Evening star., 1934-12-30

it surpasses other batteries in skill, but
because the New York management will
pay for the transportation of gray
horses, which they consider more spec
tacular than the blacks, bays or chest
nuts.
The Fort Myer soldiers must be able
to turn quickly from fatigue" to dress
parade. Pvt. Amato, Col. Joyce's chauf-
feur, leaves his driving to perform a
startling shoulder stand" in the rodeo
ride, in which he stands on his head on
the back of galloping horse.
Pvt. De Prince, the best cook in the
Cavalry-Troop F will tell you so-is also
one of the best all-around riders in the
Wild West group. He slides off his
horse and executes tail drag" around
the arena with as much skill as he pre-
pareS an Army stew. Keep Them
Rolling" the title of an R-K-O movie,
which was filmed at Fort Myer with the
aid of Uncle Sans horsemen, is suita-
BILE watchword for this busy post.
When Gen. Sheridan claimed Fort
Myer as a show Cavalry post he brought
here dragons" and mounted riflemen"
from the Far West as a reward for their
strenuous service. A yellowed news
paper of 1887 announced to its readers
the arrival in Washington of Capt. AM
derSon'S troop of the 9th Cavalry.
Farther on. we read: capt. Lawton's
troop from the 4th, which has also been
ordered here, cannot be located" mol
wonder these soldiers could not be To-
Gated! They were completing their now
famous march Of 1900 miles over the
hot sands of the Mexican Border in pur-
suit of the Indian chiefs, Geronimo and
Natchez- When these elusive Indians
were finally imprisoned in Florida, Capt.
Lawton and his men, many of them
shoeless, coatless and dismounted, came
to Fort Myer, showing plainly the effects
of exposure and exhaustion.
The Sd Cavalry upholds the early
traditions of these troops of honor. This
regiment has a remarkable record of
80 years of service. It has been engaged
in 219 battles and skirmishes and carl
ries % historic battle streamers on it's |
regimental flag. AS the "1st Regiment
of Mounted Riflemen," it was organized |
in 1846 to garrison line of forts pro-
tecting the route to Oregon Territory.
1t was temporarily diverted from it's F
mission and sent to Mexico, where, in |
its very first year of service, it won re-
nown. Following Mexico it fulfilled the
Oregon mission and served through
f1ve-year reign of Indian terror. Among
its famous officers have been John c..
Fremont, Kit Carson, whose grand
nephew of the same name is now with
the regiment; Joe L. Wheeler, J. E. B.
Stuart and Hugh L. Scott
Incidental to its colorful career is |
long list of trophies and ribbons won
at horse shows and military compe-
titions from California to New York and
from Montana to Texas. The Sd was
the only Cavalry regiment sent to France
during the World War. Since 1919 it
has been stationed partly at Fort Myer|
and partly at Fort Ethan Allen, vt. A
noteworthy fact is that the present dis
tinguished commander of the garrison,
Col. Kenyon A. Joyce, is one of the few
officers ever to command the regiment
in which he was once an enlisted man.
Young in comparison to the Sd Cav
airy is the 18th Field Artillery organized
in 1917. Young also Is its commanding
officer, Lieut.. Col. James L. Devers, an
officer known for his expertneSs in ar
tillery gunfire and his polo playing. The
16th'S regimental standard bears five
proud battle streamers from three of
the heaviest campaigns of the World
War-the Aisne -Marne, the st. Mihiel