American Civil War (1861-1865) The
3rd U.S. Cavalry Regiment was organized on 3 May 1861 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was commanded by Colonel
David Hunter (1802-1886), and second in command was Lieutenant Colonel
William H. Emory (1811-1887). The regiment's designation was changed to the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment on 10 August 1861 due to a general reorganization of all United States Army cavalry regiments a few months shortly after the beginning of the Civil War; the
Regiment of Mounted Rifles took on the name of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment instead. The troopers were recruited from
Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and
Western New York. Arriving in
Washington D.C. by company between 12 October and 23 December, the regiment joined the
Union Army of the Potomac, camping south of the federal national
capital city and began its training with a strength of 34 officers and 950 men. Due to supply shortages, all but one squadron was equipped as light cavalry, armed with pistols and sabers. It wasn't until 10 March that the rest of the regiment received carbines. The 6th Cavalry left winter quarters on 10 March 1862 and was assigned to General
Philip St. George Cooke's command, who ordered them to make reconnaissance in Virginia of
Centreville,
Manassas Junction, and
Bull Run. On 27 March, the regiment embarked for
Fort Monroe and arrived three days later. Upon arrival, the 6th Cavalry served as forward scouts for the Army of the Potomac's advance units throughout the
Peninsular Campaign, moving northwestward up the peninsula towards the Confederate capital city of
Richmond, Virginia on the upper
James River. The regiment experienced combat for the first time on 5 May 1862 after the
Siege of Yorktown (second siege since the
American Revolutionary War in 1780-1781 against the army of
Lord Cornwallis). After pursuing General
Joseph E. Johnston's force of retreating
Confederate States Army troops through the city, the armies met at the
Battle of Williamsburg on 5 May. In the battle, Captain Sanders executed a counter charge into Confederate artillery and a superior force of horsemen and managed to drive them off. The 6th Cavalry continued to serve as scouts for the Army of the Potomac until the evacuation at
Harrison's Landing, where they served as rear guards for the evacuating forces. Arriving in
Alexandria on 2 September 1862, the 6th was in near constant contact with the Confederates for three months and engaging in skirmishes such as those at
Falls Church,
Sugarloaf Mountain (Maryland),
Middletown, and
Charleston. The regiment marched to the
Rappahannock River on 24 November and remained in the vicinity until the men marched on
Fredericksburg on 12 December. During the
Battle of Fredericksburg, the 6th Cavalry sent a squadron across the
pontoon bridge over the Rappahannock River in order to reconnoiter the enemy positions. The Confederate's infantry line was developed, and the squadron withdrew after receiving fire from an enemy artillery battery, losing 2 men and 8 horses wounded. After reporting this information to General
Ambrose Burnside, the Union commander, the regiment was withdrawn to
Falmouth, where it remained encamped until 13 April 1863. The 6th was one of the Union cavalry regiments that participated in
Stoneman's 1863 raid, and during the action, LT Tupper and 10 troopers managed to capture General
J. E. B. Stuart's chief
quartermaster. On 9 June 1863, the 6th Cavalry fought in the
Battle of Brandy Station after crossing the Rappahannock River. During this famous engagement, the regiment charged the Confederates and lost 4 officers and 63 men killed, wounded, or captured out of 254 engaged. Charging the Confederate guns, LT Madden was hit by an exploding shell, and LT Kerin was captured when the regiment began reforming from the charge. The troopers were moved to the extreme right of the line in order to repulse a Confederate flank attack and charged into the action. Here, LT Ward was killed, and LT Stroll was wounded. LT Stroll was fired upon as he fell and the soldiers who attempted to bear him away were shot down by rebel gunfire. The 6th was to be rear guard of the retiring Union force, and, led by LT Tupper, it checked the enemy at every stop and prevented the harassment of the column. This was one of the most serious cavalry actions of the war, and the 6th lost a quarter of its troopers.
