1st U.S. Cavalry

1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment (1855) - The First United States Cavalry Regiment was established by Congress in March 1855. The Regiment (along with the Second Cavalry also established in 1855) were, called the "Jeff Davis Regiments" as they were the brainchild of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. The First Cavalry was organized and trained at Fort Leavenworth and the Second was organized at Jefferson Barracks and deployed to the Texas frontier. Later, near the beginning of the Civil War (1861), the First Cavalry Regiment would be redesignated the Fourth United States Cavalry Regiment with the First Dragoons redesignated the First Cavalry; Second Dragoons redesignated the Second Cavalry; Regiment of Mounted Rifles redesignated the Third Cavalry; and the Second Cavalry redsignated the Fifth Cavalry.