd
Field Artillery Battalion, a famed polo player, who learned his skill as a
horseman while in the 1st Cavalry Division. The cavalry had come home
!! The 4th Brigade Combat Team remained remotely located at Ft. Bliss
until 2008 when it returned from its second deployment to Iraq and was
reunited with the Division at Ft. Hood, Texas.
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, Texas. 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, Texas. in a "Welcome Home Heroes Parade".
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| 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 constitutional 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, Texas 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
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.
01 September, 2010 marked the official end to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and
combat operations by United States forces in Iraq. The transition to Operation
NEW DAWN. During Operation NEW DAWN, the remaining 50,000 US service members
serving in Iraq will conduct stability operations, focusing on advising,
assisting and training Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). Operation NEW DAWN,
a compromise of the Republican and Democrat Parties to vacate the Iraqi
operation by mid 2010, also represents a shift from a predominantly military
US presence to one that is predominantly civilian, as the Departments of
Defense and State work together with governmental and non-governmental
agencies to help build Iraq s civil capacity.
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Also on 01 September, in a symbolic ceremony that took place for the 4th
Combat Team - 1st Calvary Division held their colors casing ceremony at Ft.
Hood for the beginning of an historic mission that will start as they deploy
this month in support of Operation NEW DAWN. The 4th Brigade will be the first
unit of the 1st Cavalry Division to leave specifically in support of the new
mission.
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| 1st Cavalry TOA In Afghanistan |
On 19 May, 2011, in continuing to expand its role in the mid-eastern theater
of operations, the 1st Cavalry Division unfurled the unit's new colors in a
transfer of authority ceremony with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. During a pivotal time in the war on terror
and in Afghanistan s history, The command authority of the Regional Command
East shifted from Combined Joint Task Force-101 to CJTF-1.
The new mission of the 1st Cavalry Division takes the control of eight US,
French and Polish task forces and 14 provinces that, combined, provide safety
and security in an area populated by approximately 7.5 million Afghans. The
Area of Command consists of 43,000 square miles and shares 450 miles of border
with Pakistan.
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(Upper Left) On 17 August, in the first flight of 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry
Division, more than 150 soldiers arrived at Robert Gray Army Airfield,
signaling the conclusion of their year long deployment to Iraq. These
soldiers, an advance party of troopers from units across the Brigade, were
home to help the rear detachment prepare for the return of their peers. After
greetings, some paperwork and checking in weapons, they were welcomed home in
a ceremony held at Cooper Field.
(Upper Right) On 25 August, more that 200 Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 1st
Cavalry Division arrived at the Robert Gray Army Airfield at Ft. Hood after a
year long deployment to Iraq. The Squadron was stationed in Mosul, working
with the Iraqi army at the Al Ghuzlani Training Center. The flight marked the
second battalion within the Brigade to uncase its colors and return home.
On 06 September, Soldiers, mostly from the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment
were greeted with a hug from Elizabeth Laird, Ft. Hood's Hug Lady, and checked
in their weapons. From there, soldiers were bused to Cooper Field, where family
and friends awaited them. During a colorful ceremony, the 4th Advise and
Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division uncased its colors. The uncasing ceremony
marked the official stateside return of the 4th AAB, 1st Cavalry Division,
"Long Knife" Brigade after a year long deployment to Iraq in support of
Operation New Dawn.
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| Back In Loving Hands |
On 29 October, a flight from Kuwait brought home 55 soldiers, in what is known
as the advanced party, from the various battalions in the 3rd (Greywolf)
Brigade. Approximately another 1,200 will follow in the coming week, and the
entire Brigade is estimated to be back by the end of the year. This group is
the first personnel from three brigades that the 1st Cavalry Division will
bring home early from Iraq, alongside several other units across Ft. Hood. In
total, about 12,000 Ft. Hood soldiers will be returning home over the next two
and a half months.
On 02 November, just shy of a year-long deployment in Iraq, the "Warhorse"
Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
made their final stop at Ft, Hood and rightfully saying "mission complete."
The excitement and anticipation could be felt all over Cooper Field as
families reunited with one another after months of waiting.
Although the deployment of "Warhorse" Soldiers may have been long, it ended
with the Iraqi forces patrolling their own streets. Halfway through the unit's
deployment, they had to begin considering plans for the year-end draw-down. As
the Iraqi forces conducted more of their own operations, the Warhorse Soldiers
and command were allowed to concentrate more on redeploying. While this group
of Warhorse Soldiers begin their reintegration process at home, the command
will continue to work on bringing everyone else home before the beginning of
the new year.
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| 11 November - Veterans' Day |
11 November marks the anniversary of the end of World War I hostilities of the
Allied Nations and Germany. They signed the terms of armistice at the 11th
hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The anniversary date is also,
by Congressional action, the day that we give thanks, respect and honor to all
veterans for their service to the United States of America.
| We Honor Our Military Forces |
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On 27 November, the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st
Cavalry Division returned from its fourth deployment to Iraq and uncased its
colors on Cooper Field. The battalion deployed in May to northern Iraq,
knowing they could be one of the last units to leave the country and that the
mission could change.
