PENTAGON DISBANDS US ARMY CEREMONIAL HORSE UNITS
At various times throughout its history, the United States Army has needed to disband units it deemed no longer necessary to carry out its operations. And in the coming months, the Army will begin putting a few more units out to pasture.
Literally.
Starting July 2nd, the Army began the process of dissolving five of its Military Working Equid (MWE) programs, which are often colloquially referred to as its ceremonial horse units. These units, spread across different bases all over the country, carried out all manner of ceremonial duties such as participating in parades, acting as color guards, conducting education presentations, and taking part in military funerals.
They also served as living reminders of the role horses played in the US Armed Forces for centuries. And while the Army says the disbanding of the MWE units “will save the Army $2 million annually and will allow the funds and Soldiers dedicated to MWE programs to be redirected to readiness and warfighting priorities,” it’s still worth remembering the history of equines who served their country.
Continental Army: Role of Horses
The Army has relied on horses for a variety of roles since its very founding. While officers often rode on horseback while commanding infantry formations and several state militias had mounted units that operated in the early days of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army did not have regular cavalry units until 1777.
After the series of defeats in 1776 that led to the loss of New York City to the British, the Continental Congress authorized the creation of four regiments of dragoons (a term for a type of mounted infantry that essentially functioned as cavalry). As the war went on, several larger American units both within and independent of the Continental Army also raised cavalry units of their own.
In order to prepare the men of these units to fight on horseback, the Congress appointed two European nobles who’d joined the American forces to put their prior experience to use and lead the training: Michael Kováts de Fabriczy from Hungary and Casimir Pulaski from Poland.
Their service to the fledgling nation (which ended when both were killed in action in separate engagements in 1779) led to the dubbing of these two blue-blooded immigrants as “Founding Fathers of the US Cavalry.” Despite the difficulty in finding enough recruits, the high cost of operating a mounted unit, and trouble finding and purchasing enough horses, the Continental Dragoons and other horse-borne troops played important roles in the latter years of the war.
US Army Dragoons and Cavalry Units
For the first few decades after the ratification of the Constitution and creation of a full-time, standing United States Army, several different temporary cavalry units were raised and disbanded as needed.
American dragoon units stood up and served during the Quasi War with France and the War of 1812. But the military did not include a permanent mounted contingent until 1833 when the need for mobile, well-trained military units to serve on the westward-moving frontier led Congress to form the United States Regiment of Dragoons (to whom today’s 1st Cavalry Regiment trace their lineage). In the following years, Congress authorized more dragoon units in order to fight against and forcibly displace Native Americans from their land and protect the settlers that moved there.
In August of 1861, shortly before the start of the Civil War, Congress changed the designation of the Army’s mounted units from “dragoons” to “cavalry.” At the start of the war, these units were few in number and spread out across various commands.
It was not until 1863 that the Union Army decided to consolidate their mounted troops into single commands, specifically two Cavalry Corps. That same year, the Army’s Quartermaster Department (which already oversaw the purchase of draft horses and mules for transportation and artillery units) added a Cavalry Bureau in order to centralize the procurement of mounts for the US Army’s cavalrymen throughout the war. Thus, America’s cavalry units truly came into their own.
In the decades before, during, and after Civil War many US cavalry troops continued in their role of fighting on the frontier against indigenous peoples across the Western United States, which continued after the war’s end in 1865. The late 1800s and early years of the 1900s saw hundreds and hundreds of conflicts great and small between American soldiers (typically cavalry units) and Native Americans attempting to push back against forced removal and attempts to wipe them out entirely.
The most notable engagements from the so-called Indian Wars is almost certainly the infamous defeat of the 7th Cavalry Regiment under George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, but cavalry troops also participated some of the most infamous atrocities committed against native people including the Sand Creek Massacre, the Wounded Knee Massacre, and the Bear River Massacre (the largest mass murder of Native Americans ever committed).
Modern US Army: Horses in Use
As the 20th century dawned, the need for mounted troops waned as more modern forms of transportation became widespread. Cavalry units served in the Spanish-American War (most notably the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry, the “Rough Riders” whose second-in-command was future president Theodore Roosevelt), though most of their combat occurred on foot.
