The history of the 1st Cavalry Division begins in 1833 when the Regiment was designated the 1st Regiment United States Dragoons, Shortly before the American Civil War the unit was then designated as the 1st Cavalry Regiment. In 1861 most of the 1st US Cavalry was in the Eastern Theater. (Two Companies still in the New Mexico Territory during the first two years of the war) This unit participated in several battles in the American Civil War, including Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Cedar Creek and Appomattox.
On 15 July, 2005 the 1st Cavalry Division transitioned to the Unit of Action modified table of organization and equipment (MTOE). No longer are brigade sized elements made up purely of armor and/or infantry battalions. Brigades are now composed of Combined Arms Teams (CAB), meaning that every maneuver battalion is identical in organization and makeup to any other maneuver battalion, excluding the brigade reconnaissance squadrons. Each maneuver battalion is now a mixture of infantry, armor, engineer, and miscellaneous support personnel. The U.S. Army maintains only one company-sized element of horse troops (the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Detachment, see below), although the U.S. Special Operations Command includes horseback riding soldiers in its operations.
