The Seventh Cavalry will forever be connected to North Dakota. Formed in 1866, the Seventh patrolled the Great Plains to protect westward expansion. Between 1866 and 1881, it is estimated that the regiment traveled some 181,692 miles across Dakota Territory and Montana.
In 1876 Lieutenant Colonel George Custer led his command out of Fort Abraham Lincoln to put an end to the threat posed by the Sioux. He was killed along with 267 of his men. The country was stunned. Custer was young and handsome with a beautiful and charming wife. He was very popular, and it was widely assumed that he would run for president.
Following Custer’s demise, the Seventh continued to patrol the frontier. It was considered an honor to serve with this storied regiment. On this date in 1891, the Washburn Leader reprinted an article published in the Bismarck Tribune. The newspaper reported that Captain Wallace of the Seventh was killed in a conflict near the Pine Ridge agency. A lieutenant and sixteen others were wounded. The newspaper said the officers were remembered by old-timers from “back in the ‘70s when the Seventh cavalry’s headquarters were at Fort Lincoln.” The officers, it was said, represented a “brave remnant of Custer’s brigade.”
The Seventh Cavalry has remained continuously active and maintains strong ties to the regiment of Custer. The unit is still known as “Garryowen,” a nickname from the Irish tune that Custer adopted as the regiment’s official song. The Seventh served in both Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish American War. They saw service in World War I, and continued to train as a light cavalry unit until 1941. The Seventh served in the Pacific during World War II, then stayed in Japan as part of the occupation force. One of its officers at the time was Lieutenant Colonel Brice Custer, the grand-nephew of George Custer.
The Seventh is still classified as a Cavalry Unit, but horses are a thing of the past. Today the cavalry relies on mechanized transportation including tanks, armored personnel carriers, and helicopters. But with a nod to its frontier roots, the regiment still plays “Garryowen.”
Dakota Datebook by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Washburn Leader. “Bismarck Tribune.” 3 January 1891. Washburn ND. Page 1.
Seventh United States Cavalry Association. https://www.us7thcavalry.com/ Accessed 11/23/18
7th Cavalry Regiment. “In Readiness.” http://www.first-team.us/assigned/subunits/7th_cr/7crndx05.html Accessed 11/23/18.
