Formed in 1836 as the 2nd Dragoons, the regiment served in the west during the ante-bellum period including service in the Seminole Indian War and the Mexican War. The regiment remains the longest continuous-serving mounted unit in U.S. history. Today it is designated as the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
At Resaca de la Palma, Mexico, Captain Charles A. May was ordered to silence a battery of Mexican cannons that had been blocking the American advance. May’s order of the day to his men, "Remember your Regiment and follow your officers," has become the Regiment’s motto. He led his squadron through the American infantry lines and charged into the heavy fire of the Mexican artillery. After heavy losses and gaining the rising ground in the rear, May rallied six men and charged the Mexican gunners, who had regained their cannons, drove them off and took Mexican General La Vega prisoner.
The initial clashes, at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, were decisive American victories that threw the Mexican forces back across the Rio Grande. Those battles determined that the war would be fought on Mexican soil, with the Mexican Army almost always on the defensive.
U.S. Dragoons were present at all the major battles of the Mexican War, skirmishing, scouting, screening, pursuing, and fighting. Their uniform, consisting of a dark blue jacket and soft cap, with powder blue trousers was also worn during the Indian Wars of the 1850's. |
