u.s .,. j) /01· 0(.. BISON c.- ITS HISTOBIC PAST ~':f... ... .-·· ... lo •• ' ·. -.. •,:.•' ~ ' ' :::·:· ~·· . \.: . . ,•,• ,, . : ·. ' ... ····~ }' .... '. .' This famous (llinting of"Old Bill"by Fredric Remington (1861-1909) was on the cover of The Cavalry Journal for 40 years and is the basis of the monument on the Cavalry Parade Ground at Fort Riley, at the grave of Chief, the last Cavalry horse on government rolls. The Founding of Fort Riley . -1'.}. ·-:.. -.- Fort Riley was born of frontier necessity and pioneer tenacity. The story of its founding and growth is an integral part of the West. In 1850 the rolling plain that stretches from what is now the state of Missouri to Utah and from Minnesota to Texas was known as the Platte Country or Indian Territory. That portion of it from the Missouri River west for 350 miles is what is known now as the state of Kansas. The establishment of Fort Riley was one of the first steps toward the development and pacification of this territory which was inhabited for the most part by herds of buffalo and "hostiles" as the Indians were called. In the mid-1800's raiding Indian war parties rode down through the bluffs of Eastern Kansas and struck at the pioneer wagon trains moving westward across the Great Plains. It became evident that greater military protection w o u 1d have to be provided these pioneers, and the United States Army was called upon to erect a suitable outpost thatcould be used as a base of operations against the raiding Indians. Colonel T.T. Fauntleroy, First Dragoons, recommended on July 31, 1852, that a post be established, "at or near a point on the Kansas River where the Republic fork unites with it." In the fall of 1852, a board of officers was appointed to s e 1e c t the location for the new post. This board, under escort of a detachment from the First Dragoons, proceeded -2 to the present site of Fort ~ley and finding the location ideal, established a temporary camp. Tlrtey named this original outpost Camp Center because they thought it to be near the geographical center of the United States. The following year Congress appropriated $65,000.00 to begin construction of the new ~st, and work began that summer under the command of Brevet Major E .A,. Ogden. The final event that had a bearing upon the establishment of tbe new outpost was the death in June of 1853 of Major General Bennett Riley, who had served with distinction as an Indian fighter and as a commander in the Mexican War. June 27, 1853, the Secretary of War d-irected that the military outpost under construction in the Kansas Territory be named Fort Riley in his honor ... . . . Under the able direction of Major Ogden, construction of a permanent Cavalry post at Fort Riley was begun in July 1855. Material unobtainable in the vicinity was shipped by boat to Fort Leavenowrth and thence by wagon train to Fort Riley. The work was proceeding rapidly when on August 1, 1855, cholera struck the post. The labor force was decimated, and Major Ogden was one of those to die. As a tribute to Major Ogden, the post commander in 1887, Colonel James W. Forsyth, 7th Cavalry, erected a monument to him which stands today just above the post cemetery near Highway 40. Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, many of the officers at Fort Riley were southerners and ardent pro-slavery men. In those days the old aristocracy of the South furnished many of the officers of our Army. Among those who were stationed at Fort Riley and who later distinguished themselves in the Civil War as Confederate Generals, were "Jeb" Stuart and Lewis A. Armistead. Divided loyalties in the Civil War tore many families apart. Philip St. George Cooke, a we 11 known Cavalry officer at Fort Riley during the 1850's, became a Union General, while his son, -3 John R. Cooke, and his son-in-law, "Jeb" Stuart, both became Confederate Generals. During the Civil War many organizations occupied or were camped for varying periods in and around Fort Riley. With the outbreak of war the influx of Kansas and other militia regiments began. In the summer of 1862 there were about one hundred and thirty Confederate prisoners of war from the Texas Mounted Volunteers at Fort Riley. In July, 1864, Major General S.R. Curtis was posted to Fort Rileyfor the purpose of raising militia to go to the relief of trains corralled at Cow Creek on the Santa Fe Trail by hostile Indians. Thus it is interesting to note that pacification of hostile Indian bands continued throughout the Civil War. The Kansas Pacfic Railroad reached Fort Riley in the fall of 1866. Prior to the coming of the ra ilroad, supplies and equipment reached Fort Riley by wagon train via "The Golden Belt Highway." The present day Highway 40 closely parallels this old wagon route from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Riley. THE 7TH U.S. CAVALRY, "THE GARRY OWENS" ... One of the most famous of the many distinguished cavalry units that have served at Fort Riley is the 7th Cavalry . This regiment was organized here under an act of Congress dated July 28, 1866. Colonel Andrew J. Smith, a veteran of the Mexican and Civil Wars, commanded the regiment, and Lt. Col George A. Custer was second in command. Its regiment song, "Garry Owens,'' a rollicking Irish tune, lifted the hearts of the troopers at the "Battle of the Washita," near Cheyenne, Oklahoma. It was the last music heard by Genera 1 Custer and his men when the 7th Cavalry Band played the regiment out of Fort Lincoln, Nebraska Territory, in its march to the tragic "Battle of the Little Big Horn." The Indian foes of the 7t h Cavalry, many of whom went down under Cavalry carbines in defense of their homeland, included such famous -4 chiefs as "Black Kettle," "Sitting Bull," "Crazy Horse," "Medicine Arrow," "Chief Joseph," "Chief Gall," "Red Horse," "Santanta," "Dull Knife," "Yellow Bird," "Wooden Leg," "Two Moons," and "Little Raven." Early battles and engagements of the "Garry Owens" near Fort Riley include: the Cirnmaron Crossings, North and South Forks, the Republican River, Monument Station and Downer's Station, Kansas, the Battles of Sand Hills on the Cimmaron and Canadian Rivers, and the famous "Battle of the Washita against "Black Kettle" in 1868. Other famous frontier engagements include those of Fort Harker, Yellowstone River, Big Horn, Montana, the Little Big Horn ("Custer's Last Stand"), and "Wounded Knee." As late as 1896 Cavalry troopers ofhis famous regiment were engaginghostile bands of Apache in Arizona. More recently, as a part of the 1st Cavalry Division, the regiment added greater glory to its name in the battles for the Admiralty and Philipine Islands in World War II, and later in the Korean conflict. COMANCHE . . . A cavalry horse named Comanche was one of the most honored members of the garrison of Fort Riley. Comanche joined the 7th Cavalry as a five-year old in the spring of 1868, and became the personal mount of Capt (Brevet Lt Col) Myles W. Keough. He won his first wound stripe on the Cimarron River, when a Comanche arrow pierced his flank. He was wounded again in 1870 and 1873 in skirmishes with renegade Indians. Comanche rode pell-mell into history at the Battle of the Little Big Hom, June 25, 1876. Captain Keough, a hero of this battle was killed, but Comanche, Cheyenne arrows protruding from his body and with bullet wounds in a