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07 December, 2012 marks the 71st anniversary of the date "which will live in
infamy." There was a moment of silence in Hawaii (and in other locations) at
7:55 AM to remember the 2,390 Americans who died when Japan attacked Pearl
Harbor. While Americans have remembered this day with solemn tributes since
1941, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day became an official national day of
remembrance in 1994.
It was 7:55 AM local time when the attack began - a strike that would push
America into World War II. As explosions sounded and battleships burned, brave
service members fought back fiercely with everything they could find. Unknown
among these selfless individuals, the sacrifices endured on that infamous day
would galvanize America and come to symbolize the mettle of a generation.
Taken by surprise, the base was bombarded for two hours, leaving more than
2,000 Americans dead, eight battleships destroyed and the course of American
and world history changed forever.
In response to this hostile action, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed
the Congress and delivered his "a day which will live in infamy" war
message. The following day, Congress declared war on Japan and the United
States entered World War II. In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and
the crippling of our Pacific Fleet, there were those who declared the United
States had been reduced to a third-class power. But rather than break the
spirit of our Nation, the attack brought Americans together and fortified our
resolve. Patriots across our country answered the call to defend our way of
life at home and abroad. They crossed oceans and stormed beaches, freeing
millions from the grip of tyranny and proving that our military is the
greatest force for liberty and security the world has ever known.
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On 15 December, exactly eight months to the day they cased their colors,
Soldiers with the 2nd "Black Jack" Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
assembled again on Cooper Field and uncased their colors, marking one of the
last units to leave Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn and allowing
Soldiers to be home just in time for the holidays. The Brigade had operated
primarily in the Northern Iraqi Joint Operations area.
The morning homecoming and ceremony on Cooper Field marked the return of the
Brigade from its fourth and final deployment to Iraq and its return to a
brigade combat team from an advise and assist brigade. Being home for the
holidays came as a surprise to the Black Jack Soldiers. They didn't know until
a couple of weeks ago that they would be back before the Christmas holiday,
and they were very fortunate everything worked out just right.
Many Black Jack Soldiers agreed that being one of the last units to leave
their footprint in Iraq made their numerous deployment rotations, loss of
comrades and countless holidays away from loved ones well worth it.
Last Unit to Leave Iraq, the 3rd Brigade, Returns to Ft. Hood. - December 2011
On 21 December, the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, the last Army unit
to leave Iraq last Saturday night, had been stationed at Contingency Operating
Base Adder, which was the last base to close. Now in white buses, the 3rd
Brigade Soldiers, were being driven the route from Robert Gray Army Airfield
to Cooper Field in an atmosphere of excitement coupled with exhaustion that
filled the vehicles. Completing the trip in about 20 minutes, the white buses
turned onto Battalion Avenue and soldiers stared silently out the windows at
the cheering crowds - their voices muffled by the windows and the engines of
the buses.
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This is a video of the last convoy of heavily armored personnel carriers,
known as Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAPs) vehicles, of the 3rd Advise
and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. They had left the staging base at
Camp Adder in southern Iraq in Sunday's early hours. No formal "exit
ceremony" was given as they slipped out under cover of darkness and strict
secrecy to prevent any final attacks. The 500 soldiers didn't even tell their
Iraqi comrades on the base they were leaving.
The film clip begins as they were preparing to leave Iraq and enter Camp Virginia, Kuwait through the Khabari-Crossing that has been the gateway for the passage of troops, equipment, and supplies, between Iraq and Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as Operation New Dawn.
The movement of the 3rd Brigade, as the last unit to redeploy out of Iraq,
symbolizes the closing of a mission spanning nearly a decade. This last unit
to pass through the Khabari-Crossing played an essential role in Iraq since
the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq in 2003. The Gray Wolf Brigade
was there at the beginning of the mission and now, as Operation New Dawn ends,
they will be a part of history in the making - and, in their legacy, will see
the mission to the very end.
Before "charging" to their loved ones, the Special Troops Battalion and 3rd
Brigade uncased their colors, officially marking their return to Ft. Hood. As
the soldiers marched onto Cooper Field, family and friends cheered and waved
homemade banners, one even offering a marriage proposal.
Near the end of the deployment, Greywolf was responsible for securing a 220
miles stretch of the International Highway, which ran north to south and was
traveled by other units leaving Iraq through Kuwait. The biggest challenge of
the mission hit within the last 60 days. Tough decisions had to be made while
balancing risk and force protection with continuing the mission.
Even though Greywolf will be remembered as the last brigade to leave, no
matter when or where in Iraq a soldier deployed over the last eight and a half
years, they are proud of their contribution.
