With the October 2017 publication of Field Manual 3-0, Operations, the US Army declares that large-scale combat operations is its most significant readiness requirement. This monograph seeks to answer how the ability to fight for information in reconnaissance and security operations shapes the outcomes of campaigns in large-scale combat operations. It researches cavalry operations in the American Civil War for insight. Historical analysis illustrates that how efficiently cavalry forces supported their armies in the conduct of reconnaissance and security operations determined the degree of success or failure of Civil War campaigns. The monograph draws sources from The Official Records of the War of Rebellion and secondary source materials, including authors who participated in the Civil War. The introduction provides a brief discussion on the cavalry's evolution in the age of mass firepower and mechanization. The body explores four campaigns, two each from the Western and Eastern theaters, focusing on one Federal and Confederate cavalry organization per theater. A cross-campaign analysis follows, evaluating Civil War cavalry along doctrinal, organizational, tactical, and technological lines. The conclusion discusses the relevance of the findings to the modern military professional.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)