dozen places, lived, the sole survivor of Custer's battalion of the 7th. Comanche was carefully nursed and regained his he a 1t h at -5 Fort Riley. Colonel Sturgis , the Commanding Officer, 7th Cavalry, causedto be published the following order: "The horse known as Comanche, being the only living representativeof the bloody tragedy of the Little Big Horn, June 25, 1876, his kind treatment and comfort shall be a matter of special pride and solicitudeon the part of every member of the 7th Cavalry to the end that his life bepreserved to the utmost limit. Wounded and scarred a.; he is, his very existence speaks in term s more eloquent than words of the desperatestruggle against overwhelmi ng numbers, of the hopeless conflict and theheroic manner in which all went down on that fatal day. The commanding officer of Troop I will see that a 'special and comfortable stable is fitted up for him, and he will not be ridden by any person whomsoever, under any circumstances, nor will he be put to any kindof work. "Hereafter, upon all occasions of ceremony (of mounted regimentalformation) Comanche, saddled, bridled, draped in mourning, and led by a mounted trooper of Troop I, will be paraded with the regiment." Comanche died on November 6, 1891, and was buried here at FortRiley with full military honors. His skin was mounted and is now in themuseum of Kansas Universit y at Lawrence, Kansas. 1898 -WORLD WAR I . .. The battleship "Maine" was blown up inthe harbor of Havana, Cuba, on February 25, 1898, and war against Spainwas declared on April 25, 1898. During the period of the Spanish-American War, most school work on the post was suspended, and Fort Rileywas used as a staging area for troops going to the Philippine Islands. The first maneuvers of any magnitude ever held in the United Statestook place at Fort Riley in September, 1902. The troops were encamped -6 on the site now occupied by the Fort Riley Hospital. The area was named Camp Root for Elihu Root, the Secretary of War of that time. Following the Spanish-American War form a l military instruction at Fort Riley returned to normal. During this period the Post was the home of the Cavalry and Light Artillery School which offered instruction in such subjects as Hippology, Tactics, Equitation, Horse Training, Horseshoeing, and Topography. The Infantry and Cavalry Boards of the Army were first established at Fort Riley in March, 1903 . War Department General Order No. 191 , September 13, 1907, changed the designation of the Cavalry and Light Artillery School to the Mounted Service School. The curriculum was devoted primarily to subjects directly relating to the horse. The report of the commandan t for 1908, stated that: "Student officers each aver aged 892 hours in the saddle, and many owning private mounts greatly exceeded these figures." The first United States Army Team to compete in a National Horse Show was organized and trained at Fort Riley in 1909, and subsequently it captured the Heavy Weight Chargers and Military Jumping events in Madison Square Garden. Among the more famous alumni of the Mounted Service School are Generals A.R. Chaffee, I.P. Swift, Ben Lear, Terry Allen, Jonathan Wainwright, and George S. Patton. The latter was also "Master of the Sword " at Fort Riley as a second lieutenant in 1913 ... . . . World War I resulted in many changes at Fort Riley. Facilities on the post were expanded tremendously, and the great cantonment named Camp Funston was established five miles east of the permanent post. The advent of World War I marked the end of the Mounted Service School as far as officers were concerned. The school concentrated on turning out qualified horseshoers and stable sergea nts and several special classes for non-commissioned officers were conducted . Among the Cav -7 airy units stationed at Riley during the war were the Thirteenth, Twen tieth, and Twenty-First Cavalry Regiments. The Camp Funston of World War I was the largest semipermanent type training camp in the nation. The sprawling cantonment area could accommodate 50,000 men. It was built at an estimated cost of $10,000,000, and it was named in honor of General Frederick L. Funston,a distinguished soldier, wh o commanded the 20th Kansas Regiment in thePhilippine Insurrection. Construction began in July, 1917, and the cantonment was completed December 1, 1917. Consisting mainly of two-storybuildings, Camp Funston had complete waterworks, electrical, and re frigeration systems. Troops of the initial draft trained at Camp Funston in overalls, andwith wooden guns. The first division to train at Camp Funston was the89th, commanded by Major General Leonard Wood. The division sailedfor France late in the spring of 1918 without General Wood. The Generalremained at Fort Riley to train the lOth Division. "Army City" on the east of the post, mushroomed with miles ofpaved streets, theatres and business houses which catered to soldiertrade. This city vanished along with Camp Funston when it was dismantled and sold at auction at the end of the war. In 1924, the Post Quartermaster stated in a report that the cement floors and foundations had beenremoved from 100 acres, and it was planned to clean 50 acres yearly untilall had been removed from the site. Camp Funston, like the storiedPhoenix, was to rise from the ruins to play a prominent part in the later history of Fort Riley. 1920 -WORLD WAR II ... Based on training experience gainedduring World War I, the War Department in June, 1919, directed that service schools be created for a 11 arms . As a result, the Mounted Service School's designation was officially changed to that of the Cavalry School, and its mission changed to the conduct of instruction devoted exclusively to the Cavalry Arm. Between 1919-1941 , Cavalry officers and many -8 other arms, the reserve components, and certain foreign officers from countries, attended the Cavalry School for training in moun ted tactics, equitation, and instruction in the care of horses. During this period Fort Riley was the home of three famous cavalry regiments: the Second, Ninth and Thirteenth. Between World Wars I and II, these regiments were used by the Cavalry School and the Cavalry Board to test new equipment, methods, tactics, and doctrine. In one of the first moves to modernize the Cavalry arm, the Thirteenth Cavalry was mechanized. In 1931, three officers, Lt. Colonels Jonathan M. Wainwright, Bruce Palmer, and Charles L. Scott, all of whom later became general officers, conceived the idea of determining the maximum practicable marching ability of horse cavalry under modern conditions. The first test was conducted in 1931, with a selected group of officers and men organized as approximately one horse cavalry squadron. This unit with full field equip ment successfully completed a march of 100 miles in a period of 24 con secutive hours. The following year the experiment was repeated with a reinforced brigade of horse cavalry. This brigade comprising the Second and Thirteenth Cavalry Regiments, together with Bat tery "D", 18th Field Artillery, all Cavalry School students, and a detachment of the Ninth Cavalry, CO!l)pleted a forced march of 100 miles in slightly more than 23 hours with full field equipment. After a few hours rest the brigade turned out for a march and tactical exercise as final proof of its ability to fight after such an