7thcav

A Short look Into The History And Life Of The US Cavalryman During The Indian Wars.

The US Cavalry was first conceived by General George Washington during the American Revolution when he authorized the formation of six regiments of Continental Dragoons. These units quickly became elite elements of the young Continental Army and distinguished themselves at such battles as Trenton and Cowpens. When the war ended these first cavalry units were deactivated, mainly for budgetary reasons.

The American Army then went for forty years without a regular mounted arm. By 1833, increased westward expansion and clashes with mounted Indians forced Congress to recognize that a regular force of cavalry was necessary to maintain order and protect settlers on the open plains. Congress then authorized the First Regiment of US Dragoons. The cavalry was so successful in initial clashes with the Indians and in the 1848 war with Mexico that the role of the mounted arm expanded rapidly. By 1860, six regular regiments were serving in the West.

Following the Civil War 1861 to 1865, it became apparent that the Indians had taken advantage of the distraction and had greatly increased their resistance to the settlement of the West. As a response, Congress authorized an increase in the number of regular cavalry regiments to ten. Two of the regiments, the Ninth and Tenth, were made of former black slaves, who became known as the "Buffalo Soldiers" by the Indians because of the texture of their hair. The ten cavalry regiments found plenty of action on the frontier from 1866 until 1888 fighting Indian nations such as the Sioux and Apache.

The 7th Cavalry Regiment was Constituted on July 28, 1866 in the Regular Army as the 7th Cavalry. It was Organized on September 21, 1866 at Fort Riley, Kansas as part of an expansion of the Regular Army following the demobilization of the wartime volunteer and draft forces. From 1866 through 1871, the Regiment was posted at Ft. Riley and fought in the Indian Wars, notably at the Battle of the Washita in 1868. Typical of post-Civil War cavalry regiments, the Seventh was organized as a twelve company regiment without formal battalion organization. However, battalions - renamed "squadrons" in 1883 - Companies A-D were assigned to 1st Battalion; Companies E-H were assigned to 2nd Battalion; and Companies I-L were assigned to 3rd Battalion.

It was extremely difficult to recruit men for this difficult, hazardous and sometimes fatal duty. Adventurers and ex-confederate officers serving as corporals and sergeants. European immigrants, especially those from Ireland and Germany, Others came from England , France and Italy.

Most cavalry units operated outside the borders of the states and provided a new start in life with few questions asked for some, and for others, enlistment in the cavalry meant an alternative to serving time in jail.

For the US Cavalry, a depot at Jefferson Barracks Missouri, was the only chance to learn the basic skills of military life .However it was'nt till the 1880's that proper training was introduced. due to recourses and the lack of manpower basic training consisted of Basic Drill, Guard Duty, Stable Cleaning and Cookhouse Duties, this lasted for a few days due to manpower being short. It was'nt until you joined your regiment you got assigned your horse and again horse skills was'nt taught till the 1880's. Many men had not ridden a horse before or even fired a weapon.

The 1880's saw the introduction of better training which included small arms drill, physical exercise, close order marching, care on weapons and equipment, riding skills, mounted and dismounted saber drill even though the saber was not used in combat any more,and the introduction of weapons firing, each recruit firing at least 20 rounds.

Day in and day out, Trooper followed a fixed routine of drills, guard duty, patrols, and labour details. They built roads, dug ditches, carried water, chopped wood and put in long hours of stable duty.

Most of this pay went to pay off debts incurred since the last payday. Most of what was left would be spent at the Post Sutler's, or lost gambling.

The monotony of his life was such that a soldier welcomed action in the field, even though this might involve a march in the blistering heat or artic conditions, Summer and winter the men wore wool uniforms and flannel shirts that were too hot in the 120 degrees heat of Arizona and not warm enough in the 40 degrees below weather of the Northern Plains.

A steady diet of salt pork, stew, beans, hardtack crackers, and coffee left many men with scurvy. This problem was not resolved until each army post was required to have a garden providing fresh vegetables.

Life in a western fort wasn't all boredom and hardship. The men played baseball, tossed horseshoes, played cards and drank,

Enlistment's ran for 5 years at a time, and it could be the toughest and most brutal 5 years of a soldier's life.

Throughout this period, the cavalryman was armed with Colt Single Action Army .45 caliber revolvers and single shot Springfield rifles, caliber .50-70 until 1870 and caliber .45-70 until 1892. He used one of the many variants of the McClellan saddle. Sabres were issued but not carried on campaign. But their clothing was a different matter.

Contrary to popular "Hollywood belief", the 1870's soldier was not all brass and polish, in fact they were anything but. Due to Civil War leftovers and the slow change-over time for soldiers in the west, the Sioux War saw the frontier regulars equipped with a variety of gear representing a mixture of clothing and equipment of 1860's, 1872, and 1874. As the government discovered their need for updated and terrain appropriate gear for their soldiers, the troopers themselves were altering their present resources to better suit their needs.

From 1877 a Total of 10.970 men were deployed to fight the Indian wars of all ranks.

Navajo Conflicts 1849-63 Arizona and New Mexico Persistent fighting between the Navajo and the U.S. Army led to their expulsion and incarceration on an inhospitable reservation far from their homeland.

Sioux Wars 1854-90 Wyoming, Minnesota and South Dakota Moved across the Mississippi into "Indian Country," the Sioux under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse resisted waves of settlers and prospectors, to keep their hunting grounds.

Third Seminole War 1855-58 Florida Everglades Under Chief Billy Bowlegs, the Seminole mounted their final stand against the U.S. Bowlegs surrendered; he and others were deported to Indian Territory in Oklahoma .

Apache Attacks 1861-1900 New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Mexico Rejecting reservation life, Apaches under Geronimo, Cochise and others staged hundreds of attacks on outposts. Geronimo finally surrendered in 1886; others fought on until 1900.

Ute Wars 1865-68, 1879 Utah The Ute nation rose episodically against the whites. Mormon settlers were relentlessly overtaking Ute lands and exhausting their resources and wildlife.

Modoc War 1872-73 Northern California and Southern Oregon Captain Jack and followers fled from their hardscrabble reservation to the lava beds of Tule Lake , where they held out against soldiers for six months. He was hanged.

Red River War 1874-75 Northwestern Texas William T. Sherman led a campaign of more than 14 battles against the Arapaho, Comanche, Cheyenne and Kiowa tribes, who eventually surrendered.

Battle of the Rosebud 1876 Rosebud Creek, Southern Montana Lakota and Cheyenne under Crazy Horse turned back soldiers commanded by General George Crook, thereby cutting off reinforcements that might have aided Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Battle of the Little Bighorn 1876 Southern Montana George A. Custer and 250 soldiers under his immediate command confronted Sioux warriors on the Little Bighorn River and were wiped out in the ensuing fight.

Nez Percé War 1877 Oregon, Idaho, Montana After fighting to keep their home in Wallowa Valley, Chief Joseph led his people on a 1,000-mile retreat to Canada . They surrender near the border to Nelson Miles' soldiers.

Battle of Wounded Knee 1890 South Dakota Following the killing of Sitting Bull, Big Foot took command of the final band of fighting Sioux. They were trapped at Wounded Knee Creek and destroyed by the U.S. Army.