While the US Army doesn’t quite use its cavalry divisions like it did when horses were popular, these units are still some of the best-known throughout Army history. With 10 divisions, many of these units offer varying degrees of fame depending on whether they saw action.
Whether it’s being one of the first African-American cavalry divisions as part of the modern army or another reason, there are some claims to fame. With this in mind, look at all 10 cavalry division units and learn exactly what each one will brag about most.
1st Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1921
- Garrison: Fort Cavazos, Texas
The most unique thing about the 1st Cavalry Division in the US Army is that it’s the only one that has served as a cavalry division, infantry division, air assault division, and armored division.
2nd Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1940 – 1942; 1943-1944
- Garrison: No longer active
In 1943, the US Army decided to create an all-African-American cavalry division as part of the 2nd Cavalry Division after Pearl Harbor. This unit remains a significant part of African-American military history.
3rd Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1927-1940
- Garrison: No longer active
While the 3rd Cavalry Division existed on paper, its claim to fame is that it never conducted large-scale training. No units were ever deployed, and it was disbanded at the start of World War II.
21st Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1921-1940
- Garrison: No longer active
One big claim to fame for the 21st Cavalry Division is that it trained with horses as a mounted cavalry unit. While the unit was disbanded, it was one of the few that trained with real horses but was never deployed.
24th Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1921-1940
- Garrison: No longer active
The 24th Cavalry Division’s biggest claim to fame is that its entire troop was never assembled in one place. Instead, troops were spread across many states and never saw combat.
61st Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1921 – 1942
- Garrison: No longer active
While the 61st Cavalry Division never saw combat, its claim to fame is that it played a role in training National Guard units to reach a heightened level of preparedness in case of deployment.
62nd Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1921 – 1942
- Garrison: No longer active
Similar to the 61st Cavalry Division, the 62nd never saw combat. Still, its claim to fame is in how well its members trained National Guard units, which gave them additional preparedness when called up for active service.
63rd Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1921 – 1942
- Garrison: No longer active
Unfortunately, outside of general preparedness for National Guard units, the 63rd Cavalry was disbanded due to the shift to mechanized units. Its only claim to fame is maintaining cavalry division standards to the highest degree.
65th Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1921 – 1941
- Garrison: No longer active
Headquartered in Chicago, the 65th Cavalry Division never saw combat and mainly consisted of Midwest troops. As these troops transitioned to mechanized units, it was disbanded before it could make any major claims to fame.
66th Cavalry Division
- Founded: 1921 – 1942
- Garrison: No longer active
Like other cavalry division units on this list, the 66th Cavalry Division’s focus was its general level of preparedness. The unit has no dramatic claims to fame, as it never saw combat.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Spc. Paula Taylor / Public Domain.
