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PATTERN 1885 US ARMY GUIDON CARRIED BY F TROOP OF THE 3RD REGIMENT OF CAVALRY  – A RARE OFFERING IN EXCELLENT CONDITION:  This is a very rare offering of an original Pattern 1885 U.S. Army Guidon identified to F Troop, 3RD U.S. Cavalry Regiment.   

The practice of displaying totems, banners and flags to identify the leader of a unit on the battlefield and mark his position certainly predates written history.  It was from those displays of military heraldry that the guidon emerged in the U.S. Army and went on to become such an integral part of the individual unit’s identity and tradition. 

In its familiar form the guidon first appeared in 1834, when the newly formed 1ST Regiment of Dragoons was authorized a silk red-over-white guidon, with the letters "U.S." in white on the upper half and the company letter in red on the lower half.  The guidon measured 27” high (“on the lance”) by 41” long (“on the fly”), and had a 15” (measured on the diagonal) forked swallow tail on the trailing edge.  It is believed the swallow tail design was incorporated so that the guidon would better catch the breeze, extending it to its full length on the fly, making the numerals and letters easier to read.  The guidon was carried on a 9’ staff by the mounted color bearer with the lower end of the staff secured in a leather cup suspended by a leather strap from the saddle or attached to the offside stirrup.   

In the years following the adoption of the red-over-white swallow tail design, there were some minor changes, but by 1841 the army had settled on the original design adopted in 1834.   

Early in the Civil War, on January 18, 1862, the U.S. Army issued General Order No. 4 directing "Guidons and camp colors will be made like the United States flag with stars and stripes." The dimensions were the same as prescribed in 1834, but the new design consisted of gold stars in two concentric circles with one star in each corner of the canton.  

This pattern of “National Ensign” guidon remained in use through the early Indian Wars era until the regulations published in 1885 ordered that the design of the guidon would revert back to the Pattern 1834, with the regimental number on the upper half and the letter of the company, troop, or battery on the lower half. 

As detailed in the description of the Pattern 1885 Guidon published by S.B. Holabird, Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army:

“Specifications for Cavalry Guidons”

     “Silk – To be of the best quality of banner silk.

     “Size – To be three (3) feet five )5 inches fly from the lance and two (2) feet three (3) inches on the lance; to be cut swallow-tailed fifteen (15) inches on the fork.

     “Design – Two (2) horizontal stripes, each one-half (½) the width of the flag, the upper to be red and the lower white.  The upper stripe to have on both sides, in the center, the number of the regiment in white silk, and the lower the letter of the troop in red silk.  The letter and number to be block-shaped, four and three fourths (4 ¾) inches high, and held in place by a border of needle-work embroidery three-sixteenths of an inch wide, of same color. 

     “Lance – To be one and one-fourth (1¼) inches in diameter and nine (9) feet long, including spear and ferrule.

     “Case or cover – To be of water-proof material, to protect the guidon when furled.

     “Workmanship – To conform to standard sample on file in the Quartermaster General’s Office.” 

In 1895, additional regulations were published – "Each troop of Cavalry will have a silken guidon...to be used only in battle, campaign, or on occasions of ceremony”   The same regulation provided that “Each troop will also have a service guidon made of bunting or other suitable material” for daily use.   

In 1922, Army Regulation 129 abolished the requirement for silk guidons, and they were withdrawn from service while those made of bunting - a wool material with a fine weave - continued to be issued.  In 1931, Army Regulation 260-10 reduced the size of the guidons to 20 inches on the “hoist” (vertical measurement) and 27 ¾” on the “fly” (horizontal measurement).  Therefore the dimensions of this guidon adhering to the original Pattern 1885 specifications and that it is made of wool bunting, are a combination of characteristics which date this guidon as having been made between 1895 and 1931.    

The 3RD US Cavalry Regiment wrote an impressive history of service from the mid 19TH Century through the first four decades of the 20TH Century.  While the Pattern 1885 Cavalry Guidon was introduced towards the end of the Indian Wars, recognizing the 3RD’s participation in their earlier engagements with the hostiles, and then their service through the end of the horse cavalry, places the regiment and F Troop’s guidon in a historical context.   

The 3RD Cavalry was present on the Northern Plains during the Great Sioux War in 1876, participating in the Battle of Rosebud Creek.  First Sergeant Michael A. McGann of then Company F was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in that battle.  Following the battle on the Little Big Horn the 3RD was with General Crook’s pursuing column when some of the Sioux and Cheyenne who had defeated Custer were located and engaged at the Battle of Slim Buttes.    

