The US Cavalry existed in various forms from 1775 to 1942. For all practical purposes this service ended during World War II when General Jonathan Wainwright surrendered his saber to the commander of Japanese forces at Corregidor. This sword was returned to him on 16 January 1947, by which time the US Cavalry no longer existed. The cavalry I am about to describe is the one that existed from 1865 to 1890 and was informally known as the Plains Cavalry. Formed at the end of the Civil War in 1865, the Plains Cavalry was charged with protecting American settlers, railroaders, wagon trains, businesses, gold seekers and others from Indian attacks. The Plains Cavalry was meant to operate primarily on the western frontiers of the expanding nation. At that time almost anything west of the Mississippi River was considered the frontier. Most Americans living east of the Mississippi had no idea of the danger, deprivation or hardship encountered by those who lived on the other side of the river...

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