unprecedented march ... . . . Fort Riley also was the training ground for the finest horsemen and mounts in the country. The U.S. Horse Show Team trained here, not only for national events in this country, but also for the major international shows of Europe and South America. Fort Riley prepared the U.S. Equestrian Teams for several Olympic Games. Here, from 1924 to 1940, preceding the games, were assembled -9 some of the country's finest jumping horses and military horsemen forstrenuous conditioning. Colonel Hiram E. Tuttle trained for dressagecompetition in the 1932, 1936 and 1940 Olympic Games. In 1921 the Cavalry School Hunt, founded in 1895, was officiallyrecognized as a member organization of the Masters of Foxhounds Association. A typical hunt at Fort Riley was a colorful scene. The houndswere blessed at the chapel in the traditional manner. The hunt staff inhunting "pink," accompanied by the hounds, paraded the post, 1e d bymounted buglers in the picturesque uniform of the 2nd Dragoons. Thefield followed in uniform or appropriate civilian hunting dress. Horse shows were another highlight of the Cavalry School. Therewere numerous formal and informal shows throughout the year, as well asthe spring and fall hunter trials, and point-to-point races. An outstanding feature of the Cavalry School year during the early1920's was the graduation of the Officers' Class. The exercises lastedten days and contests in all military and equestrian skills were conductedfor the faculty and students. The most demanding event was a 55 mileride conducted between sunset and dawn. The record for the event wasfive hours and three minutes. Competent critics have declared that the U.S. Cavalry School, duringthe period between the great wars was the finest school of its kind inexistence. Only the Saumur Cavalry Schoo 1 in France and the Tor diQuinto Cavalry School in Italy could be compared with it. Truly, these were the "Golden Days of the Cavalry," and on brightmornings, when there is a bite in the air, all Cavalrymen yearn for "TheLife of Riley.'' ·~ ··~.{" . WORLD WAR II -1953 . .. While the ominous clouds of war gatheredover a troubled Europe in 1939, activity at Fort Riley increased rapidly. -10 The nation was arming, and the United States Army's vast expansion program involved the mechanization of the U.S. Cavalry -a process of reorganizing, retraining, and reequipping the Cavalry for combat as separate units and as elements of Armored and Infantry divisions. In addition to their reconnaissance functions, the new mechanized Cavalry had to be capable of taking independent action, mounted or dismounted, when engaged in offensive or defensive combat. To train officers and enlisted men to perform these missions, the Cavalry Replacement Training Center was established in 1941 in the area present1 y designated Camp Forsyth. An officer candidate training program also was established at the Cavalry School. The first officer candidates reported July 1, 1941. Their numbers increased until about 100 candidates entered each week. Most were trained for mechanized warfare, although instruction in horsemanship was still given to certain classes. The course was intensive. The candidates studied Cavalry weapons and tactics, map reading, intelligence, administration, communications, care of motor vehicles and many other subjects. Successful candidates were commissioned second lieutenants in the Army of the United States. The Cavalry School was eminently successful in its wartime task, and its graduates participated in campaigns in Sicily, Europe, Africa and the Pacific during World War II. Camp Funston, the scene of the largest semipermanent type training center in the nation during World War I, was rebuilt during this second global conflict to house battalions, regiments, divisions, and corps headquarters training for comba t. Following World War II, operations at Camp Funston again were curtailed untill948, when the lOth Infantry Division was reactivated here, the same post at which the division was first formed in 1917 ... The lOth Division, one of ten Army training divisions in the United States, trained combat troops and developed fighting techniques for the furtherance of nation a 1 security. The strenuous and realistic -11 16-week basic military program prepared men for Infantry comba:t in Korea, and for duty as Infantry soldiers in U.S. garrisons throughout the world. The Division also trained basic soldiers in eight specialist fields: radio operations, field Wiring, supply, administration, vehicle operation, cooking and baking, automotive mechanics, and bandsmen. An eight-week leadership school, designed to develop the qualities of leadership within soldiers who had been carefully selected from their units during basic training, a 1so was conducted by the lOth Division. Upon successful completion of leadership training, these men were ready to assume the responsibilities of noncommissioned officers. In 1946, with the passi ng into history of all horse units, the War Department ordered the Cavalry School at Fort Riley redesignated the Ground General School. Among its missions were the training of all newly commissioned officers in basic military subjects, the conduct of an Army Officer Candidate Course, the training of officers and enlisted men in intelligence techniques and methods, and the preparation and conduct of non-resident correspondence courses in intelligence and basic military subjects. Aggressor, the mythical maneuver enemy of U.S . Forces, was developed as a vital part of the school. The school was redesignated the Army General School, January 1, 1950, and it assumed most of the missions of the Ground General School. Subsequently, the training of newly commissioned officers in basic military subjects, and the conduct of officer candidate training, were discontinued here. The school concentrated on combat intelligence training, applying the lessons learned in World War II and the Korean conflict, thus assuring that trained intelligence personnel always would be available for combat units of the United States Army. -12 Fort Riley Today f is c a 1 year 1965, Congress authorized the acquisition of I N 49 ,500 acres lying north , northwest, and west of the area acquired in 1940. At the time of preparation of justification data, the Milford Reservoir was also in the p1an n in g stage. It was anticipated that the military acquisition would extend to the reservoir water's edge. The Milford Reservoir acquisition program preceded the Fort Riley program and all land required for the reservoir was purchased with civil works funds. After all the remaining land within the limits of the military acquisition program had been purchased , it was determined to contain 46,383 acres. The portion of civil works land, within the limits approved by Congress for Fort Riley, was determined to contain 3,435 acres. This land was made available for Army use through a memorandum of understanding between the Commanding General, Fort Riley, and the District Engineer, Kansas City District, Corps of Enginee rs. The present reservation contains 97,475 acres. The addition of 3,445 by the special permit make s 100,920 acres available for military use. In 1955 Fort Riley ' s lOth Division learned it wo u 1 d be the first to participate in Operation Gyroscope, in which the lOth and 1st