By the time the US entered WWI in 1917, the idea of men fighting from horseback was a thing of the past. In the decades between the world wars the Army’s cavalry units became mechanized, relying on tanks and armored vehicles to carry them through battle.
By the start of America’s participation in WWII, few horses remained in service. Though the very last charge of US Army cavalry in combat took place a bit later than some might assume, when a platoon from G Troop of the 26th Cavalry Regiment (the Philippine Scouts) successfully attacked Japanese troops during the 1941 Invasion of the Philippines.
The Army continued to employ horses and other equines for transportation purposes in limited amounts, but before long only ceremonial horse units remained operational. And the only time since WWII that soldiers rode horses into battle (the legendary “Horse Soldiers” of the 5th Special Forces Group's Operational Detachment Alpha 595, who became some of the first US troops in Afghanistan in the first weeks of Operation Enduring Freedom), they did so on borrowed mounts.
Pentagon Disbanding Ceremonial Horse Units
The ceremonial horse units the Army is disbanding are spread across the country, and vary slightly in their missions and capabilities. They are the following:
Formed in 1972 for the purposes of improving morale and facilitating public relations, this unit put soldiers back on horse back nearly 30 years after the 1st Cavalry Division traded in the last of their horses for motorized vehicles before heading off to fight in WWII.
Dressed in 1870s era uniforms, the troops of the detachment conducted mounted demonstrations for all sorts of audiences and events for over fifty years.
Activated in 2001, 100 years after the creation of the original 11th Cavalry Regiment, this detachment honors their unit’s legacy by wearing the same uniforms and equipment their forbears did in 1901.
Over the last two decades they participated in numerous events both military and civilian as well as recruiting efforts. The nickname of the current 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, “Blackhorse,” dates back to September of 1914 when the smoke and ash caused by a massive fire in Monterey, CA turned the horses of the troopers (who’d ridden out to assist firefighting efforts) black.
Another ceremonial cavalry unit that’s conducted demonstrations, parades, historical reenactments and more, B Troop wears the uniforms and weaponry typical of US Cavalry troops of the 1880s.
Unlike some of these other units, this one is staffed by a mix of active-duty soldiers, reservists, and civilian/retiree volunteers.
Clad in the uniforms of the Union Cavalry of the Civil War, the CGMCG dates back to 1992.
The troopers of this color guard, much like those in the other ceremonial horse units, carry out demonstrations and performances at everything from rodeos to parades to school presentations.
They even made an appearance at the Kentucky Derby earlier this year.
Rather than a cavalry unit, this one belongs to the artillery. Established in 1969, the soldiers of the Half Section carried on the traditions of horse drawn artillery from the WWI era for nearly 60 years.
Equipped with horses, uniforms, and a French 75mm field gun accurate to the time, they conduct a variety of ceremonies from canon salutes, changes of command, funerals, and other demonstrations.
When, exactly, each of these units’ dissolution will be finalized has not been announced. But we do know that soldiers currently assigned will return to normal duties and the horses will be officially transferred out of the Army and put up for adoption. And the tradition of horses serving in the Army will not disappear entirely with the end of these units.
The Caisson Detachment of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment and the Military Funeral Honors Platoon-Caisson Section at Joint Base San Antonio, TX will remain in service to carry out formal funeral processions. But the ceremonial horse units will soon become a thing of the very past they once existed to honor.
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BY PAUL MOONEY
Veteran & Military Affairs Correspondent at VeteranLife
Marine Veteran
Paul D. Mooney is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and former Marine Corps officer (2008–2012). He brings a unique perspective to military reporting, combining firsthand service experience with expertise in storytelling and communications. With degrees from Boston University, Sarah Lawrence Coll...
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Paul D. Mooney is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and former Marine Corps officer (2008–2012). He brings a unique perspective to military reporting, combining firsthand service experience with expertise in storytelling and communications. With degrees from Boston University, Sarah Lawrence Coll...
