4th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2012) |
4th Cavalry | |
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Edwin V. Sumner (1855–58) Joseph E. Johnston (1855–60) Robert E. Lee (1861) Ranald S. Mackenzie (1871–81) H. R. McMaster (1999–2002; 1st Squadron) | |
Insignia | |
Regimental distinctive insignia |
U.S. Cavalry Regiments | |||
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The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a
Origin and early service
In 1855, the United States Congress recognized the need for mounted regiments in the U.S. Army in addition to the
The 1st Cavalry Regiment:
The regiment had four field-grade officers, one full colonel in command, one lieutenant colonel as second in command and two majors. Each of the ten companies had a captain, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, four sergeants, four corporals and eighty-four privates. Also attached to each company was a one farrier and blacksmith and two buglers.
Each company had horses of a distinctive color. This served two purposes. In addition to the dramatic effect on parade, the distinctive color made it easy for members of the regiment to locate their company in the heat of battle. The assigned colors were in the following order: Company A had sorrels, Company B, grays; Company C, sorrels; Company D, bays; Company E, roans; Company F, sorrels; Company G, blacks; Company H, bays; Company I, sorrels; and Company, K, bays. The buglers had white horses. The officers each had two horses. They could select the color of their choice. Officers were required to provide their uniforms, equipment and horses.
The new recruits after a physical exam, were trained in horsemanship and as cavalrymen at
In the fall of 1855 the regiment was ordered to participate in an expedition against the Sioux. As it turned out, the regiment were not directly involved in the major engagement with the Sioux.
In 1856 the regiment was engaged in maintaining the peace in the Kansas Territory between the
Its first colonel, Sumner, and
Campaign against the Cheyenne of 1857
In May 1857 preparation began for the expedition with the organizing of the 1st Cavalry under Colonel
Meanwhile, the Cheyenne, about three hundred strong, were midway between the two columns, probably around the Republican River, where they had spent the previous winter. The Cheyenne consisted of both Northern Cheyenne and Southern Cheyenne. They knew the U.S. Cavalry were searching for them, so they remained banded together longer than they normally did.
On 29 July 1857, the Regiment caught up with the Cheyenne on the bank of the Solomon River. As the two groups paused within about a mile of each other, the cavalry commander, Col. E.V. Sumner, gave the command "Gallop march." Both groups approached each other at full speed. Col. Sumner then commanded "Sling carbines! Draw Sabers! Charge." It was the first time sabres had been used in the West.
This engagement was the climax of The Cheyenne Expedition, which began two and a half months earlier at
The regiment was Col.
Civil War
As early as 1854, the War Department had been wanting to redesignate all mounted regiments as cavalry and to renumber them in order of seniority. As the 1st Cavalry Regiment was the fourth oldest mounted regiment in terms of active service, it was redesignated as the 4th United States Cavalry Regiment on 3 August 1861.
Most of the regiment was assigned to the
The bulk of the regiment fought gallantly and continuously in the western theater from Shiloh to Macon, participating in the fights at Chickamauga, Stones River, and Battle of Nashville.
Civil War service
With so many regiments being sent east for the war effort, the 1st U.S. Cavalry was initially kept on the frontier until militia-type units were raised to protect against Indian raids. On 22 June 1861, former 1st Cavalry officer George McClellan, now a major general, requested Company A and Company E to serve as his personal escort. These two companies saw action in the Bull Run, Peninsula, Antietam and Fredericksburg campaigns, not rejoining the regiment until 1864. The rest of the 1st Cavalry was committed to action in Mississippi and Missouri.
Since 1854 it had been advocated to redesignate all mounted regiments as cavalry and to renumber them in order of seniority. This was done on 3 August 1861. As the 1st Cavalry was the fourth oldest mounted regiment, it was redesignated as the 4th Cavalry Regiment.
