KianGaf
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- May 29, 2019
- Location
- Dublin , Ireland
Did either army have dragoon regiments or was that concept outdated by the CW.
On the Union side, a decision was made to do away with the distinctions and designate all Regular Army units as cavalry units. However, all were trained in dragoon tactics.
My understanding is that, generally speaking, the majority of cavalry in the ACW could and often did fight dismounted. Some were better trained and equipped to fight dismounted than others, and vise versa, but very few units were designated as dragoons.
On a lead, mentioned for the origin of Fort Des Moines Iowa, (wikipedia.org), it goes back to 1843 when Captain James Allen supervised the construction of Fort Raccoon on that river and Des Moines River for controlling Sauk and Meskwaki Indians, and Fox and Sac Indians in that area. A description from 1851 says, "....There are two taverns here....I cannot tell you how many dwellings there are, for I have not counted them; some are logs, some are brick, some framed, and some are remains of the old dragoon houses. " (From correspondence by a school teacher 1850-1851, Arozina Perkins).Interesting ! I was interested in the transition from traditional British/European style army units to new ones during the civil war. It’s amazing how the configuration of the army changed with technology and advances in military theory but the tactics largely didn’t vary (at least at the start of the conflict).
Why bother to even change the name? Wouldn't it have been okay to continue to call them dragoons, even though there were some changes in tactics?
There was no Company "J" for the regiment, giving them 10 Companies (Troops) as a whole....
The Union cavalry maintained an organization of 12 companies. This allowed for 3 battalions, each of which consisted of 4 companies (or two squadrons). The regiment had 3 majors, each commanding a battalion, vice the 1 major found in infantry regiments. The two extra cavalry companies were designated "L" and "M."
One problem you may be having (especially if you are or ever have been a table-top wargamer) is confusing dragoons of the Napoleonic Era with those of the Civil War. As has been previously mentioned, European dragoons were really more like our mounted infantry than cavalry. French dragoons especially were armed with long straight sabers and single-shot horse pistols (so-called because they were carried in saddle holsters and rarely worn by the dragoon himself), but their primary weapon was a full-length musket only a couple of inches shorter than an infantry musket and with which they fought mainly on foot. As indicated by 2nd Alabama Cavalry, the U.S. Regiment of Mounted Rifles was closest in concept, being armed with M.1841 "Mississippi" Rifles, the other mounted regiments of cavalry and dragoons being armed with shorter carbines and musketoons having a shorter range that put them at a disadvantage when fighting most infantry.Did either army have dragoon regiments or was that concept outdated by the CW.