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Show Cavalry Owsteir wi&nUl ; " " 53 - V.;Mr - t v- w . 'TX s : ; : . - , ; P .' .. ' ,. ..-. ... . "... " -- . .: . '-' ; , . ' " . " . v y : S? "0 . o4A.SKiHL The New Tijpe of Tank " 1A" " G en. GuuHerSTJ 1 Chief of U.S. Cavaln Cavalru Horseback Radio Set lETM' RTJCi r?-?.L-: ' " . 2Krt;'-'r!!r'. r rcr -wcm - - - - -A . A Modern. Troop of Cavalrtj COKF KiCIOI.4. fBO 10 i By ELMO SCOTT WATSON Prrtt 4 1110 oilier day there took place at f''ort I). A. Itii.ssol, near Marfa, Tex., a ceremony which marked a revolutionary step In our military history. Out on the parade ground marched the oldest cavalry regiment In the United Stales army, the "Dandy First," where the ollicers and troopers were to say farewell to their horses. For this regiment ( 7f 1 )4 I 1 ' ? i . : : y, I when It left for California, via the Isthmus of Panama. It took station at the Presidio of San Francisco on January 22, 1SG6. From this time until the outbreak of the war with Spain in 1S98, the regiment remained in the West, scouting and fighting Indians from the Pacific coast to Oklahoma, Its duties practically the same as they had been during the interval between the Mexican and Civil wars. Engagements Engage-ments were fought with every important tribe of red men and at times the troopers were even engaged In rounding up horse thieves who practiced their trade along the Rio Grande. In the Spanish-American war, the regiment took part in the Battle of Santiago, and later rendered a glorious account of itself in the Philippines during the insurrections. Since the war with Spain, the command has soldiered extensively In the Philippine islands and the western United States. It was on bor- der duty during 1916, 1917, and 1918. Its service during the period has (been generally without Striking historical sisrninY.mcp hnt tho nrr,i,. wii.i u lie nieenanized, " that Is, Us members were to replace their traditional mounts, the cavalry chargers, with tanks and fast armored motor curs. As the column proceeded across the parade ground, swung Into lino and dismounted, a horse was led out to the 'Trout and center" position of honor. He was "Old Louie," the oldest horse of the regiment, veteran of 28 years of service In every part of the country, and he was arrayed ar-rayed In funeral trappings to show the regiment's regi-ment's sorrow at parting from Its four-le-ged comrades. The Old Firet Cavalryman tion has nevertheless occupied an ivni".tant place in our national defense s-stt-i. In the performance of its routine garrison duty and on maneuvers, it has upon many occasions drawn the praise of high commanders and inspectors. After the sad ceremony which took place at Fort D. A. Russell, this historic regiment was transferred to Fort Knox, Ky., to become a part of the mechanized force of the army which for some time has been experimenting at Fort Eu-stis, Eu-stis, Va., with the latest developments In tanks and armored cars. This was in line with the War department's desire to maintain the cavalry in its role as the fastest-moving fighting forc'o and It was believed that It could best be done by replacing horses with high-speed cars. This does not necessarily mean, however that the cavalry charger will be entirely eliminated from our military establishment of the future In fact, It would annear from a cf-nrJir nnr.t- f'lpidity of movement, and the sacrifices made, the expedition is supposed to be wholly unprecedented." un-precedented." Whether or not it was unprecedented, unpre-cedented, is not known. It is however, worthy of mention that a command of cavalry, moving as a large body, maintained a rate of march of 20 miles a day for so long a period. In the Mexican war the First Dragoons-there Dragoons-there had been a Second Regiment organized in 1S3G took a glorious part. Companies A and E fought with Taylor in his vigorous campaign. Company F escorted General Scott from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico, and was present at the battle fought before that city. Companies D and K, also saw service In Scott's line. The remaining companies In the United States carried car-ried on as before the war, helping keep the Indians under control up and down the western Mississippi valley. At the ceremony Col. W. A. Austin, commander comman-der of the regiment, voiced the feelings of the otheers and men when he said: "Tomorrow we begin m earnest our preparations for that change which means farewell to the horse. For almost a century this regiment, which it has been our privilege to serve with, has contributed a conspicuous con-spicuous part toward the security, progress and stability of the nation. The First Dragoons came into existence to meet the rigorous demands of a great emergency. And ever since, during every crisis and danger confronting the country" the First cavalry has ridden In the vanguard and has been among those first to render protection, pro-tection, defense