The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-07-22


of Clusters outfit and whose history from the
beginning is one of the most interesting of any
in Uncle Sans service. That regiment is the
Fifth cavalry and for reason, if no other this
year is an appropriate time to recall some of
its honorable history. Whereas 1926 marks the
hfteth anniversary of the Seventies Waterloo
the Battle of the Little Big Horn-it marks for
me Fifth the. same anniversary OF of the
most remarkable cavalry marches and brilliant
victories ever scored by Uncle Sans hard-riding
horsemen over savage foe. This was the Battle
of War Bonnet creek in South Dakota, fought
on July IL, 1876
Richly though it has been deserved, no formal
history Of the Fighting Fifth" has ever been
written. Its deeds have been partially recorded
in the charming writings of Gen. Charles King
who once its adjutant, notably in his Cam
paigning With Crook" and further light is
thrown upon its long and honorable history in
book, Buffalo Days" recently published by
Bobbs-MerriI and written by Col Homer w.
Wheeler who became a second lieutenant of the
Fifth in 1875 and served with it until he retired
as colonel in 1911. An examination of the
matter-of fact official records of the War depart
ment indicates the great variety of service of
this regiment over a period of more than 10
years, but it is only in such books as Campaign
ing With Crook and Buffalo Days" that life is
breathed into cold statistical data to WITTY the
real story of the Fighting Fifth and show it's
part in the winning of the West.
1t was not always the Fifth cavalry. Organized
by the act of March g. 1855, as the Second Reg-
ment of Cavalry, The designation changed
to the Fifth Regiment of Cavalry by the act
OF August 3. 1861 that in reality the Fifth
cavalry under that name will celebrate its
sixty-1fth birthday this summer. Soon after its
organization the Second regiment this
ganzation was detailed to frontier service and
during the five yeats preceding the opening of
the Civil war the various troops Of the Second
almost constantly in the field in Texas
and what is now Oklahoma. From February %
1856, to June l. 1901, there is the record of no
less than SO skirIlishes, scouting expeditions
and other forms Of military activity to its credit
Although none OF these engagements was Of
outstanding Importance in our military history
the greatest interest in the regiment lies in the
personnel of its officers during this period 1t is
doubtful if there came from any other regiment
many men who rose to promi hence in both the
Union and Confederate armies as did from the old
Second cavalry which was soon to become the
Fifth
Among those who became leaders of the men
in gray were Albert Sidney Johnston who was
colonel of the Second from the date of its
ganzation to the outbreak of the Civil war;
Robert g. Lee, who was it's lieutenant-colonel
during that tme Earl Van Dorm, who had been
a major in the regiment; w. j. Hardee, Kirby
Smith, John B. Hood and Fitz-Hugh Lee all sub
alterns Among the future Union generals were
George H. Thomas, w. H. Emory, George Stone
man, John Sedgewick A. ]. Smith, and Eugene A.
Carr. 1t was the irony Of fate that some Of these
men who had been brother officers in the old
Second should be pitted against each other at
one time or another during the four years of the
conflict The most notable example of this was
in the case Of Thomas and Hood, For it was the
sledge-hannler blows Of the man who had sue
ceeded Albert Sidney Johnston as colonel Of the
Second, George H. Thomas, the Rock Of Chick
amaugas9, which destroyed the army under his
former subaltern, John B. Hood, now a general
in the Confederate army in the fierce fighting
around Nashville, Tenn. late In 1864. and won
for himself and the Army OF the Cumberland