Advanced Party "Hq & Hq Bn" Return from Afghanistan. - February 2012
On 24 February a small group (approximately 55) of advanced party members of
Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, dressed in the
darker Army combat uniforms made for Afghanistan symbolizing "the promise of
greater things to come" following the "first, historic deployment of the 1st
Cavalry Division to Afghanistan." In its mission, the 1st Cavalry Division
has the lead position in guiding the coalition forces and civilian entities
that compose Combined Joint Task Force-1 in the country's Regional
Command-East, headquartered at Bagram Airbase.
More troops are expected at the end of March, with most expected home in
April. The soldiers who arrived Friday left shortly before a rash of riots
erupted across the country in response to the inadvertent burning of Qurans at
the airbase Monday evening. The Public Affairs director for the regional
command, indicated that "all remaining 1st Cavalry Division soldiers "are safe
and indeed accounted for in Eastern Afghanistan." Afghan security forces are
providing security outside Bagram's gates and talking to local leaders to
maintain a calm environment.
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| 1st Cavalry Division Begins Return From Afghanistan |
On 06 April, a second group of advance party Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry
Division arrived home after a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan with the
mission of supporting Operation Enduring Freedom XII. While deployed, the
First Team was in charge of Regional Command - East and the 31,000 Coalition
Forces Soldiers within it.
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On 19 April, the Headquarters Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division transferred the
Authority for the Afghanistan Regional Command - East to the 1st Infantry
Division in a ceremony at Bagram Airfield which closed out an eventful
deployment for the Headquarters Battalion, 1st Calvary Division, which is
heading back to Fort Hood, Texas soon. For the last year, the unit has
overseen day-to-day operations in eastern Afghanistan, a highly complex
region of 14 provinces that included the capital Kabul as well 450 miles of
border with Pakistan.
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On 20 April, a significant homecoming took place at Fort Hood as the colors of
the 1st Cavalry Division returned home amid a few brewing storm clouds and
some drizzle, allowing the symbolic uncasing of the colors of the Division.
Since 2003, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry have been deployed to western Asia
five times.
The return of the 1st Cavalry Command Staff, 30 members strong, may be have
been small in number, but the emotional family reunions made for a big day.
The main body of the 1st Cavalry started the returned to Fort Hood last week.
There are still a few more soldiers from the Division waiting to come home as
the Air Calvary is still in Afghanistan and preparing for their Transfer of
Authority and redeployment home along with and the 1st Brigade remaining in
Kuwait. The entire Division should be back at Ft. Hood by the end of summer
allowing them to reconstitute personnel and modernize equipment and start the
next leg of their long, classified (at this time) journey.
Advanced Party 1st Air Cavalry Brigade Returns From Iraq. - May17 2012
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| 1st Air Cavalry Begins Begin Return From Iraq |
On 17 May, after being gone for a year, the first group of Soldiers of the 1st
Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division came home to a sunny Fort Hood
evening, as 150 soldiers were welcomed back from Iraq at Cooper Field.
Soldiers from 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division were welcomed home
by American flag wielding Families and friends at Cooper Field.
The Brigade replaced the 4th Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade on 02
June 2011 at Camp Taji, Iraq. It was the second time the Fort Hood-based units
exchanged places at Camp Taji. Soldiers from across the brigade made up the
advance party that will prepare for the rest of the brigade's arrival starting
in mid-April. It will take about two weeks to bring all of the brigade back
from Iraq.
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The following video, taken at Camp Liberty and surrounding areas of Iraq,
briefly summaries the present role of the 1st Cavalry Division. Scenes include
the 1st Cavalry Division Color Guard marching with the Colors as well as a
montage of Troopers in recent actions and a film clip of Major Bruce P.
Crandall, A-229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, receiving the Congressional
Medal Of Honor from President Bush while the Division Band plays the "Star
Spangled Banner" in the background,
| 1st Cavalry Division Honor Guard |
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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 a tableaux of the
history and operational accomplishments of the 1st Cavalry Division, also
know as "The First Team". To enter, just click on the OutPost image below.
OutPost © - Dakota Territory, circa 1832
Painted by Frederick Behman
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Outpost Entrance
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Outpost Entrance
of the
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The Cavalry OutPost ©, located on the far frontier of the Internet is, perhaps, one of the most popular garrisons visited by former troopers, scholars, historians and the casual surfer. Recognized by the US Army Center of Military History as providing a service for First Team Troopers and their families around the world by helping current and former members to stay in touch and remember their proud service with such a distinguished organization.
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,
of the History of the 1st Cavalry Division, the subordinate units or any
internal element, is not permitted without prior authorization. Readers are
encouraged to link to any of the pages of this Web site, provided that proper
acknowledgment attributing to the source of the data is made. The information
or content of the material contained herein is subject to change without
notice.
Revised 24 Jan '13 SpellChecked 