Battle of Fairfield During the
Gettysburg campaign of the second major Confederate invasion of the North in the
Eastern Theatre of June–July 1863, and overseen by larger events ongoing nearby, on 3 July 1863 at the
Battle of Fairfield, Major
Starr with 400 troopers dismounted his men in a field and an orchard on both sides of the road near
Fairfield, Pennsylvania. Union troopers directed by their officers took up hasty defensive positions on this slight ridge. They threw back a mounted charge of the
7th Virginia Cavalry (CSA), just as Chew's Battery (CSA) unlimbered and opened fire on the Federal cavalrymen. Supported by the
6th Virginia Cavalry (CSA), the 7th Virginia charged again, clearing Starr's force off the ridge and inflicting heavy losses. Jones (CSA), outnumbering the Union forces by at least 2 to 1, pursued the retreating Federals for three miles to the Fairfield Gap, but was unable to catch his quarry. "The fight made at Fairfield by this small regiment (6th U.S. Cavalry) against two of the crack brigades of Stuart's cavalry, which were endeavoring to get around the flank the Union army to attack the (supply) trains, was one of the most gallant in its history and no doubt helped influence the outcome the battle of Gettysburg. The efforts of these rebel brigades were frustrated and their entire strength neutralized for the day by the fierce onslaught of the small squadrons. The regiment was cut to pieces, but it fought so well that the squadrons were regarded as the advance of a large body of troops. The senior officer of those attacking CSA brigades was later adversely criticized for allowing his command to be delayed by such an inferior force. Had the regiment not made the desperate stand, the two brigades of Virginians might have caused grave injury in the Federal rear, before sufficient force could have been gathered in their front." Private
George Crawford Platt, later
Sergeant, an Irish immigrant serving in Troop H, was awarded the
Medal of Honor on 12 July 1895, for his actions that day at Fairfield. His citation reads, "Seized the regimental flag upon the death of the standard bearer in a hand-to-hand fight and prevented it from falling into the hands of the enemy." His "commander," Lieutenant Carpenter, of Troop H, was one of only three officers of the 6th U.S. Cavalry to escape from the deadly melee at Fairfield. He was an eyewitness and documented Private Platt's "beyond the call of duty" behavior that day.
Louis H. Carpenter was brevetted from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel for his actions that day and later during the
Indian Wars he was awarded the
Medal of Honor.
Post-Gettysburg Shortly after the Battle of Fairfield, the regiment made a reconnaissance of
Funkstown, Maryland on 10 July 1863, and was heavily engaged in the
Battle of Funkstown losing 1 officer and 85 men killed, wounded, and missing. There was little or no fighting during the state of
martial law imposed while the military closely supervised local government, enrolled
freemen to vote, excluded former Confederate leaders from elected office for a period of time, supervised free elections, and tried to protect office holders and
freedmen from violence. However the men did face a low level of civil hostility and violence during this uneasy transition period. For reports of soldiers of the 6th Cavalry killed and wounded in various incidents of 1867–68 see the article on the
Fifth Military District. One such incident occurred on 7 March 1868, when CPL Henhold of D Troop led 13 troopers on an expedition to break up the band of ex-Confederate renegades under Robert J. Lee. The pursuit ended at Read Creek Swamp, near
Sherman, TX, and the troopers killed 2 and captured 5 of the desperados. On 12 July 1870, CPT Curwen B. McClellan led a detachment of 53 troopers on a patrol from
Fort Richardson when they came into contact with a large force of 250
Kiowa warriors under Chief
Kicking Bird at the Little Wichita River. 6th Cavalry historians note how the Indians charged and fought bravely at close range. Chief Kicking Bird personally killed CPL John Given with a lance thrust. Despite being outnumbered, CPT McClellan was able to retreat to safety after killing 15 Kiowa and wounding many more, and losing 2 men killed and 9 wounded. On 30 August 1874, COL
Nelson A. Miles led an expedition of 6th Cavalry Troopers and
5th U.S. Infantry soldiers and engaged 600
Southern Cheyenne on the
Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River. Despite the Indians occupying a series of bluffs, the cavalry was rapidly deployed and charged the enemy, scattering them into the nearby canyons. On 1 December, CPT
