FEBRUARY 23, 2024 – Three weeks after Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress, three members of city’s Committee of Safety met with 25 other men at Carpenter’s Hall to discuss forming a troop of volunteer “light horse” or cavalry.
All 28 men agreed, and on Nov. 17, 1774, the Philadelphia Light Horse was born.
The unit, which would later change its name to First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, is still alive, and later this year will celebrate its 250th birthday.
“It’s the oldest continuously mounted unit in the United States Army, so this is the seed germ for all armor and cavalry,” said Dennis Boylan, an honorary captain who served as the troop’s commander from 1983 to 1988.
First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry lives on today as a unique organization linked to the Pennsylvania National Guard. While it serves mostly as a ceremonial organization, only Soldiers who are members of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment are eligible join FTPCC.
Revolutionary War service
Most of the troop’s original 28 members were members of the Gloucester Fox Hunting Club, while others represented other local organizations, such as the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and the Colony in Schuylkill.
The troop equipped and uniformed itself at the members’ expense and resolved to serve the city and the Congress should hostilities break out, which they did in 1775 with the start of the Revolutionary War.
Troopers from First Troop served with distinction throughout the war. The unit’s first significant mission was to escort Gen. George Washington from Philadelphia to New York on his way to Boston to take command of the Continental Army after it was established by the Second Continental Congress in June 1775.
On Christmas night in 1776, the troop joined Washington and the Army on its crossing of the Delaware River and at the subsequent battles of Trenton and Princeton.
“The craft in which the Troop embarked could not reach shore and the cavalrymen were forced to take to the water and make their way with their horses through the darkness and floating ice,” according to a history of the Troop published in 1991.
The museum at the troop’s armory in Philadelphia has a letter Washington sent the troop after the Battle of Princeton, thanking its members for their service and discharging them “for the present.”
The troop later joined Washington and the Army at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and following the British surrender at Yorktown in October 1781, troopers brought the British colors back to Philadelphia.
Other Exploits
The troop has many other military exploits over the years, and its troopers have served in every U.S. conflict from the Revolution to Iraq, as well as numerous civil disturbances.
Following the Revolutionary War, troopers were part of a four-state force that quelled the “Whiskey Rebellion” in western Pennsylvania in 1794.
During the War of 1812, troopers acted as vedettes between the Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay, protecting Philadelphia from the expected advance of the British forces north from Washington. They later acted as scouts to observe British ship movements in the Chesapeake.
The troop was called to active service during the Civil War, serving from May to August 1861 and from June to August 1863 and participating in several battles. Numerous members took commissions throughout the Union Army; in particular with the 6th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, also known as Rush’s Lancers.
In late June 1863, a contingent of troopers was the first Union military unit to arrive in Gettysburg prior to the famous battle there. Troop members also helped burn the Wrightsville Bridge over the Susquehanna River, preventing the Confederate army from crossing the river and attacking Lancaster and, possibly, Philadelphia.
During World War I, while serving as part of the 103rd Trench Mortar Company in a non-cavalry role, troopers participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the largest American operation of the war. More than 200 troop members received commissions throughout the Allied Expeditionary Forces during the war.
While serving as part of the 104th Cavalry Regiment during World War II, the troop guarded the waterfront in the Philadelphia area before being transferred to the West Coast to guard against a possible Japanese invasion.
The unit later received orders for Europe and arrived in France on March 3, 1945, where it served in various roles until the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945. The unit then began preparing for service in Japan, but the war ended before that would happen.
As in World War I, more than 200 members received commissions throughout the U.S. Armed Forces and served in every theater of operations.
Most recently troop members saw duty in Bosnia in 2002, Iraq in 2005, the Sinai Peninsula in 2008 and again in 2021, and Kuwait in 2012.
“At the beginning of the concept of the American experiment, the troop was present and active and serving, and here we are 250 years later and we’re still doing the same thing: present, active, serving, contributing to the country, contributing to the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia,” Boylan said.
Current day
Today, there are about 58 members on the troop’s “active roll.” Since 1774, there have been 2,525 members of FTPCC, and each member is assigned a number.
In addition to the active roll, there are also non-active and honorary rolls. Non-active status is gained after completing in, good standing, military service. Honorary status is awarded after 15 years of service on the non-active roll. These rolls compose the “alumni” and provide support to the active roll.
In exceptional times, such as when the troop is deployed, the other rolls step forward and maintain the armory and troop services and traditions.
The troop draws its members from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment, which is part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
“So, they’re all 19D cavalry scouts for the most part with a few 11C’s (infantrymen) in there,” Boylan said. “In my day, we were much heavier. We were tank platoons and scout platoons, but today it’s basically all cavalry scouts.
“As a cav. troop, it’s a line unit,” Boylan added. “It’s one of the combat arms. We recently went to the Sainai peacekeeping mission, we had members just come back from the Kuwait deployment, members went to Bosnia in 2002 and 2003, and members served in Iraq and Afghanistan, so it’s very much what it’s supposed to be, a combat arms unit, the same way it was back in 1774-1775.”
Capt. Michale Easterly, who has served as commander of A Troop, 1-104th Cavalry and captain of FTPCC for about two years, said the two roles have many similarities and differences.
“The Alpha Troop role is similar to every other cav. command, but in addition to that, I would say it’s almost double the work,” said Easterly, who previously served as a company commander in 1-110th Infantry. “We have the museum, we’re extremely involved in the community, and now we have the 250th anniversary celebration coming up.
“It’s a large legacy that you want to continue to uphold, and you want to continue to move forward, so it takes a lot of effort and energy outside of the typical military role and requirements,” Easterly added.
The troop is also an officially designated ceremonial unit of the U.S. Army and still has an active riding program.
“The young troopers all participate in a riding class, usually once a week,” Boylan said. “They compete in an equestrian show. They started playing polo again. Last year, they rode in London with the Household Cavalry.”
Not well known
Despite its long and distinguished history, the troop isn’t always well known among members of the community or even fellow National Guard members.
Additionally, some people who are familiar with the troop sometimes have misunderstandings of what it actually is, Boylan said.
“In Philadelphia, you even find people who say, ‘Who are you?’ particularly when the troop rides through the city, because they’re not used to seeing horses parading through the city and escorting dignitaries,” Boylan said.
Easterly said he was not aware of the troop’s history for long before taking command.
“I had no idea anything like this existed, so it was a bit of a shock, but luckily, there’s a huge community,” Easterly said. “It’s not just the troopers that are in Alpha Troop who keep the legacy going, but there’s a community of members who served prior who help and assist.
“It’s certainly not typical, and it’s not something I ever thought that I would be involved in, but it’s a great experience,” Easterly added.
Trooper Alexander Morris, the troop’s coronet, or most junior officer, said being in FTPCC requires a lot of explaining to family members and friends.
“They don’t really understand the historical part or that not everyone here is a First City trooper,” Morris said. “There’s some guys who are just Army guys. Buy when you say, ‘We get to dress up in this cool, old uniform, we get to do all these cool things,’ that’s what really catches their eye.”
Morris, who previously served as a cavalry scout in A, 1-104th and is currently a Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet at Drexel University, said troopers are keenly aware of the unit’s history and always want to put their best foot forward.
“With the unit having gone through every American war, every civil disturbance, everything that’s happened, we always try to do our best, and we want to keep that tradition going,” he said.
Story by Brad Rhen
Joint Force Headquarters – Pennsylvania National Guard