7th Cavalry Organizational Structure

[markland]

I thought that this would be a handy thread to keep our information relevant specifically to the 7th versus the overall Army.

RCH & HK, I have nothing much to add to what you entered as far as the formation of the 7th. HK, one minor correction, per the September, 1866 revision 2 Regimental Return. The Headquarters detachment was also formed on the same day with a grand total of 4 men: Sgt. Maj., QM Sgt., Chief Bugler and the Hospital Steward. No officers are present in the entire regiment as you both said, however, there is one officer absent (I can't read the cause due to the original having had a major crease/tear down the column-I think he may have been on detached service).

The October return shows three Field & Staff (F&S) assigned to the regiment: Colonel, Lt. Colonel and a Major. One of those officers is absent on detached service (DS)-I assume it was Smith as he was in charge of another department at that time. The others are not shown as present for duty nor in the absent field. I have to assume that they were in transit to the regiment. Since the return does show 3 gained by promotion or appointment, I think the assumption is valid.


OK, tired of playing

I have scanned and uploaded the images of the September, October & December 1866 regimental returns. This is only the summary page and had to be copied and scanned in three pages/month, thus you will see some overlapping of columns.

Let me know if this is helpful and I will start doing others.

By the way, if anyone is wondering, I somehow lost the November, 1866 and will have to get that one again.

Here is the link:

freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~familyinformation/Custer/index.html

Billy

[rch]

Billy

Thanks for posting the returns. I csn see I'll be spending a lot of time drinking them in.

The regimental history has Gibbs joining the regiment on 6 Oct 66 and the going on detached service as a member of an examining board in Washington on 25 Oct.

I think we have here an example of 1860s red tape. I think a new officer whatever his rank had to physically join or report to the regiment before he could be sent on detached service. In the 1960s when we returned from overseas, we were already assigned to new units but we got a leave or delay on route to the new post. They couldn't send me TDY to Panama until I reported to the 6th Cavalry at Ft Meade.

rch

[elisabeth]

I'm sure you're right about an officer having to report in person before doing anything else. So glad that you referred us back to that Libbie letter in the other thread, though; it transpires from that that Gibbs wasn't detached to serve on the examining board, but to take the exam. Libbie's letter is dated December 6th, and she says Gibbs has just returned. (She also remarks on how farcical it is that officers of Gibbs' and Custer's experience should have to be examined at all, and how daft the questions are.)

With the examining board sitting, I dare say a lot of the "DS" notations around that time could reflect officers dashing back to Washington to take their tests.

If anyone wants to check out the letter without having to hunt for it, it's here:

tinyurl.com/h2lct