The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, also known as the Second Dragoons,

Crest;

On a wreath of the colors (Or and Tenné) the head dress of the dragoons of 1836 Proper.

Motto

Toujours Prêt (Always Ready).

Symbolism

The color of the facings of the old dragoon regiment was orange, which is used for the field of the shield; the insignia was an eight-pointed star of gold, two of them (conforming with the numerical designation) are placed on the shield. The traditional episode in the regiment is the charge of Captain May's squadron on the Mexican artillery at Resaca de la Palma which is commemorated by the principal charge on the shield.

Symbolism

The eight-pointed star insignia worn by dragoons, the 2d Cavalry having been originally formed as the Second Regiment of Dragoons in 1836. The palmetto leaf represents the Regiment's first action against the Seminole Indians in Florida, where the palmetto leaf grows in abundance. The fleur-de-lis is for combat service in France in both World War I and World War II. The motto "Toujours Prêt" (Always Ready) expresses the spirit and élan of the Regiment.

Early organization

thumb|Resaca de la Palma, Texas, 9 May 1846. Here Captain Charles A. May's squadron of the 2d Dragoons (now 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment) slashed through the enemy lines in an attack that climaxed the opening campaigns of the Mexican War. Their bravery proved that the 2,500 American soldiers under Zachary Taylor had enough self-confidence and pluck to shatter the Mexican force of 6,000 and eject it forever from Texas. May's attack order was simple and effective: "Remember your regiment and follow your officers."

thumb|right|Bezaleel W. Armstrong, second lieutenant, 2nd Dragoons, 1846; served in the Mexican War at Vera Cruz and Mexico City, 1847–48; died 1849, aged 26, [[daguerreotype c. 1846.]]

The precursor organization was originally established by President Andrew Jackson on 23 May 1836, as the Second Regiment of Dragoons of the US Army. A and I Companies were recruited in the Fort Myer, Virginia area, B Company recruited from Virginia and Louisiana, C Company drew recruits from Tennessee, E, F, G, and H recruited from New York, and K Company was drawn from New Orleans. D Company was organized from a detachment of the 1st Dragoons and served in Florida immediately. In April 1837, the regimental headquarters was moved to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, where the 400 new recruits and their instructors participated in the School of the Trooper, and learned the tactics and ways of being a dragoon, while some of their compatriots were battling the Indians in Florida.

Second Seminole War

The 2nd Dragoons saw their first combat during the Second Seminole War. The 2nd Dragoons brought the fight to the hostile Seminoles, rather than wait to be attacked inside a fort like other units did. The regiment under Lieutenant Colonel William S. Harney later fought at the Second Battle of the Loxahatchee on 24 January 1838. The 2nd Dragoons would suffer a major defeat at the Battle of the Caloosahatchee on 23 July 1839.

Mexican–American War

Under an act of Congress dated 23 August 1842 the regiment was re-designated as the Regiment of Riflemen effective 4 March 1843. This act was repealed on 4 April 1844 and the regiment reverted to its previous designation.

In October 1842, A, D, E, F, and G Companies moved to Fort Jessup, Louisiana and Fort Towson. The remainder of the regiment stayed in Florida to patrol for hostile bands of Seminoles. Fort Jessup became the regimental headquarters, and was the 2nd Dragoons' home for four years. When hostilities with the Centralist Republic of Mexico began to boil over in 1845, General Zachary Taylor assembled his "Army of Observation" at Fort Jessup, and the 2nd Dragoons marched overland to occupy Corpus Christi, Texas. The regiment was reactivated on 15 January 1943 at Fort Riley as the 2nd Mechanized Cavalry Group, or the 2nd MCG (Between 1943 and 1946 cavalry were organized into Groups, but this term is interchangeable with Regiment in this context). Charles H. Reed became the 31st Colonel of the Regiment. It was reorganized as the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (HHT), 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized (present day 1st Squadron), and 42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized (present day 2nd Squadron). The unit earned the Valorous Unit Award for its service in Operation Desert Storm. By the end of its covering force mission in Iraq, the 2nd ACR had broken the Republican Guard's defensive line, provided intelligence to the VII Corps commander, and moved over 250 kilometers. It also captured 2,000 prisoners, destroyed 159 enemy tanks, and 260 other vehicles. The regiment's losses include 6 Dragoons killed, and 19 wounded. at Fort Lewis, Washington. The regiment's ground squadrons became light cavalry units equipped with Humvees mounted with TOW launchers, Mk 19 grenade launchers, .50 caliber machine guns and M249 light machine guns (SAWs). The 2nd ACR (Light) was then sent to Fort Polk in Louisiana in 1993. From there, the regiment deployed in support of the peace enforcement operation in Haiti from 1995 to 1996; Operation Uphold Democracy. The 3rd Squadron ("Wolfpack") was the first ground unit to deploy and operated under the 25th Infantry Division in Port au Prince, Haiti. After six months in Haiti, 1st Squadron arrived to replace 3rd Squadron. In October 1995, 2nd Squadron replaced 3rd Squadron and redeployed in March 1996 completing the cycle. In Haiti the Dragoons served in a number of different roles. They guarded humanitarian relief convoys, and served as the United Nations Quick Reaction Force (UNQRF). They also seized illegal weapons, conducted security patrols, and protected the Haitian president, and the US President (Bill Clinton) and Vice President (Al Gore) when they visited the island.

  • Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Troop "Vipers"
  • 1st Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "War Eagles" (Stryker Squadron)
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Mustangs"
  • Apache Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Bull Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Comanche Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Dakota Troop (Forward Support Troop)
  • 2nd Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Cougars" (Stryker squadron)
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Headhunters"
  • Eagle Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Fox Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Ghost Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Havoc Troop (Forward Support Troop)
  • 3rd Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Wolfpack" (Stryker Squadron)
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Hammer"
  • Iron Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Killer Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Lightning Troop (Stryker Infantry Troop)
  • Fury Troop (Forward Support Troop)
  • 4th Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Saber" (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition Squadron)
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Warhorse"
  • Nemesis Troop (Stryker Cavalry Scout Troop)
  • Outlaw Troop (Stryker Cavalry Scout Troop)
  • Palehorse Troop (Stryker Cavalry Scout Troop)
  • Quickstrike Troop (Anti-armor Troop, equipped with Stryker M1134 anti-tank guided missile vehicles)
  • War Wagon Troop (Forward Support Troop)
  • Regimental Engineer Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Pioneers"
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop 2nd Cavalry Regiment Regimental Engineer Squadron "Lakota"
  • Argonaut Troop (Engineer Troop)
  • Beast Troop (Engineer Troop)
  • Chaos Troop (Signal Troop)
  • Delta Troop (Military Intelligence Troop)
  • Elite Troop (Forward Support Troop)
  • Field Artillery Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Artillery Hell"
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 2nd Cavalry Regiment Field Artillery Squadron "Hellraisers"
  • Archer Battery (6-gun M777A2 155 mm howitzer battery)
  • Bulldog Battery (6-gun M777A2 155 mm howitzer battery)
  • Cobra Battery (6-gun M777A2 155 mm howitzer battery)
  • Phoenix Troop (Forward Support Troop)
  • Regimental Support Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment "Muleskinners"
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Troop 2nd Cavalry Regiment Regimental Support Squadron "Hellraisers"
  • Supply and Transportation Troop "Pack Horse"
  • Maintenance Troop "Blacksmiths"
  • Medical Troop "Scalpel Medics"

thumb|alt=ICV Stryker fronm 2nd Cavalry Reg. in Latvia.2016| M1128 Mobile Gun System in Latvia, 2016

Medal of Honor recipients

  • Sgt Conrad Schmidt. US Civil War, on 19 September 1864 at the Third Battle of Winchester; awarded 16 March 1896.
  • Private Heth Canfield. Indian Wars. On 15 May 1870, while serving with Company C at Little Blue, Nebraska, for displaying gallantry in action.
  • Private Michael Himmelsback. Indian Wars. On 15 May 1870, while serving with Company C at Little Blue, Nebraska, for displaying gallantry in action.

Notable members

  • Creighton W. Abrams
  • Henry Tureman Allen
  • Ripley A. Arnold
  • Joseph Barnes
  • John Buford
  • George Armstrong Custer
  • Harry Chamberlin
  • John Davidson
  • Martin Dempsey
  • Tommy Franks
  • William Gainey
  • William Hardee
  • Douglas Lute
  • Charles A. May
  • H. R. McMaster
  • Wesley Merritt
  • Michael Powell
  • Peter Schoomaker

Regimental commanders

  • David E. Twiggs
  • William S. Harney
  • Philip St. George Cooke
  • Thomas J. Wood
  • Innis N. Palmer
  • John Davidson (general)
  • John Porter Hatch
  • Dorsey R. Rodney
  • Lawrence Edward Schlanser
  • Nelson B. Sweitzer
  • David R. Clendenin
  • George G. Hunt
  • Henry E. Noyes
  • Eli L. Huggins
  • Winfield Scott Edgerly
  • Fredrick K. Ward
  • David M. Maddox - 61st Colonel of the Regiment
  • Colonel Leonard D. "Don" Holder - 65th Colonel of the Regiment
  • John C. Eberle - 66th Colonel of the Regiment
  • Frank West (Medal of Honor)
  • Thomas J. Lewis
  • William Jones Nicholson
  • Joseph T. Dickman
  • Arthur Thayer
  • John S. Winn
  • Charles A. Romeyn
  • John T. Cole
  • John H. Tilelli Jr. General Vice Chief of Staff
  • Colonel James J. Steele
  • Colonel Thomas M. Molino (67th Colonel; Fort Lewis/Fort Polk)
  • Colonel James P. Cahill

Alliances

  • – 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Bond of friendship)
  • – German Versorgungsbataillon 4 (Bond of friendship)

See also

  • Officers and men of G Company, 2nd Cavalry are featured in the 2017 Western film Hostiles, set in New Mexico Territory in 1892.
  • List of United States Regular Army Civil War units

References

<!-- Per WP:ELMINOFFICIAL, choose one official website only -->

  • 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at GlobalSecurity.org
  • "Kidder Massacre" in which 11 soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry and an Indian guide were killed 2 July 1867 at Beaver Creek, Sherman County Kansas by Cheyenne & Sioux.
  • Second Cavalry Association Regimental History Center ()