During the early years of the Civil War,
In the first phases of the war in the West, companies of 4th Cavalry saw action in various Missouri, Mississippi and Kentucky campaigns, as well as the seizure of
By the spring of 1864, the success of the large Confederate cavalry corps of
In March 1865, General Wilson was ordered to take his cavalry on a drive through
Wilson next turned east to link up with General Sherman. His force took Montgomery, Alabama, and Columbus, Georgia, before arriving in Macon, Georgia, where word came of the surrender of Lee's and Johnston's armies. The regiment remained in Macon as occupation troops. After participating in the Battle of Columbus—the last battle of the war—the regiment assisted in capturing fugitive Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Indian Wars
In August 1865, the 4th Cavalry was sent to Texas. At various times during the next thirteen years, units from its twelve companies occupied military posts between the
However, in December 1870,
In August 1871, Mackenzie led an expedition into Indian Territory against the Comanches and Kiowas who had left the agency, but he was later ordered to return to Texas. He then led eight companies of the 4th Cavalry and two companies of the
The following summer, Mackenzie, with six companies of the 4th Cavalry, renewed his search for the Quahadis. After establishing his supply camp on the Freshwater Fork of the
In March 1873, Mackenzie and five companies (A, B, C, E, and K) of the 4th Cavalry were transferred to Fort Clark with orders to put an end to the Mexican-based Kickapoo and Apache depredations in Texas, which had cost an alleged $48 million (~$1.11 billion in 2023). On 18 May 1873, Mackenzie, with five companies of the 4th Cavalry, crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico; they then surprised and burned three villages of the raiders near Remolino, Coahuila; the cavalrymen killed nineteen Indians and captured forty-one, with a loss of one trooper killed and two wounded. The soldiers recrossed the Rio Grande into Texas at daybreak the next morning, with some of the men having ridden an estimated 160 miles (260 km) in 49 hours. The raid and an effective system of border patrols brought temporary peace to the area. The John Wayne movie Rio Grande (part of John Ford's Cavalry Trilogy) is loosely based on this incident.
When the Southern Plains Indians opened the
Meanwhile, the Indians in Mexico had renewed their marauding in Texas. In 1878 General Sherman, at the insistence of the Texans, transferred Mackenzie and six companies of the 4th Cavalry to Fort Clark. This time Mackenzie led a larger and more extensive expedition into Mexico, restored a system of patrols, and reestablished peace in the devastated region of South Texas.
Outside Texas, Mackenzie and the 4th Cavalry administered and controlled the Kiowa-Comanche and the Cheyenne-Arapaho reservations for several years, and, after the defeat of
Immediately thereafter, the 4th Cavalry was transferred to
From 1884 to 1886 the 4th Cavalry again operated against the Apaches in Arizona and helped capture Geronimo. Particularly noteworthy was B troop's pursuit of Geronimo into Northern Mexico led by Capt. Lawton and Surgeon Leonard Wood.
Sergeant James T. Daniels of the 4th Cavalry was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the
In 1890 the regimental headquarters was moved to Fort Walla Walla, Washington. The regiment split, with half going to the Department of the Columbia, and half to the Department of California at the Presidio of San Francisco. The California contingent provided the first superintendent and park guardians for the General Grant, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks in 1891.
