The company, (later to be known as the "troop") was the basic cavalry unit. (Infantry were also widely used in Frontier warfare, but were less well suited for the demands of mobile operations.) A cavalry regiment, commanded by a colonel and lieutenant-colonel, normally consisted of 10 or 12 companies, organised into 3 squadrons, usually termed battalions, each commanded by a major, which in practice rarely all served together. Companies were normally distingushed by letters (J was normally omitted or used to designate a company made up entirely of new recruits). The official company establishment varied at different times. There were normally a captain and two lieutenants,a first sergeant, five sergeants, four corporals, two trumpeters, two farriers, a saddler and a waggoner, with the numbers of enlisted men varying on paper between 50 and 100 according to the different formal establishments. In 1866, the official establishment for infantry, cavalry and heavy artillery companies was 64, though after the disaster at Little Big Horn this was raised to 100, a total rarely achieved in practice.

It has to be said, despite impressions sometimes given to the contrary, that the U.S. Army on the Frontier compared poorly with many of its European contemporaries. Deficencies started at the top. A Frontier posting was not generally popular with a career officer. A major grievance was the slow rate of promotion. In 1877, for example, on average it took 26 years for a second lieutenant to make major, and 37 to reach colonel. Service was frequently boring and chances for distinction few. As a result many officers became disillusioned, and quarrels and drunkeness were common.

As time went by, fewer of the enlisted men had had combat experience in the Civil War. Neither the nature of service on the frontier nor the rates of pay were such as to attract a high quality of recruit. The basic pay of a trooper in 1872 was $13 a month, and the soldiers' routine provided little to compensate for this. Opportunites for action were rare; many troopers never exchanged shots with a hostile during their entire term of service, and much of their normal duties consisted of construction work at the outposts where they served. Partly because of this, many outposts were badly built. They rarely resembled the stockaded fort of film makers, usually consisting of a cluster of buildings, barracks, officers' quarters, stables and storehouses set in the midst of the plains.

The standard of recruit tended to decline; they continued to be drawn from a wide variety of sources. About half of those recruited between 1865-74 were foreign born. Some 20% of them were Irish, and 12% German. In 1874, 40% of the 7th Cavalry were of foreign origin, including 17% Irish, 12% German, 4% English, 2% Canadian and 1% Scottish. Probably the majority were illiterate, but in many cases they were potentially excellent raw material. Discipline was harsh, and this, combined with bad conditions of service, resulted in a high rate of desertion. It was estimated that nearly one third of those enlisting between 1867-1891 deserted. There remained a basic cadre of 6-7,000 veterans who bore the brunt of service. A fairly typical unit, albeit with perhaps slightly higher esprit de corps than most, the troopers of 7th Cavalry in 1874 averaged four years' service.

Maintaining the morale of the troops was difficulkt, and in practice fairly rarely attempted; there were exceptions; both Colonel Wesley Merrit of 4th Cavalry and Custer of the 7th had some success (the latter probably not as great as sometimes suggested) but they were rarities.

Standards of horsemanship among the regulars was generally low, as was basic training of all kinds. Initially, after 1865, training, especially in marksmanship, was felt to be unecessary, given the high proportion of combat veterans in the ranks. By 1872 some small arms practice had begun, though this was limited to 90 rounds per year per man. Real training did not begin until after Custer's defeat at Little Big Horn in 1876. In 1879 the ammunition allowance was raised to 20 rounds per month, with rewards being given to the best shots.

Until the 1880's, medical care was at best rudimentary; many more soldiers were killed by disease than by Indians. Recreational opportunites were few, beyond drink and the dubious favours of native women.

The U.S. Army

Civil War Transition
Cavalry Units
Weapons

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