Infantry Division in Germany would change places. The formal change of command after the huge move from continent to continent was on September 27 , 1955, and for the next 10 years Fort Riley became the home of the "Big Red One." The 1st Division was activated on June 8 , 1917 and was the first American division to engage the enemy during World War I, participating in six major campaigns and suffering 22,320 casualties with over 3, 700 killed in action. World War II saw the "Big Red One" back in action. It was the first division to reach England, first ashore in North Africa and Sicily, first at Normandy on D -Day, and first to crack the Siegfried Line. Casualties totaled 20 ,659 with 3,616 killed in action. The 1st Division called Fort Riley home until September 28, 1965, when it returned to combat, this time in Vietnam. The same year a provisional basic combat training brigade was organized at Fort Riley , and on February 1 , 1966 , the 9th Infantry Division -13 "Old Reliables" -was reactivated at the post, and followed the "Big Red One" across the Pacific in the Fall of 1966. In 1968 the "Victory" Division left Germany and was stationed in the United States for the first time in its history. From Germany came the first units of the Division. Its colors were planted at Fort Riley on May 1, 1968. In January 1969, the Division again deployed to Germany during the JCS Reforger I, a NATO training exercise, and returned to Fort Riley in March. More than 10,000 men of Fort Riley's 24th Infantry Division were airlifted to and from the Federal Republic of Germany. The 24th Infantry Division (Mech) was tasked by Fifth United States Army to support a state funeral for Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Abilene, Kansas. On 28 March 1969 at 1147 hours Fort Riley received offici a 1 notification of the death of Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The 24th Infantry Division (Mech) and Fort Riley units were alerted to implement the plan. The participation from the 24th Infantry Division (Mech) and Fort Riley units for the six day state funeral totaled 1,633 troops. For 4'l'2 years, the 1st Division fought with a two-fold mission in Vietnam: first, to defend the villages and second, to pacify the countryside. Besides performing search and clear missions in Vietnam, the Division actively participated in civil action programs to "Vietnamize" the war, or to help the Vietnamese help themselves. The programs were designed toward improving the living, health and educational .standards of the people. When the Big Red One returned to its home at Fort Riley April 15, 1970, it assumed the commitment that had been the responsibility of the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), which was inactivated and redesignated the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) pursuant to General Order 150, Headquarters Fifth United States Army, dated 24 March 1970. The 1st Infantry Division is now dualbased, with the major portion of the division in the United States and one brigade in the Federal Republic of Germany, fulfilling our NATO commitments. Shortly after the 1st Infantry Division's return to Fort Riley, 11 000 troops participated in Operation Reforger II in the Federal R~public of Germany, during October 1970 . The highlight of the operation was a five-day field problem involving the B~g Re~ One, lhe -3"d Infantry Division, and the 35th Panzer Grenadter Bngade. -14 In September 1971, the Big Red One participated in the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed NATO Exercise REFORGER III. This exercise moved over 11,000 troops and accompanying e q u i p m e n t to the Federal Republic of Germany. The highlight of this exercise was a five day field problem, Certain Forge, involving the Big Red One, 1st Armor Division, 35th Panzer Grenadier Brigade, a n d the 4th Canadian Mechanized Battle Group. The 1st Infantry Division (Mech) and Fort Riley was tasked by Fifth United States Army to support a state funeral for Former President Harry S. Truman upon his death, in In dependence, Missouri. On 26 December 1972 at 0820 hours, Fort Riley received official notification of the death of Former President Harry S. Truman. The 1st Infantry Division (Mech) a n d Fort Riley units were alerted to implement the plan. The participation from the 1st Infantry Division (Mech) and Fort Riley for the three day state funeral totaled 2,132 troops. In January 1973, the Big Red One participated in the Joint Chiefs of Staff directed NATO Exercise REFORGER IV. This exercise moved 10,000 troops and accompanying equipment to the Federal Republic of Germany. The highlight of this exercise was a five day field 'problem , Certain Shield, involving the Big Red One, 3d Brigade, 2d Armor Division, Fort Hood, Texas; 1st Armor Division; 4th Canadian Mechanized Batt 1 e Group; 200th Panzer Regiment; and the 252d German Airborne Battalion. The 1st Infantry Division is recognized as one of America's finest fighting units and remains ready to perform "No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great, Duty First." -15 Some Famous Names at Fort Riley Bennett Riley 1787-1853 It is an historical oddity that Fort Riley, w hi 1 e associated with the Cavalry throughout its long history, was named for an Infantry officer who never saw the post. Bennett Riley was a Virginian who entered the United States Army as an Ensign of Rifles when he was 16. He won renown as an Indian fighter under Lt Col Henry Leavenworth, and as a major he commanded the first wagon train escort over the Santa Fe Trail in 1829. He was brevetted a colonel for bravery and meritorious service at the battle of the C h o k a chat t a in Florida. During the Mexian War he was promoted to brigadier general and later major general for gallentry at the battles of Monterey and Cerro Gordo. Gen. Winfield Scott, commander of the American Forces, attributed much of his success to Riley. In 1847 Riley became the last territorial governor of California, and he helped in writing that state's constitution. He died six years later at Buffalo, N.Y. General Riley was known throughout his career as a dashing soldier, who, on occasion, displayed a ceitain measure of bravado. Before the battle of Monterey, he made the following remarks to Jefferson Davis who later became president of the Confederacy: "Well, my son, here we are again; good luck to you, my boy; as for me, six feet of Mexican soil or a yellow sash." Needless to say he won the yellow sash -the identifying mark of a general officer. His name was chosen for commemorative purposes and given to Fort Riley on June 27, 1853 by War Department General Order No . 