Philippine Insurrection
Once the
Upon returning home from the Philippines, the three squadrons were sent to
Early 20th century
In 1907, the balance of the regiment was reassigned to
World War II
In 1939,
In preparation for the
At 0430 on 6 June 1944, elements of A Troop 4th Squadron, and B Troop 24th Squadron landed on the Saint-Marcouf islands. CPL Harvey S. Olson and PVT Thomas C. Killeran of Troop A (4th), and SGT John S. Zanders and CPL Melvin F. Kinzie of Troop B (24th) swam ashore armed only with knives to mark the beaches for the landing craft. They became the first seaborne American soldiers to land in France on D-Day.[9] When the invasion began, the troops rapidly captured the islands with no resistance; the Germans had evacuated, but 19 men were killed or wounded due to enemy mines. On 7 June, just south of Utah Beach, a platoon of Troop B, 4th Squadron, linked up with elements of the 82nd Airborne and managed to ambush a German convoy in a mechanized cavalry charge, causing the enemy to retreat and leave behind 200 casualties. Rough seas prevented C Troop from landing, but they linked up with elements of the 101st on 8 June.[6]
As US forces attacked toward the
On 16 December 1944, the Wehrmacht launched a major surprise attack on the Allied lines in the
As the German offensive resumed, VII Corps was sent south into Belgium to block the enemy's advance. By 23 December, the 4th MCG was once again in contact, and screened the movement of VII Corps units. On 24 December, the 4th was attached to the
After retaking the ground lost in the Battle of the bulge, Allied forces resumed their drive into Germany. The 4th MCG conducted more screening operations for the VII Corps advance during the closing of the
Occupation of Germany and Austria
After the Allied victory in World War II, the US Army organized the
Vietnam War
Initially, senior US commanders believed that armored cavalry formations would not have success in the dense jungles of South Vietnam, but the successful actions of 1-4 Cavalry, attached to the 1st Infantry Division, and 3-4 Cavalry, attached to the 25th Infantry Division, proved that armored formations could be decisive in the Vietnam War when used in conjunction with mechanized infantry and air cavalry to defeat the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC).[11]
1st Squadron
1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry (1-4 Cavalry, popularly called "Quarterhorse") was assigned to be the divisional reconnaissance squadron of the 1st Infantry Division based at
On 8 June 1966, during
Throughout the Vietnam War, the troopers of 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment participated in numerous battle and operations including; Operation Niagara, Operation Cedar Falls, Operation Williston, Operation Tucson-Delta, Operation Junction City, Operation Manhattan, Operation Shenandoah II (where Troop C handed the VC one of their heaviest defeats of the war[11]), the Tet Offensive, and many more in numerous small villages along the Cambodia-South Vietnam border, and throughout South Vietnam. Meanwhile, Troop D provided helicopter support for the 1st Infantry Division, and acted as air cavalry, a new concept in the Army. The 1st Squadron participated in eleven campaigns of the Vietnam War from 20 October 1965 to 5 February 1970. The 1st Squadron was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its heroism in Binh Long Province as well as a Valorous Unit Award for Binh Doung Province. Troop A, 1st Squadron received a Valorous Unit Award for its actions at the battle of Ap Bau Bang.[11]
3rd Squadron
The 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry (3-4 Cavalry, or popularly known as "Three-Quarter Horse" or "Mackenzie's Riders" after
Troop F, 4th Cavalry was activated on 10 February 1971 in Vietnam and assigned to the 25th Division as a separate air cavalry troop in support of the 25th Division's 2nd Brigade. After the 2nd Brigade left Vietnam on 30 April 1971, Troop F remained assigned to the 25th while serving with the 11th and 12th Aviation Groups. It was one of the last Army units to leave Vietnam on 26 February 1973.[13]
Gulf War
Three elements of the 4th Cavalry Regiment participated in the
In 1990, the First Squadron deployed to
In the VII Corps sector the 1st Infantry Division was given the mission of breaching the enemy's defensive line, and the 1-4 Cavalry was selected to lead the way. First Squadron was assigned to
A cease-fire was declared at 0800, 28 February 1991. Thus ended the quickest and most overpowering victory in U.S. Army history. The 4th Cavalry Regiment elements that participated in Desert Storm, 1-4 Cav, 2-4 Cav, and Troop D, all performed their missions with courage, and outstanding professionalism adding to the reputation of the 4th Cavalry as being one of the Army's finest regiments.[16]
Balkans conflict
In 1995, 3-4 Cavalry deployed to
1999 saw 1/4 Cavalry returning to the
"K4B"
The Schweinfurt-based "Quarterhorse" was tasked to be part of the 1st Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade task force due to rotate into Kosovo, in late 2002. The squadron was to lead the U.S. contingent's aviation task force of
War on Terrorism
On 6 November 2002, the 1st Infantry Division published a warning order establishing ARFOR-T (Army Forces
While the invasion from the north never materialized, the Quarterhorse participated in an accidental, yet convincing and important, deception that caused
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) II
1-4 Cavalry acted as the divisional reconnaissance squadron for the 1st Infantry Division, and Troops D, E, and F acted as the three brigade reconnaissance troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom II (2004–2005). 1ID operated as a part of Task Force Danger in the city of
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) 2004–2005
3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry served in the
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 2006-2007
In July, 2006 the 3rd Squadron began a tour of duty in Iraq with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team. For the majority of its Iraq tour of duty the 3rd Squadron served under the operational control of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and was based in Tal Afar in western Nineveh Province near the Syrian border. The 3rd Squadron 4th Cavalry returned to Schofield Barracks in October 2007.[21] Army Cpl. Casey P. Zylman was killed in action[22] on 25 May 2007 of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq.