and service to the couutry. "No other regiment In our army has such a wealth of tradition, such an abundance of honorable, hon-orable, brilliant achievements. . . . We bid at this hour farewell to our faithful, willing and noble companions of march, maneuver and garrisonour gar-risonour beloved horses. Patient, silent, dependable de-pendable comrades, they have carried the standards stand-ards of the First Dragoons through a century of heroic hardships and enduring accomplishments." It was a Just tribute to a gallant regiment for, as Colonel Austin said, "no other regiment has such a wealth of tradition, such an abundance of honorable, brilliant achievements." Except for various loosely organized "rangers" the United States army had no regularly constituted cavalry caval-ry arm of the service from the close of the Revolution to 1S33. In March 3 of that year there was created by an act of congress "The United States Regiment of Dragoons" and the "Dandy First" traces Its history in an unbroken line back to that outfit. The period from the close of the Mexico war to the outbreak of the war between the states was In all respects similar to the period preceding pre-ceding the former contest. The dragoons were on Indian duty in the West. Headquarters were moved to Fort Union, New Mexico Territory, in 1S54, and with that as a base of operations,' companies of the command operated against hostile Indians all the way from the Rio Grande to the Canadian border on the one hand and from the Mississippi to the Pacific on the other. Engagements with the Utah, Apache, Navajo,' Spokane, and other Indians are recorded. At the outbreak of the Civil war the designation designa-tion of the command was changed from "First Regiment of Dragoons" to "First Regiment of Cavalry," without anv rhn j. . utuuj ui JO.i5L CI- perience that there will always be special situations sit-uations in which the mounted soldier will be needed. Man and horse can get through and gain Information when other means are blocked. The airplane is helpless in a fog, for instance' Nor can thoroughly effective reconnaissance be accomplished without the aid of the horse in exceedingly mountainous terrain. All this would Indicate the retention of the horse for some military purposes and that mounted troops In smaller numbers, will be available for scout'in" at any rate. ' In the broader field of tactical usefulness however, the "horse cannot compete with the newer mechanical weapons. The speeding armored ar-mored car, for ground reconnaissance, can cover much greater distances tn nnito. f;, ganization or shifting of personnel other than what was necessary for expansion to war strength. During the latter part of 1SC1, the regiment, less Companies D and G, was transferred from the Pacific coast to Washington, D. O., to become be-come a part of the line of Union defenses around that city. And while the regiment, minus its two companies, was taking part in various tactical movements around the Federal Capital, the two companies left in the West were making history. In January, 1S62, they acted as escort for General Canby; on February 19, Company D engaged Confederate troops in a skirmish near Fort Craig ; the two companies took part in the battle of Valverde on February 21 ; and Company D took part in engagements at Pigeon's Ranch, March SO; Albuquerque, April 25, and Peralto! April 27. In June, 1S63, the two companies were broken up, the officers and noncommissioned officers being transferred to Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. There the two units were reor- With the development of more effective weapons, weap-ons, the horse has lost its "shock power" in operating against either mounted or dismounted enemies. There are too many machine guns, automatic auto-matic rifles and quick firing artillery guns to permit such close contact, and the horse offers a larger target than the man on foot. Gas too, is a potent weapon against the horse It is too expensive to completely cover an animal with gas-proof cloth and there are gases now which inflict deep burns at the slightest exposure. Ever since the British launched the first land-ships land-ships or "tanks" (as they were originally named to mislead spies) many military experts have been looking toward a mechanized cavalry mounted on mechanical steeds, still carrvin? on its traditional roles of distant reconnaissance pursuit, surprise attack and last-minute reserve' but covering more ground in less time, striking with more force and power and with fewer risks and greater protection than the horse offered. But the World war tanks were !nMhu' the newly organized regiment was organized and concentrated first at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. Its first commanding officer was Col. Henry Dodge, who resigned his commission in 1S3G to become governor of Wisconsin. The first regimental regi-mental adjutant was a young Mississippian, fresh from West