5th Cavalry Regiment

The 5th Cavalry Regiment ("Black Knights") is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service on March 3, 1855, as the Second Cavalry Regiment. On August 3, 1861, it was redesignated as the 5th Cavalry Regiment following an act of Congress directing "that the two regiments of dragoons, the regiment of mounted riflemen, and the two regiments of cavalry shall hereafter be known and recognized, as the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth regiments of cavalry respectively..." and continues in modified organizational format in the U.S. Army.

The war with Mexico had resulted in adding a vast territory to our national domain, and the government was bound, in the interests of civilization, to open this immense area to settlement. California, because of her rich deposits of gold, soon solved the problem without requiring much assistance from the army. While the Indians were numerous in that state, they were not warlike, and they readily conformed themselves to the new order of affairs. But the country between the Missouri River and California was an almost unknown territory, occupied by powerful and warlike tribes of Indians...the army was to lead in the work of civilization, and the army was also to be an honest and impartial arbiter standing between the pioneers and the Indians, compelling both to respect the law and obey it, or to disobey it at their peril.

The size of the regular U.S. Army remained the same since prior to the Mexican War (1846–1848), but it's "duty...had been nearly doubled." As a consequence, General Winfield Scott requested from Congress, that additional forces be added to the Army, and in 1855 Congress authorized the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Regiments to be added to the U.S. Army. On 3 March 1855, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (later to be known as the 5th Cavalry Regiment) was activated in Louisville, Kentucky with troopers drawn from the states of Alabama, Maryland, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. Each company rode mounts of a certain color, so a trooper's company could easily be identified in the confusion of battle, and so that the regiment appeared more splendid and organized during dress parades. Company A rode grays, Companies B and E rode sorrels, Companies C, D, F, and I had bays, Companies G and H rode browns, and Company K rode roans.

The following were the initial officers of the regiment. Many rose to high rank during the American Civil War.

Colonel (COL): Albert Sidney Johnston

Lt. Colonel (LTC): Robert Edward Lee

Majors (MAJ): William Joseph Hardee; George Henry Thomas

Captains (CPT): Earl Van Dorn; Edmund Kirby Smith; James Oakes; Innis Newton Palmer; George Stoneman; Albert G. Brackett; Charles Jarvis Whiting