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) 2008-2009
In October 2008 the 3rd Squadron returned to northern Iraq for a twelve-month tour of duty. The squadron operated in the Saladin Governorate north of Baghdad in the vicinity of Balad City where it was primarily involved in economic revitalization efforts as well as joint security operations with Iraqi forces. A-Troop (Apache) was assigned to FOB Paliwoda. For the 3rd Squadron's exceptional accomplishments it was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation and it also received participation credit for the Iraqi Surge and Iraqi Sovereignty campaign phases. The 3rd Squadron returned to Schofield Barracks in October 2009.[21]
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) 2011–2012
The 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry returned to Afghanistan with the 3rd BCT after an absence of six years in April 2011 and on 3 May 2011 as part of Regional Command- East, assumed responsibility for security and stability operations for eastern Nangarhar Province, located along the border with Pakistan. The squadron's mission was to provide security, support governance and assist in the economic development of the province. A-Troop (Apache) was assigned to FOB Shinwar. Other elements of 3rd Squadron were assigned to Jalalabad Air Base (Dakota Troop) FOB Connolly (Comanche Troop), FOB Fenty (Huron Troop) and FOB Hughie (Blackfoot Troop), 4-4 CAV was also stationed with 10th MTN at FOB Pasab formerly FOB Wilson.[21]
Current status
- 1st Squadron is the cavalry squadron of the 1st BCT, 1st Infantry Division stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas.
- 3rd Squadron is the cavalry squadron of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
- 4th Squadron was inactivated in October 2015.
- 5th Squadron is the armored reconnaissance squadron of the 2nd BCT, 1st Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas.
Honors
Campaign participation credit
- Indian Wars:
- Comanches;
- Solomon River, Kansas; July 1857
- Little Big Horn;
- Red River;
- Remolino;
- Palo Duro Canyon;
- Geronimo's Apaches Expedition; 1886
- Civil War:
- First Bull Run;
- Peninsula Campaign;
- Antietam;
- Fredericksburg;
- Chickamauga;
- Murfreesboro;
- Nashville;
- Columbus, Georgia;
- Capture of Jefferson Davis;
- World War II:
- D-Day – hedgerows of Normandy; 1944
- Huertgen Forest, Battle of the Bulge; 1944
- Korean War:
- Vietnam:
- Defense;
- Counteroffensive;
- Counteroffensive, Phase II;
- Counteroffensive, Phase III;
- Tet Counteroffensive;
- Counteroffensive, Phase IV;
- Counteroffensive, Phase V;
- Counteroffensive, Phase VI;
- Tet 69/Counteroffensive;
- Summer–Fall 1969;
- Winter–Spring 1970;
- Sanctuary Counteroffensive;
- Counteroffensive, Phase VII;
- Consolidation I;
- Consolidation II;
- Cease-Fire
- Southwest Asia:
- Defense of Saudi Arabia;
- Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
- Cease-Fire
- Bosnia
- Kosovo
- Iraqi Campaign
- Transition of Iraq
- National Resolution
- Iraqi Surge
- Afghanistan Campaign
- Consolidation II
Decorations
The Below Decorations have been awarded to the regiment as a whole:
- Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered BOGHEIM GERMANY
- Presidential Unit Citation (US) (Army) for BINH THUAN PROVINCE
- French Croix de Guerrewith Silver-Gilt Star, World War II, Streamer embroidered NORMANDY, 4th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron [less "B" Troop]
- Valorous Unit Award for QUANG TIN PROVINCE
- Valorous Unit Award for FISH HOOK
- Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA
- Valorous Unit Award for Desert Storm – 1st Squadron
- Valorous Unit Award for Operation Iraqi Freedom, 1 Oct – 1 Nov 2004 – 1st Squadron[23]
- Valorous Unit Award For Operation Iraqi Freedom, 12 Mar – 30 Sep 2004 – 1st Squadron[24]
- Valorous Unit Award For Operation Iraqi Freedom, 14 Mar 2007 – 3 Apr 200 – 1st Squadron[25]
- Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for 30 Aug 2009 to 21 Jul 2010 – 1st Squadron[26]
- Superior Unit Award for Operation Joint Endeavour – 1st Squadron
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "History of the Fourth Cavalry". quarterhorsecav.org. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ a b Heitman, Francis B. (1903). Historical register and dictionary of the United States Army : from its organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903. Vol. 1 (1 ed.). p. 70. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
This is the unofficial work of a private compiler, purchased and published by direction of Congress
- ^ a b Chalfant, William Y., Cheyenne and Horse Soldiers:The 1857 Expedition and the Battle of Solomon's Fork by William Y. Chalfant. Copyright @1989 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
- ^ a b Wild West Magazine, Feb, 2002
- ^ a b c d e "4th Cavalry Regiment | 25th Infantry Division Association".