Adna Chaffee led I Troop on a night attack to surprise the Indians on the
North Fork of the Red River and managed to rout them and capture 70 of their mounts. The winter of 1874–75 was rough and cold on the
Great Plains, and the Indians were not able to conduct their raids in such cold. On 20 August 1877, several bands of renegade Apaches crossed into Arizona from
Mexico, and elements of the 6th Cavalry were deployed to stop them. After tracking the war party through rough country bereft of water, the troopers found that the trail went into the land of the San Carlos Reservation. The detachment commander sent a telegram asking permission to enter the land, but the troopers were forced to act before a response was given. The
Warm Springs Indians, or the Chíhéne, attempted a breakout from the reservation, and CPT Tupper led Troop G with elements of B, H, L, and M on a rapid pursuit. Between 9–10 September, a series of running gun battles left 12 Indians killed and 13 wounded, and the rest were returned to reservation land. The
White Mountain Apaches surrendered to the Agency shortly after. The year of 1881 was a time of hard scouting in the Arizona and New Mexico deserts and canyons, chasing elusive bands of renegade Apaches, with little reward, until April 1882. On 28 April 1882, CPTs Tupper and Rafferty led 39 Troopers from G and M Troops, along with 45 Apache Scouts across the Mexican border to the
Sierra Enmedio near the town of
Los Huerigos. Here, the command discovered a band of Apache in camp, believing that they were safe from the cavalry so long as they were in Mexico. While the men moved into position, they were spotted by a small food-gathering party, and the fighting commenced. The Apache chief, Loco, called out to the Apache Scouts in an attempt to get them to betray the Americans, but this angered them and they cursed him and fired faster. Having only three rounds per man remaining, CPT Tupper ordered a withdrawal where he was joined by 9 other Troops of the 6th Cavalry under COL
James W. Forsyth. The Indians lost 14 warriors killed and 7 women, for the loss of 1 American killed and 2 wounded. Returning the next day, COL Forsyth found the Apache camp deserted. On 1 July 1898, at the start of the
Battle of San Juan Hill, the troopers were forced to lay down in a thicket of vines and bushes, making it impossible to see, while
Spanish fire hurtled over them. At around 9 am, the men started forward under heavy fire and clawed their way through thick vegetation headed for the top of the hill. Advance elements of the 6th passed by US troops who had been pinned down and they began to cheer, which drew the attention of Spanish gunners, who fired
grape shot into the 6th Cavalry's line. During the march to Beijing, the 6th Cavalry acted as the expedition's scouting force and acted as pickets to protect the column from Chinese attack. Unlike in Cuba, the 6th Cavalry had their mounts for the campaign and were well suited to the cavalry role of scouting and screening. During the
Battle of Peking (Beijing), the 6th played a minor role but still joined in on the massive looting of the city that followed. For the individual cavalry trooper, the China Relief Expedition was an adventure in a far off land, with only minor combat.
Mexico and World War I The
Mexican Revolution, which began in 1911, made security along the
Mexico–United States border even less stable than it already was. In 1913, President
Woodrow Wilson ordered cavalry regiments sent down to the border, among which was the 6th Cavalry Regiment. The regiment patrolled the border in the rugged terrain of the American Southwest much as they had done before against the Apaches, but it was a relatively quiet period of time.
World War II Once America became involved in the war after the
Attack on Pearl Harbor, the 6th Cavalry shed its horses and became solely a mechanized unit. Because of this pre-war experimentation, the 6th was not broken up like many Army outfits, but retained the majority of its original personnel allowing for added stability and training continuity. The 6th Cavalry Regiment was renamed the 6th Mechanized Cavalry Group (MCG), and was organized into two squadrons; the 6th SQDN and the 28th SQDN. The 6th MCG was assigned to
General Patton's
Third Army and arrived in
Normandy between 9–10 July 1944. General Patton wanted an Army-level reconnaissance unit in order to bypass traditional reporting channels and enable quicker decision making at the field army level; this unit was to be called the Army Information Service (AIS), and the 6th MCG was chosen for the role.