17. -16 Edmund A. Ogden 1809-1855 In 1885 Congress appropriated money to build a permanent Cavalry post at the junction of the Republican and the Smoky Hill rivers in the Kansas Territory. Plans called for quarters , storehouses, and stables for five troops of Cavalry. The man appointed to p 1 an and build the post was Maj. Edmund A. Ogden. Major Ogden was born in New York State in 1809. He was appointed to the U n ite d States Military Academy in 1827 and graduated 21st in a class of 33 in 1831. He served in many posts throughout his relatively brief career; frontier duty in Wisconsin, Illinois , Minnesota, and Missouri; the Seminole War in Florida; the Canadian Border Disturbances at Buffalo; and back to the Seminole War for seven trying years. He later served in the occupation of Texas from 1845 to 1847. Throughout his military service Major Ogden showed particular ability in the field of supply, and he spent considerable time as a Quartermaster. He was made captain in 1838 and promoted to major for meritorious conduct in 1848. Major Ogden began the permanent construction at Fort Riley during the first week of July 1855. Under his diligent supervision, rapid progress was made. A contemporary said of Major Ogden, that " .. . On horseback or on foot, (he) was conspicuous for his general supervision of everything, ready to call attention to any neg1 e c t of work that did not seem to be going on to the best advantage, and in that one month of July, I learned more than I ever have during the same length of time. " But in the summer of 1855, tragedy struck. A cholera epidemic swept over the post and Major Ogden suspended work to s e t the men to digging graves, one of which was his own, for on the 3rd of August he died at the age of 44. Although he left his work unfinished, his inspirational leader ship set the keynote for Fort Riley's subsequent history and he is revered today as Fort Riley's founder. -17 ]. E. B. Stuart 1833-1864 J arne s Ewe 11 Brown Stuart was born to a well-known Virginia family in 1833. A tall, wellbuilt boy, he dis played a personal magnetism which later developed into a great capacity for leadership. His early education was conducted by private tutors, and he briefly attended Emory and Henry College. He was graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1854, and assigned to the Mounted Rifles on the Western Frontier. He participated in many successful patrols against the Comanches and Apaches. Lieutenant Stuart was de t a i 1e d by the Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, to the newly organized First Regiment of Cavalry in 1855. At Fort Riley, that same year, he married Flora Cooke, the daughter of a Cavalry colonel. In 1859 he built the first Episcopal Church in Junction City, the Church of the Covenant, and it still stands today. Lieutenant Stuart resigned his Federal commission in 1861 to become a major in the Confederate Army. Later, he commanded the First Regiment of Virginia Cavalry as a Colonel. The figure of "]eb'' Stuart, flaring beard and wide mustaches, gauntlets of white buckskin and scarlet-lined cloak, was a dashing one -from ostrich feathered hat down to his golden spurs. General Lee paid him one of the highest compliments history records of a Cavalry officer: "He never sent me a piece of false information." Fatally wounded by a Sergeant of Custer's Michigan Cavalry at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, the 32-year old General shouted to his men who would have aided him : "Go back! Go back and do your duty as I have done mine and our country will be safe! Go back! I had rather die than be whipped." -18 George A. Custer 1839-1876 Lt Col George A. Custer was one of the most controversial figures ever to serve in the united States Army. He was born in New Rumley , Ohio, At the age of 16 he became a school teacher in the s m a 11 town of Hopedale, 0. He sought and obtained an appointment in West Point in 1857. As a cadet, he was carefree, dashing, gay, and careless -qualities which later were to characterize his career. His c are e r was a paradox characterized by brilliant success on one hand and dismal failure on the other. As a cadet he was one of the least distinguished ever to graduate from West Point, and yet almost two years to the day from his graduation, he was a brevet brigadier general of Cavalry at the age of 23. In another year, he was a major general in command of a Cavalry division. Throughout the Civil War he was known as a dashing officer who gloried in leading his blue-clad horsemen in furious charges. He wore his hair in long blond curls and rode to battle in a black velvet uniform, encrusted with' gilt and topped with a scarlet scarf. Lady Luck rode the pommel as her golden haired protege flashed through the Civil War and after, before abruptly turning her hack on him some 10 years later. After the Civil War Custer was ordered to Fort Riley as a second in command of the newly organized Seventh Cavalry. Shortly afterward he became the Acting Commander of the Seventh. He led the regiment at. the famous "Battle of the Washita" and other Indian engagements. In the spring of 1876 the Seventh Cavalry rode as part of a force assigned to a punitive mission against the hostile Indians in the Dakota who were led by Sitting Bull, Gall, Lame White Man, Two Moon, and other chiefs. Custer led his regiment in the scouting expedition against these Indians which ended in the bloody and disastrous "Battle of the Little Big Horn." Five troops of the Seventh Cavalry were destroyed in the Dakota hills. Custer and his brothers, Tom and Boston, all perished that day. No one knows the complete story of Little Big Horn, but it is known that Custer died in the tradition in which he lived -gallantly. -19 ]ames W. Forsyth 1836-1906 The name of Maj Gen James W. Forsyth has a 1 w a y s been intimately connected with Fort Riley. Camp Forsyth, a major installation at Fort R i 1 e y , is named for him. Genera 1 Forsyth was born in 1838 in Ohio. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy in 1851. He gained fame during the Civil War on the staff of Major General McClellan in the Penni s u 1 a r Campagin. After the Battle of Chickamauga he was promoted to brevet major for gallantry and meritorious service above and beyond the call of duty. In 1864 and 1865 he was Chief of Staff for Maj Gen "Phil" Sheridan. He participated in the Battle of Cedar Creek, Fisher Hill, and Middleton, and for exceptionally meritorious service was promoted to the rank of brevet brigadier general in 1865. By then his reputation as a brilliant soldier and cavalry tactician was firmly established. He was placed in command of a Cavalry Brigade and joined in the pursuit of the Army of Virginia which culminated in Gen Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. After the Civil War Forsyth was fighting a new enemy, the Indian. He reported to Fort Riley as a major of Cavalry in the summer of 1866. Here he started a second career, taking part in several important engagements and campaigns until he became commandant of Fort Riley in the fall of 1887. As commandant he organized and developed a system of practical instruction for Cavalry which lasted as long as the Cavalry itself. He commanded the famous Seventh Cavalry in the successful Sioux Campaign near Pine Ridge, Dakota, in the winter of 1890-1891. He led eight troops of Cavalry and one small unit of Artillery in the Battle of Wounded Knee which quelled forever the fighting spirit of the Sioux na tion. He retired in the spring of 1897 after forty years of service to his country. -20 Warren W. Whitside 1875-1964 Midway between the y e 11 ow limestone buildings on the main post of Fort R i 1e y and white semi-permanent s t r u c t u r e s at Camp Funston stands another major Fort Riley installation, Camp Whitside. Camp Whitside is named for Col Warren W. Whitside, United States Army. Colonel Whitside was born in Canada in 1875. His father was Maj Samuel M. Whitside, a Cavalry officer, who was famous as an