In the spring of 1882 the regiment returned to Arizona Territory where they had served after the Civil War.  In 1883 the companies of cavalry regiments were officially redesignated as “Troops” and the use of the unit designation “Company” was confined to units of foot soldiers.  “Troop” continued to be used through the duration of the horse cavalry and survives today in the modern army as a term unique to the Armored Cavalry.  It is interesting to note that in both speech and writing, the sequence of the unit title and identifying letter was transposed with the change from company to troop – “Company F, 3RD Cavalry” became “F Troop, 3RD Cavalry”.     

The years which followed saw the 3RD Cavalry committed to conflicts overseas as the United States began to expand her sense of empire.  Some highlights of this service are as follows:

May, 1898 – 3RD Cav in Tampa, Florida staging for the Spanish American War

June, 1898 – F Troop, 3RD Cav arrives in Santiago, Cuba

June, 1898 – F Troop, 3RD Cav in the Battle of San Juan Hill

Aug, 1898 – 3RD Cav departed Cuba for NY

Jul,   1899 – F Troop, 3RD Cav transferred to Philippine Islands (PI)

Nov, 1899 – F Troop, 3RD Cav engaged with the Insurgents

1902          –  3RD Cav returned to United States

1905          –  3RD Cav returned to PI for occupation duty until 1908

1908          –  3RD Cav returned to Texas, next 9 years patrolling the border.

Mar, 1917 –  3RD Cav sent to Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio 

With the entry into World War One, the 3RD was one of the first US Army regiments to arrive in France - one of the few US cavalry regiments to serve in France as a mounted unit – operated three horse remount depots, and returned to the US in 1919. 

After the war, elements of the 3RD Cavalry were assigned to Ft. Myers, Virginia and due to their close proximity to Washington D.C., they served as honor guards for dignitaries and ceremonies, coming to be known as the “President’s Own”.  The regiment provided the cavalry escort for the internment of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 1921 and the regiment provided the honor guard sentries for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier until 1941.  A surviving photograph of a 3RD Cavalry trooper walking his post in front of the tomb captures him in his full dress uniform….to include his spurs.   

In 1932 then Major George Patton was assigned as the regiment’s executive officer and he was ordered by Chief of Staff General MacArthur to disburse the “Bonus Army” – the veterans protesting for their veteran benefits – who had occupied the mall in D.C..  Later describing the duty as “most distasteful”, Patton led the regiment down Pennsylvania Avenue to disburse the protest and destroy the encampment.    

In February of 1942 the 3RD Cavalry Regiment was dismounted, underwent training for armored warfare at Ft. Benning, Georgia, and was eventually redesignated as the 3RD Mechanized Cavalry Group before landing in Normandy in August of 1944. 

This guidon has survived in excellent condition, showing no significant damage or wear.  The wool bunting is very solid with one very small hole, no tattering or fraying, and it is overall very clean, with only some very minor isolated spots of soiling.  The red field retains a bright vivid color with no fading and the white field shows only minor aging to a mellow ivory hue.  The letters and numerals are likewise in excellent condition, all retaining their hem lines fully intact and all having a bright, clean color.  The white numeral is bright and clean.  The red “F” has faded – a characteristic commonly seen and unique only to the letters on these surviving specimens.  Apparently the letters were made of a different red material more susceptible to fading than the red cloth used on the flag proper.  The fading is interesting evidence that this guidon had significant exposure sunlight, indicating it was carried for some time in service and was not just a souvenir or wall decoration.  Measuring 43 ¼” on the fly, 28” on the hoist, and 19” on the angle of the swallow tail, this guidon is well within the variances which would have been allowed in the manufacture of cloth items.  The numeral “3” and the letter “F” are the regulation 4 ½” tall, again well within the allowable tolerances.  The two “button-hole” leather tabs for mounting the guidon on the lance are present, however they have suffered from being mounted on the lance and they have been stabilized by reinforcing them with a layer of thin leather applied to the reverse of the tabs.  This restoration is not noticeable on either tab except on close inspection – simply more evidence that this guidon was carried.  This guidon is regulation in every way, and the workmanship is indicative of having been made in the quartermaster shops with the regimental numeral and battery letter affixed as it presents here – certainly not something made at the unit level or by an individual.  There is no sign that the numerals or letter were ever altered or replaced, rather from all appearances, this is exactly how the guidon was originally made and issued.   

Any surviving original U.S. Army guidon is a rare artifact, especially those guidons which were issued to cavalry regiments during the era of the horse. Those which can be attributed to a specific unit and which were carried during the unit’s participation in recognized historical events are almost non-existent on the market.  The offering of this Pattern 1885 Guidon, identified to F Troop of the 3RD Regiment of U.S. Cavalry, is a very rare offering and one not likely to be seen again any time soon.   (0604)  $2950   

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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