Point, named Lieut. Jefferson Davis, destined for fame as the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. At that time Jefferson Barracks was on the "frontier" of this country and the five companies of dragoons first recruited were soon dispatched on the duty for which they were primarily createdto cre-atedto suppress tribes of marauding Indians. In October, IS-'v?, the five companies under Colonel Col-onel Dodge left Jefferson Barracks and set out for Camp Jackson, Arkansas territory. There they spent the winter, practically in sight of the hostilos. In June, 1S34. after having suffered many hardships during the winter months, the dragoons were sent out on the Pawnee expedition. expedi-tion. The command remained in the field only until September of that year, but in that short time one-fourth of the officers and men died, principally from fever. For the ensuing winter, part of the regiment was sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., while the remainder went into the Indian country on the right bank of the Mississippi, near the mouth of the Des Moines river. The following summer, 1S:!5, the entire command was kept in the field.' As no engagements with the Indians are recorded, re-corded, it is probable that all the marchings and counter-marchings were done In the interest of exploration of our outlying territory to the west of the Mississippi. carrying out such assignments. Some power thev enjoyed, but mobility, the prime essential of cavalry, they. lacked. The light tank, for in stance, maneuvered across country at the rate of three to four miles an hour. After ten miles it ran out of gasoline, and, what was even worse it usually had to go back to the shop for over' haul after a comparatively short trip. The heivu tank, carrying the tremendous weight of 44 tons, lumbered along at a maximum rate of five and a half miles an hour, and often bo-ed down in its own tracks. ' Today, however, the ordnance denartf ganized and joined the regiment at Camp Bu-ford, Bu-ford, Maryland, October, 1S63. From this time until the end of the war, the First regiment was destined to see action on many fronts, tramp many miles up and down the valleys of Virginia, and finally to be present at the closing scene at Appomattox in April, 1SR5. It was attached to Sheridan's famous cavalry corps which on the march and in the attack was second only to Jackson's in point of swiftness. swift-ness. When "Little Phil" swung around Richmond the First cavalry was with him, taking part in given the American fighting forces a liht X perimental tank capable of operating "on thl" road at 25 miles an hour, across country at iq miles an hour; 60 miles on one filling of IJl line and more than 2,000 miles before ra ! overhaul becomes necessary. And all this ha" been accomplished without increasing the l.Vht tank of seven and a half tons by a singie pound Besides tanks and vehicles of its tvno ' mechanized force calls for armored cars, whee'led veh.cles armored and armed with machine 1, only. For long-distance reconnaTssance "Z" crols and raids, such vehicles are held lnrt'lno able, and the time may not be far distan wh they win repiace entirely that faithful com ' " .on of our troopers, the cavalry char Jr 'lTrir'a frntier In the Ves? o? (ffl by WesUrn Newspapsr Union.) tne tonowing engagements: Beaver Dam station, sta-tion, Yellow Tavern, Meadow Bridge, Mechanics-ville, Mechanics-ville, Tunstall's station, Hawe's Shop, and Old Church. Other important engagements in which the command took part were Cold Harbor, Peninsula Pen-insula Campaign, Antietam, Chancellor'sville. Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Petersburg, Peters-burg, and Appomattox. After the surrender of both Lee and Johnston, the regiment returned to Washington, escorting General Sherman, and was present for the "Great Review" on May 24 and 25, 1SG5, when 05,000 of the victorious troops paraded through the streets of the city. Almost Immediately thereafter the command left for the South to aid in the work of recon struction, taking station In the vicinity of New Orleans. There it remained until December, 1SG5 lhe whole of the regiment s service from its organization until the outbreak of the Mexican war in 1S-10 was devoted to activities in the Middle Southwest alternately fighting Indians and exploring the new territory. Outstanding events are recorded during those years, notable for the results accomplished without bloodshed and for the sustained endurance and hardihood displayed by the soldiers. On May IS. 1S3S, Colonel Kearney, with five companies, left Fort Leavenworth and set out for South Pass in the Rocky mountains. The command reached that point and returned to Its starting place by August Au-gust 24 of the same year, having marched over strange and generally hostile territory, about 2,000 miles in less than 100 days. In reporting upon the expedition, Colonel Kearney said : "In the length of the march, the |