Indian Fighter during the period 1875 to 1890. Samuel Whitside founded Fort Huachuca, Ariz. in 1877 while chasing the wily Apach• e, Geronimo. In 1890, he commanded a battalion of the Seventh Cavalry during the Battle of Wounded Knee in South Dakota where the last hostile band of Sioux on the Northern plains was destroyed. Warren Whitside attended Washington and Lee University and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry in 1899. A short while later he transferred to his father's branch, the Cavalry. In 1912, he was detailed to the Quartermaster Corps and was given command of the Front Royal Remount Depot in Virginia. In 1917, Colonel Whitside was made division quartermaster of the 89th Division which was organized and trained for action in World War I at Camp Funston. The division commander was Gen Leonard Wood. As a Lieutenant Colonel, Whitside served as division quartermaster of the 89th Division in France and at times he acted as Assistant Chief of Staff , Gl. After Worid War I, Colonel Whitside again was assigned to Fort Riley, this time as Post Quartermaster. During this tour he was instrumental in moving the Ogden and Wounded Knee monuments to their present location. Colonel Whitside left Fort Riley in 1925. After serving in various other assignments of responsibility, he again was named in 1934 to head the Front Royal Remount Depot where he remained until h is retirement 1939 after 40 years continuous service. Colonel Whitside retired to Front Royal, Va., where he died 3 Oct. 1964 and is buried at Arlington. -21 Frederick L. Funston 1865-1917 Camp Funston is a perma nent memorial to Frederick Funston who was, according to the late William Allen White, ' ' One of the most colorful figures in the American Army from the day of Washington on down .. . he was dashing as Sheridan, as unique and picturesque as the s low moving, taciturn Grant, as charmas Jackson, as witty as old Billy Sherman , as brave as Paul Jones. " Funston, a little man, just 5 feet 2 inches in he ight, was not a professional soldier. He was born in Ohio in 1865. His family later moved to Kansas where his father was elected to Congress. After graduating from Kansas University in the late ' 80's', he worked for a while as a reporter. Later, as a botanist, he conducted a scientific survey in Alaska. On this trip he paddled alone 2,000 miles down the Yukon River. In 1895 he took an office job in New York . He became interested in the Cuban revolutionary cause about this time, and in his spare time learned a great deal about the new Hotchkiss Cannon\ He and his personnal cannon were smuggled into Cuba where both met with great success, and Funs ton attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Cuban Revolutionary Army. When the United States declared war on Spain in 1898, the governor of Kansas commissioned him a colonel of Volunteer Infantry. The following year his regiment was in the Philippines fighting an insurrection led by Emilio Aquinaldo. In an extremely dangerous maneuver he, disguised as a prisoner, with 90 loyal F i lipinos, disguised as rebels, penetrated the insurgent lines and captured Aquinaldo. This ended the war, and he became a national hero. By this time Funston was a brigadier general. He was accepted in the Regular Army in this grade at the age of 36 and distinguished himself in the Mexican Border campaign in 1914. He died of a heart attack in the winter of 1917 at the age of 51, cutting short a promising career on the eve of the First World War. -22 George H. Cameron 1861-1944 Maj Gen George H. Cameron was closely associated with Fort Riley th rou ghou t his career. Born in 1861 in Illinois, he was appointed to the United States Military Academy in 1879. He graduated 29th in his class of S2, and he was commissioned a second lieutenant of Cavalry and assigned to the Seventh Cavalry. He served with this unit until 1895. He then was assigned to the staff and faculty of the united States Military Academy where he served as an instructor. From 1895 to 1898, Cameron served at military posts in the states of Washington and California and in the Philippine Islands. He returned to West Point in 1898. As a captain of Cavalry, he was assigned to Fort Riley in 1901 where he became Secretary of the School of Application for Cavalry and Field Artillery from 1903 to 1905. It was in this period that he designed the school's first crest. He held various other positions at the Cavalry School, including that of Assistant Commandant. He was promoted to major in 1909 and served in that grade in the Philippines, Texas, and as an instructor at the Army War College. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1914, and he served on the General staff until the 1st World War. Later, as a colonel, he commanded the World War I Maneuver Camp in Indiana, organized a Reserve Officer's Training Corps, and held several field commands. He was promoted to brigadier general, and later major general, and organized the 4th Infantry Division, which he led in the Battle of the Marne in 1918. He later commanded V Corps in the reduction of the St Mihiel salient and in the drive west of the Meuse. After the war he commanded the Cavalry School from 1919 to 1921. At this time he redesigned the Cavalry School crest as it now appears. Cameron retired in 1924. -23 Ceorge S. Patton 1885-1945 In Fort Riley's g a II e r y of fame there is a figure no less colorful and certain to be every bit as legendary as Custer. General Patton's career was extraordinary from the start. At the age of seven he could read military maps and translate contour lines into the hills and valleys of his southern California home. His ambition was to be a soldier, in fact, a general. At West Point, where he was graduated in 1909, he was a versatile athlete and he excelled in all military skills. As a young Ce valry lieutenant at Fort Riley , he caused the adoption of a new and better saber and changed the method of saber attack. As the United States contestant in the Modern Pentathlon for the Fifth Olympiad, held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912, Patton stood fifth among 43 contestants for the five events. His renown on the field of battle began in the Mexican Border Campaign when he persuaded General Pershing to let him hunt "Villistas" and bagged General Cardenas, Pancho Villa's chief lieutenant. In World War I, he organized and commanded the United States' first tank brigade, and he assisteJ in the development of the co-axial gun mount and invented, in his own right, many devices now standard on US Armor. In World War II he out-foxed Rommel in Tunisia, and commanded the Seventh Army in the conquest of Sicily. Later the lightning thrusts and mailed fist of his Third Army turned the battle for France into the Battle for Europe. Typical of the man and general was Patton 's comment when death overtook him after an automobile accident: "What a hell of a way to die." General Eisenhower said in eulogy: "He was one of those men born to be a soldier, whose gallantry and dramatic personality inspired all he commanded to great deeds of valor." -24 Jonathan M Wainwright 1883-1953 A biography describes General Wainwright in these terse phrases: "Natural leader, magnetic personality, clipped speech, good disciplinarian, popular with officers and men, alert, forceful, and has plenty