I think the 7th US Cavalry would have had 6 flags - one blue regimental and five swallow tail guidons for each of its companies. If I am not mistaken, the regiment was seriously understrength which is what its actual commander, Col. Samuel Sturgis, was back east recruiting for it. This is the same Sturgis who got his tail handed to him by Forrest at Brice's Crossroads in June, 1864.

I know that cavalry regiments i8n the Civil War were ten companies but perhaps the post-war regiments were smaller? I also think that the 7th through the 10th US Cavalry were raised post-Civil War. The 9th and 10th US Cavalry were all-black and became known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

I only know of six US cavalry regiments raised or converted in the Civil War. As Tom said, the 1st US Dragoons became the 1st US Cavalry; the 2nd US Dragoons became the 2nd US Cavalry; the Regiment of Mounted Rifles became the 3rd US Cavalry; the 1st US Cavalry became the 4th US Cavalry and the 2nd US Cavalry became the 5th US Cavalry. The 6th US Cavalry was a new regiment raised after August, 1861 (I think) when these conversions took place.

The yellow cavalry regimental colors were done after 1886. Yellow was the color of the cavalry for its uniforms piping (orange was for the dragoons and green for rifle units) so it made sense to make their flags yellow after all this time.

I am constantly amazed at how much has been done to keep the Little Big Horn alive ever since 1876. Of course it helped that Custer was killed and Libby Custer pretty much grabbed everyone in sight and told them about her late husband. And then came the books and movies.

The REAL crunching of the US Army by Indians was not the Little Big Horn; rather it took place in Ohio in November, 1791 when the US Army under Gen. Arthur St. Clair (1st and 2nd American Regiments - the first US Army regiments ever raised - and the Kentucky Militia) lost over 1000 men at what is now Ft. Recovery, Ohio to Little Turtle's Indian Confederation. But Gen. St. Clair was not killed and Mrs. St. Clair thus had no story to tell about him. The response to this defeat was the raising of the American Legion under Gen. Anthony Wayne. This was broken into the four Sub-Legions, combined arms units of cavalry, infantry and artillery. They moved north from what is now Cincinnati, OH and carved most of what is now US 127 out of the Ohio wilderness. They built a chain of supply forts along the way and defeated Little Turtle at Fallen Timbers near Perrysburg, OH (outside of Toledo). This lead to the Treaty of Greenville, the creation of the state of Ohio and eventually Indiana (named as it became the Indian territory with this treaty).

Few people today know about this era. I used to live 15 miles from Ft. Recovery.

Greg Biggs

Greg Biggs