Brittany to Belgium One squadron would fulfill the duties of the AIS, while the other, in conjunction with the associated parts of the AIS squadron not needed for that role (the tank company and assault gun troop), would serve as a security force for the Army headquarters and "hip pocket" reserve for the Army commander. The two squadrons would rotate duties on a 21-day cycle, with a reconnaissance Troop being assigned to every Corps HQ, and platoons detached for every Division. When necessary, Sections (typically 2
Jeeps with an
M8 Greyhound) could be detached down to the Regimental level. These detachments all reported to the Squadron operations center, which directly reported up to Third Army HQ, speeding up information flow to the Army level. During
Operation Cobra in 1944, the 28th SQDN (supplemented by B TRP, 6th SQDN) provided 15 detachments spread out across the 4 Corps and 11 Divisions in the Third Army, and an additional detachment to provide command and control for AIS nodes in the
Brittany Peninsula. The standard time for an AIS message to go from battlefield to Army headquarters averaged two hours, twenty minutes, while the conventional channels took eight to nine hours. On 31 March 1971 the regiment was reduced to just the 1st Squadron, which departed for Fort Bliss, Texas. The 1st Squadron was inactivated there on 21 June 1973. The lineage of the former Troop A, 6th Armored Cavalry was redesignated on 22 June 1973 as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry, assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, and activated at Fort Hood, Texas. The lineage of the former Troop B, 6th Armored Cavalry was redesignated on 1 July 1974 as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry, and activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated). Members of 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry, located at Fort Knox, Kentucky, were involved in testing of both the
M-1 Abrams (H Company) and
M-3 Bradley (E Troop) in the 1980s. The 2nd Squadron was inactivated on 30 May 1986 at Fort Knox, and then soon thereafter reactivated on 16 July 1986 at Fort Hood, Texas. Later it was assigned to the 11th Aviation Brigade of VII Corps in Germany. In the summer of 1974, the Army decided to implement one of the recommendations of the
Howze Board and created an air cavalry combat brigade. The assets of the 2nd Brigade,
1st Cavalry Division, commanded by Col.
Charles E. Canedy, were used to create the
6th Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat). 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry, was transferred to the new brigade on 21 February 1975. The brigade served as a test bed for new concepts involving the employment of attack
helicopters on the modern battlefield. (The 6th Cavalry Brigade's lineage is separate from the lineage of the 6th Cavalry Regiment.) Later, in the fall of 1990, two subordinate units of the 6th Cavalry Brigade (Air Combat) deployed in
Iraq during
Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. One of those units was 2nd Battalion,
158th Aviation Regiment, a Chinook battalion from Fort Hood. On 15 December 1995, the 1st Squadron was inactivated at Fort Hood, and the 4th Squadron was also inactivated in late 1995. Thus only the 3rd Squadron remained at Fort Hood. By this time the 6th, through activations and inactivations, had long since transitioned from armor to aviation. The 1st Squadron was reactivated in July 1996 in Korea. On 16 July 1986, four days after becoming the first unit to receive the AH-64A Apache helicopter, the 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry reactivated and reflagged as the 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry. The 3-6 CAV call sign "Heavy Cav" draws on the 7-17 CAV lineage. Following the 7-17 CAV’s return from a distinguished tour in Vietnam, it became the United States Army's only Attack Helicopter Squadron with more AH-1 Cobras than any other unit. This lent itself to the name "Heavy Cav" which was subsequently adopted by 3-6 CAV as their call sign. The squadron served with distinction at Fort Hood from 1986 to 1996. In December 1996, 3-6 CAV received orders to deploy to the Republic of Korea. Several months later, the squadron, consisting of 24 Apaches, stood ready to fight at Camp Humphreys, Korea. Assigned to the Eighth United States Army, its mission was to provide a screening force on the peninsula's Western coast. In May 2002 the unit was transferred, less personnel and equipment, to Fort Hood, TX in order to be outfitted with the AH-64D. On 15 June 2006, the 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry was inactivated and its personnel reflagged as the 4th Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade,