of confidence in himself." Jonathan Mayhew "Skinny" Wainwright was born at Walla Walla , Was h. in 1883. Upon graduation from the Unite d States Military Academy in 1906, he was commissioned a second lieutenant of Cavalry. He served at many western Army posts, fought Moros in the Philippines, and held a succession of command and staff assignments both in the U ited States and in France during World War I. Both before and after World War I Wainwright spent his happiest years as a student and instructor in the hard riding spur and saber atmosphere of the Cavalry School at Fort Riley . He was Assistant Commandant from 1934 to 1936. In 1940, he was sent to command the Philippine Division, and then he became senior field commander under Gen Douglas MacArthur as war enveloped the Pacific. At the beginning of the end, on Corregidor, he said:"I have been one of the "Battling Bastards of Bataa n, "and I'll play the same role on the rock as it is humanly possible .. . I have been with my men from the start, and if captured will share their lot. We have been through so much together that my conscience would not let me leave before the final curtain." With his "Battling Bastards of the Bataan," General Wainwright was tortured, starved, beaten and abused for 39 months in Japanese prison camps but he survived to appea r on the decks of the U.S.S. Missouri at the Japanese surrender. As a four star general, with a Congressional Medal of Honor, he died on September 2, 1953, at Fort Sam Houston, Tex. Behind his coffin, followed a Cavalry horse with an empty saddle, the general's spurred boots reversed in the stirrups, and black crepe draped on the saber. -25 FORT RILEY- A Tradition of Military Schools For over 60 years Fort Riley has served as an important link tn the educational system of the Armed Forces. The part that service schools have played in the history of Fort Riley begins back in 1869 when the first of several distinguished training centers was established on the post. From that day to this, with the exception of a period of general inactivity at Fort Riley following the Civil War, Fort Riley has been home for a succession of service schools. Each was built upon the solid foundation established by its predecessor as changes in the tactics and techniques of warfare required that corresponding changes be made in the organization and operation of the schools. Essentially, each school passes on to the next the lessons learned in military instruction and the fine tradition and esprit de corps that only can be developed over a period of ye a rs. Representing a culmination of these 60 years of experience in the field of military instruction, the Army General School was one of the major commands on the post and one of the most important service schools in the educational system of the Armed Forces. -26 THE SCHOOL OF APPLICATION FOR LIGHT ARTILLERY 1869 -4 MARCH 1871 Although a search of the records avatlable at Fort Riley failed to reveal the exact date, it is known that the first major school on Post -The School of Application for Light Artillery -was established in 1869 by War Department General Orders No. 6 of that year. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Field Artillery Regiments each dispatched a battery of light artillery to Fort Riley to man and operate the new school. The instruction was mostly of a practical nature, consisting of battery and battalion drill and firing in order to train officers and men in the tactical empl oyment of horse-drawn light artillery. The school's drill field was located approximately where the Post Upper Parade Ground is today. For practice firing, the guns often were set up on the drill field and fire directed toward targets at the foot of the rimrock in back of the present Camp Whitside. THE CAVALRY AND LIGHT ARTILLERY SCHOOL 14 MARCH 1892 -26 SEPTEMBER 1907 The Fort's colorful career as a Cavalry school dates back to a suggestion made in 1884 by General Philip H. Sheridan, then in command of the U.S. Army, that Riley be set up as headquarters for Cavalry of the Army. In 1887, Congress accepted General Sheridan's suggestion and approved an act to provide a school of instruction for Cavalry and Light Artillery. This plan was implemented by publication of War Department General Orders No. 17, 14 March 1892. which established the Cavalry and Light Artillery School at Fort Riley. Its mission was to conduct instruction in the combined operations of the two arms. Half of each school year was devoted to instruction in the special duties of each individual arm. The second half was devoted to fie ld work and exercises combining both Cavalry and Artillery. Unlike service schools today, individuals were not detailed to take the course. Instead, -27 \entire units were sent to Fort Riley and all the personnel of such units took part in the instruction. THE MOUNTED SERVICE SCHOOL 26 SEPTEMBER 1907-19 SEPTEMBER 1919 In July, 1907, the Commandant of the Cavalry and .Light Artillery School Brigadier General Edward S. Godfrey, proposed to the War Department that some administrative and organizational revisions be made in the school. Among other things, General Godfrey suggested that the name be changed to the Mounted Service School and that the school virtually be separated from the Post. He also proposed that an Assistant Commandant be appointed to take immediate charge of the operation of the school. The training mission was to remain the same -instruction in the combined operations of Cavalry and Light Artillery. General Godfrey's recommendations were approved practically as submitted. The actual reorganization and renaming the school came about on 26 September, 1907 with the publication of General Orders No. 66, Headquarters, Fort Riley. Practical instruction s t i 11 continued to be emphasized. For instance, a report on the training conducted during the school year 1909 reveals that student officers spent 1,126 hours in the saddle. This averages nearly 5 hours daily for the 236 working days of the school year. THE CAVALRY SCHOOL 19 SEPTEMBER 1919-1 NOVEMBER 1946 Another significant change occurred in the Army's school system just after World War I. At a conference in Washington in June, 1919. it was decided to create separate schools for each arm of the service. Up to now the Mounted Service School had taught the combined operations of Cavalry and Artillery. However, when the separate school scheme was implemented by War Department General Orders No. 112, 25 September 1919. the mission of the school at Riley was changed to encompass the training of officers and enlisted men primarily in the techniques and tactics of Cavalry and its name was changed to the Cavalry School. Between the two World Wars the Cavalry School became one of the most important -28 educational centers in the Army. It was here that a great portion of the doctrine and tactics fo r both horse and mechanized Cavalry was pioneered and developed. Horsemanship at the Cavalry School was unexcelled. Virtually all of the famous U.S. equestrian teams of the 1920's and 30's trained at Riley. During this era the school truly became the "Cradle of the Cavalry"-a center of color, tradition, and esprit de corps. THE GROUND GENERAL SCHOOL 1 NOVEMBER 1946 -!JANUARY 1950 Throughout the second World War the Cavalry School continued to conduct instruction and