- ^ a b "Fourth Cavalry History". Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "4th Cavalry Regiment | 25th Infantry Division Association".
- ^ "4th Cavalry Regiment - WW II, Europe".
- ^ pp. 173–175 Balkoski, Joseph Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-Day, 6 June 1944 Stackpole Books, 2006
- ^ a b c "4th Cavalry Regiment | 25th Infantry Division Association".
- ^ a b c d e f g "Fourth Cavalry History". Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ ISBN 9781782663430.
- ^ a b c d e f "4th Cavalry Regiment | 25th Infantry Division Association".
- ^ Thomas DiMassimo Commander D Troop during Gulf War
- ^ Thomas D. Dinackus, Order of Battle: Allied Ground Forces of Operation Desert Storm
- ^ a b c d e f "4th Cavalry Regiment | 25th Infantry Division Association".
- ^ Bourque and Burdan p.95
- ^ VUA Citation
- ^ "Officials silent on Quarter Cav deployment" Archived 12 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine URL accessed 1 February 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g "4th Cavalry Regiment | 25th Infantry Division Association".
- ^ a b c "Cavalry | 25th Infantry Division Association". www.25thida.org. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ "Army Cpl. Casey P. Zylman| Military Times". thefallen.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ "Permanent Orders 304-03" (PDF). history.army.mil. 31 October 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ "Permanent orders 232-14" (PDF). history.army.mil. 19 August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 February 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ "Permanent Order 202-10" (PDF). history.army.mil. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ "Permanent Orders 171-16" (PDF). history.army.mil. 20 June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
Bibliography
- 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment Association[permanent dead link]
- "United States Army Center of Military History; CMH Publication 60-1; "Army Lineage Series: ARMOR-CAVALRY, Part I: Regular Army and Army Reserve." Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 69-60002". Archived from the original on 13 December 2007.
- Shelby L. Stanton; ORDER OF BATTLE: U.S. ARMY, World War II; 1984; Presidio Press; ISBN 0-89141-195-X.
- Merrill, James M. (1966). Spurs to Glory: The Story of the U.S. Cavalry. Chicago: Rand McNally. OCLC 569359.
- Ranald S. Mackenzie on the Texas Frontier, Wallace, Ernest, (Lubbock: West Texas Museum Association, 1964)
- Utley, Robert (1981). Frontiersmen in Blue: The United States Army and the Indian, 1848–1865. University of Nebraska Press. OCLC 7169739.
- Bourque, Stephen A.; Burdan, John (2007). The Road to Safwan: The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Denton, Texas: University of North Texas Press. ISBN 9781574412321.
External links
- Battle of Red River
- 4th US Cavalry and the Lee-Peacock Feud (Texas) 1869
- The History of the 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment
- The short film STAFF FILM REPORT 66-29A (1966) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- "Desert Storm/Shield Valorous Unit Award (VUA) Citations". US Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
(Archived 2009-10-22)