2d Infantry Division. and supporting
AH-64 repair unit, the 7th Battalion,
159th Aviation Regiment, all hailing from
Storck Barracks in
Illesheim, Germany. When units began making way into
Iraq the 2nd and 6th Squadrons accompanied by several other units making up Task Force 11 flew into combat and became a part of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 2nd Squadron left Iraq to return to Germany and case their colors until return from the Unit Field Training Program at
Ft. Hood TX, where their
AH-64A Apaches were converted to
AH-64D Apache models. Meanwhile in Iraq, the 6th Squadron was performing combat support and convoy safety operations until the unit received orders to return to home station in Germany. After returning to Illesheim and regaining full fighting strength the 6th Squadron received their sister squadron back into Storck Barracks. Together the 2nd and 6th Squadrons trained and began readiness to redeploy in support of combat operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. During the Army Transformation the squadrons lost their command when the 11th Aviation Group cased its colors in June 2005, the units were absorbed by the 1st Infantry Division and redesignated, thus closing another chapter of the Fighting Sixth. On 4 January 2005 2nd Squadron deployed from Germany to Afghanistan absorbing elements from other units to become Task Force Sabre.
CH-47 Chinooks,
UH-60 Black Hawks,
AH-64 Apaches and the necessary support elements composed the aviation task force which deployed to support the NATO mission in Afghanistan. In 2005 and 2006 as a part of the Army Transformation, squadrons of the regiment were again reorganized, as the Army eliminated from its rolls those
OH-58D Kiowa Warrior units designated as attack battalions in light infantry divisions. Several of these attack battalions were reflagged as squadrons of the 6th Cavalry Regiment, replacing AH-64 squadrons that were then redesignated as Armed Reconnaissance Battalions: • 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry – 1st Infantry Division –
Fort Riley, Kansas • 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry – 25th Infantry Division (Light) –
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii • 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry – 7th Infantry Division –
Fort Lewis, Washington • 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry – 10th Mountain Division (LI) –
Fort Drum, New York In 2006, 2nd Squadron deployed with its parent unit, the Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, from Wheeler Army Airfield to Iraq. The squadron was recognized with the
Order of Daedalians' 2006 Brig. Gen. Carl I. Hutton Memorial Award for their safety record in preparation for the deployment. The Squadron returned to Hawaii in 2007 having lost only one aircrew to hostile fire. In 2007, 1st Squadron and 4th Squadron deployed to Iraq. The squadrons along with 1st Squadron's parent brigade, the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, replaced 2nd Squadron and its parent brigade. 4th Squadron returned to Fort Lewis during August and September 2008. In October 2008, 1st Squadron began to return to Fort Carson, being replaced by 6th Squadron. 6th Squadron has now taken over operations in Iraq with its parent brigade, the Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). From August 2015 to April 2016 3-6 CAV deployed to the Middle East in support of Operations Spartan Shield and Inherent Resolve. The 3-6 CAV served with distinction during this deployment, to include selection as the 2015 Department of the Army LTG Ellis D. Parker Award Winner in the Combat Category and the Overall Best Aviation Battalion in the Army.
Modernization On 16 March 2015, the 3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, was activated at Fort Bliss, Texas, and assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade,
1st Armored Division. Again, 3rd Battalion, 6th Cavalry was established as the Army's first heavy attack reconnaissance squadron formed as part of the 2015 Army Aviation Restructuring Initiative. This reconfiguration assigned three
AAI RQ-7 Shadow unarmed drone platoons to the battalion's 24 AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopters. ==Current status==