[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE 220TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE U.S. CAVALRY

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
220th anniversary of the U.S. Cavalry. The anniversary occurred on 
December 16, 1996.
  It was in the town of Wethersfield, CT, under orders by the First 
Continental Congress, that Revolutionary troops organized the 1st 
Cavalry Regiment in the Continental Army. Today, the town of 
Wethersfield, located in my home State of Connecticut, is proud to be 
recognized as the birthplace of the U.S. Cavalry.
  Recognized by the U.S. Department of the Army's Center of Military 
History, the 2d Continental Light Dragoons--Sheldon's Horse--were 
organized in Wethersfield. This was the first dragoon regiment to 
become a part of the Continental Army. Training ground for this 
regiment had been created by a Wethersfield native, Capt. Benjamin 
Tallmadge. This regiment made numerous contributions in the 
Revolutionary War by participating in combat in northern New Jersey and 
the defense of Philadelphia.
  The town of Wethersfield played a vital role in America's 
independence. From the historic Webb House, where Gen. George 
Washington met with Comte de Rochambeau to discuss strategies for the 
Battle of Yorktown, to the modern development of the Silas Deane 
Highway, the quaintness of Wethersfield is intermingled with the heroic 
greatness of the U.S. Cavalry. With origins in Wethersfield, the U.S. 
Cavalry fought epic battles at Brandy Station during the Civil War and 
the Punity Expedition before World War I.
  The U.S. Cavalry now based in Fort Riley, KS, will be forever linked 
with Wethersfield and the State of Connecticut. I applaud the efforts 
of Deputy Mayor Richard Sparveri, Town Councilman Brendan T. Flynn, the 
Wethersfield Historical Society, Wethersfield Tourism Task Force, Mr. 
John Conway, Mr. Arthur Hutchinson, and so many others who have brought 
this significant part of American history into the spotlight it greatly 
deserves.

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