Members of the City Troop and Other Philadelphia Soldiery MET ap42

The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decorated units in the U.S. Army. Accordingly, the Troop operates under a number of principles of self-governance unique in the U.S. military, including the election of unit members and officers, voluntarily forgoing pay for military service to the country, continuing to practice horse cavalry skills and tactics, and recruiting a high percentage of its members from veterans of prior active duty service across all branches (many of whom resign past officer commissions to join), as well as older civilian mid-career professionals. It is the only U.S. military unit that owns its own armory building, built with private funds in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. As of November 2017, the troop had 46 active members (33 drilling with the A-1/104th CAV), up from 35 in 2014.

History

The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, or "First City Troop", was organized in 1774 as the Light Horse of the City of Philadelphia, often referred to as the Philadelphia Light Horse, one of the first patriotic military organizations established in the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. Abraham Markoe was the founder and the first Captain of the Philadelphia Light Horse, known today as the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry. Early members came from a number of local social organizations, including the Schuylkill Fishing Company, the Schuylkill Company of Fort St. Davids, the St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia, the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the Society of the Sons of St. George, and especially the

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

Fox Hunting Club. Captain Samuel Morris was Gloucester's first president and Captain Robert Wharton its last. During the Revolution, the troop fought in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown. It often served as

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

's personal bodyguard. The unit also saved James Wilson at the "Battle of Fort Wilson" riot. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the First City Troop was called into active duty several times, beginning with the 1861 Campaign that led to the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

. During the Gettysburg Campaign, the company, under the command of future U.S. Speaker of the House Samuel J. Randall, performed scouting duties leading into the Battle of

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; ) is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough had a population of 7,106 people. Gettysburg was the site of ...

, in late June before being redeployed to York County following a brief

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to Screening (tactical), screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They may be deployed in a sk ...

on June 26, 1863. The company later screened Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge against the Confederate forces of John Brown Gordon. John J. Pershing said that "no National Guard organization in the country did more, relatively, in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

than" the First City Troop. Today, the First City Troop deploys overseas with the Pennsylvania National Guard in support of Army operations. Since 9/11, the unit has deployed to Bosnia, Iraq, Egypt, and Kuwait, with elements of the unit additionally deploying to Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf, Europe, and Latin America. Membership is by election. Soldiers on the active roll continue to donate their drill pay back to the unit, in order to maintain a tradition of voluntary service. The troop draws its membership from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment,

28th Infantry Division (United States) The 28th Infantry Division ("Keystone") is a unit of the United States Army National Guard, and is the oldest division-sized unit in the Army. Some of the units of the division can trace their lineage to Benjamin Franklin's battalion, The Penns ...

, Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Campaign credit

First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry Flag

Revolutionary War * Battle of Trenton * Battle of Princeton * Battle of Brandywine * Battle of Germantown *New Jersey 1776 *New Jersey 1777 *Pennsylvania 1777 Civil War *

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...

* Battle of Spotsylvania * Battle of Cold Harbor *

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

*Shenandoah * Battle of Appomattox *Virginia 1861 *Virginia 1862 *Virginia 1863 *Virginia 1864 *Maryland 1863 *Pennsylvania 1863 War with Spain *Puerto Rico World War I *Battle of Ypres-Lys *Champagne-Marne *Aisne-Marne *Oise-Aisne *Meuse-Argonne *Champagne 1918 *Lorraine 1918 World War II *Northern France *Central Europe Operation Enduring Freedom *Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer

Captains of the Troop

* Abraham Markoe (1774-1776) * Samuel Morris (1776-1786) * Samuel Miles (1786-1788) * Christian Febiger (1790-1794) * John Dunlap (1794-1803) * Robert Wharton (1803-1810) *Charles Ross (1811-1817) *John R. C. Smith (1817-1825) *Lynford Lardner (1825-1827) *William H. Hart (1827-1842) *John Butler (1842-1847) *Thomas C. James (1850-1863) * Fairman Rogers (1866-1869) *M. Edward Rogers (1869-1876) * A. Loudon Snowden (1877-1878) * Edward Burd Grubb (1878-1889) *Jos. Lapsley Wilson (1889-1894) * John C. Groome (1896-1910) *J. Franklin McFadden (1910-1917) *George C. Thayer (1917-1919) *Thomas Cadwalader (1919-1920) *Clement B. Wood (1920-1930) *Effingham B. Morris Jr. (1930-1933) *Crawford C. Madera (1933-1937) *John C. Groome Jr. (1937-1941) *Henry B. Coxe Jr. (1941-1942) *Robert N. Downs III (1942-1946) *R. Gwynne Stout (1946-1948) *Robert S. Ingersoll Jr. (1948-1950) *William S. Stokes Jr. (1950-1957) *Henry P, Glendinning Jr. (1957-1960) *Henry Mck. Ingersoll (1960-1965) *Thomas G. Ashton (1965-1966) *Charles M. Meredith III (1966-1968) *G. Jeremy Cummin (1968-1970) *Murray H. Dawson (1970-1975) *Stanley Bright III (1975-1978) *Alexander Kerr (1978-1980) *Marcel Francois Lamour (1980-1983) *Dennis Joseph Boylan (1983-1988) *Simeon D. Isayeff (1988-1989) *Richard D. Hughes (1989-1991) *Keith D. Roger (1991- 1995) *Christopher C. Smythe (1995-1997) *Harry J. Gobora III (1997-2000) *Eric E.L. Guenther Jr. (2000-2003) *Lawrence J. Field (2003-2007) *Anslem T.W. Richards (2007-2009) *David B Thayer (2009-2010) *Tyler C. Hathaway (2010-2014) *Garri B. Hendell (2014-2016) *Gregory T. Colella (2016-2020) *Jason P. Wall (2020-2022) *Michael L. Easterly (2022-2024) *Timothy C. Lehotsky (2024-2025) *Colin Yabor (2025-Present)

References

External links

*
First City Troop
in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

Initial roster

Gentlemen of Gloucester
{{coord, 39.953246, -75.178415, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Pennsylvania National Guard United States militia in the American Revolution Military units and formations established in 1774 Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Philadelphia in the American Revolution Military units and formations in Pennsylvania 1774 establishments in Pennsylvania Companies of the United States Army National Guard Ceremonial units of the United States military

History

Campaign credit

Captains of the Troop

See also

References

Further reading

External links