training in the fine tradition of the arm it represented. However, as the war progressed, it became more and more apparent that the concept of the horse Cavalry as a highly mobile and maneuverable striking force did not fully meet the requirements of modern warfare. By the end of World War II the role of the Cavalry had been assumed by mechanized c'avalry and Armor. On 1 November 1946, the Cavalry School was dissolved and in its place was established the Ground General School, built upon the firm foundation left by its predecessor. Another lesson learned by the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II was the value of well trained Intelligence personnel. It became one of the Ground General School to train officers and enlisted men as S2 and G2 personnel up to division level and to train certain types of Intelligence specialists. The school's other functions included conducting branch immaterial ba sic courses for officers of all arms and services and, what was then, the only Army officer Candidate course in the country. THE ARMY GENERAL SCHOOL 1 JANUARY 1950 -1953 The last major change in the organization and operation of the school occurred on 1 January 1950 when publication of Department of the Army General Orders No. 53 authorized some internal changes in the structure of the school and redesignated it the Army -29 General School. Today AGS continues to conduct the Intelligence training functions begun by the Ground General School. Officers and men are trained in the duties of battalion and division S2's and G2's and in five spec i a 1 Intelligence fields. The training mission of the school also included conduct of the branch immaterial Army officer candidate course until the program was discontinued at Riley in July 1953. Since 1950 the Army General School has assumed several additional missions. For instance, it is here that the tactics and techniques of Aggressor are developed. Aggressor is the mythical enemy force that opposes U.S. troops during field exercises and manuevers. -30 Evolution of the COAT-OF -ARMS Although various service schools had operated at Fort Riley prior to 1907, it wasn't until that year that an effort was made to devise a coat of arms which would express the mission of these early centers of military education. On 26 September 1907 the War Department ordered that the Cavalry and Light Artillery School, which had operated on the Post since 1892, be reorganized and renamed. The Mounted Service School was adopted as the new names, and the school was given the mission of training both Cavalry and Artillery in combined operations. One of the major steps taken during the reorganization was the establishment of the position of Assistant Commandant, a link in the chain of command that exists down to this day . The first Assistant Commandant of the Mounted Service School was Captain George H. Cameron -eventually Major General Cameron. It is this officer to whom we are indebted for the present Coat of Arms. Shortly after assuming his duties as Assistant Commandant, Captain Cameron began drafting an insignia to represent his school. By 1909 final approval had been received on his proposed design, and in that year the device was adopted as the Coat of Arms of the Moun ted Service School. The Mounted Service School operated at Fort Riley through World War I. Then, 19 September 1919 brought another change in the school's name, and a subsequent change in the Coat of Arms. On that date the Mounted Service School was again reorganized, this time for the training of Cavalry only, and was redesignated the Cavalry School. Cameron, now a Colonel and Commandant of the school, redesigned the Coat of Arms as it appears. From 1919 to 1946 The Cavalry School continued to conduct instruction in the fine tradition of the arm it represented. Then, on 1 November 1946. The Cavalry School was dissolved and in its -31 place was e stab 1ish e d the Ground General School. Finally, in 1950 the name of the Ground School was changed to the Army General School. Continuing u n changed since 1919, and remaining basically the same since 1909, this honored emblem today serves to remind us of the service the United States Cavalry rendered the nation, and the rich background it gave the Army. -32 THE MOUNTED SERVICE SCHOOL Captain Cameron selected a shield as the center device for the Mounted Service School Coat of Arms. The field he divided into half-fields, one yellow -the traditional color of the Cavalry; and the other red -long associated with Artillery. He joined the half-fields with a dovetailed fess' to indicate the close union and cooperation that existed between these two fighting arms. Surmounting the shield as a crest, the horse's head, resting on a wreath of the school's colors, symbolized the widespread use of horses by both services, for, in those days, Artillery was horsedrawn. Below the shield Captain Cameron inscribed the Latin motto, "Mobilitate Vigemus." The English t ran slat ion reads, " Our -33 Strength Is In Mobility, " implying that the success of Cavalry and Artillery as a team was due to the speed and maneuverability made possible by the use of horses. Emblazoned on the half-field of red, the winged horse's hoof denoted the Department of Hippology. Hippology was another major subject taught in the school, since a trooper not only had to know how to ride but had to understand the structure, disposition, and habits of horses in order to care for his mount properly. Emblazoned on the half-field of yellow, the winged spur denoted the Department of Equitation. A great portion of the training conducted by the Mounted Service School was devoted to instruction in horsemanship. a requisite for Cavalrymen and Artillerymen in the pre-World War I days. -34 THE CAVALRY SCHOOL 0 Colonel Cameron made no change in the shape of the shield when he redesigned the Coat of Arms to serve as the insignia of the Cavalry School. However, upon reorganization, he changed the color of the field to full yellow, to indicate the school's new mission to train only the Cavalry. The crest and motto he left the same, since the horse' s head and the inscription, "Mobilitate Vigemus," still described the composition and merits of the horse Cavalry. The symbols on the field he modified to more accurately depict the functions of the school. The winged spur of the Department of Hippology was replaced by the historic symbols of knowledge, the lamp and book to denote the academic subjects taught in the Cavalry School. -35 ~~ The winged spur continued to denote the Department of Equitation, since horsemanship remained one of the principal military arts taught in The Cavalry School. =-------=~ ·· Colonel Cameron selected a new device for the field. To represent the newly created Department of Weapons, he emblazoned diagonally across the field the traditional weapon of Cavalrymen the saber. -36 ORDERS ESTABLISHING FORT RILEY AS A MILITARY POST ~uJ-LiW'~ W .JP+t-. J~~-b.~~· ~J.L ! . \('.l1,. -37 '(:[ U.S. Government Printing Office: 1984-766-178/ 5203 Region No.6 "One of the responsibilities of command is the development of unit esprit. A knowledge of the deeds and records of the past can be turned to advantage in the development of esprit de corps in the Army." Harness Your History, Officers' Call, Volume 5, Number 4. \11\i\~i~i\iU\i~~~ill\1 3 9072 02198445 9