Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army: of the United States 1917. To be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training

In Short

Published by the United States War Department in 1917, this manual serves as an all-encompassing operational guide for enlisted cavalrymen and mounted engineer companies. Through structured regulations, procedural breakdowns, and drill codes, the text details the transformation of an individual soldier into a synchronized military element. It covers foundational ethos, firearm maintenance, equestrian mechanics, camp sanitation, reconnaissance, and battlefield maneuvers. The manual remains a compelling historical document because it captures the precise operational reality of the American military at a pivotal moment, capturing the final era where traditional horsemanship intersected with modern industrial warfare.

The Story

The volume opens by laying the moral and structural foundation of military life. It establishes the oath of enlistment, the necessity of absolute obedience, and the standards of military courtesy that bind private soldiers and noncommissioned officers together. From this ethical framework, the manual transitions immediately into the physical equipment required of the soldier, detailing the standard-issue service kit, uniform care, and the mechanics of the service rifle.

To maintain operational readiness, the text delves into exact technical procedures. It provides chemical formulas for cleaning rifle barrels, such as mixing ammonium persulphate, ammonium carbonate, and ammonia to clear metal fouling without corroding the steel. Personal health and maintenance follow closely behind: the manual details daily foot care routines, instructing soldiers to wash with salt water, wear properly fitted woolen socks, and treat blisters with zinc oxide plaster to ensure marching capability.

The instructional core expands into dismounted and mounted drill regulations. A recruit learns basic postures, manual of arms movements, and proper trigger squeeze techniques before progressing to unit maneuvers. Mounted instruction begins at "stand to horse," walking the soldier through adjusting stirrups to exact measurements, mounting smoothly by grasping a lock of the mane, and governing horse gaits. These individual skills aggregate into collective instruction within the "School of the Squad," where troopers practice moving in column of fours, turning, and executing tactical deployments.

Field operations broaden the scope further. The manual outlines camp routine, specifying that firewood must be chopped before 9 p.m. to preserve rest, and detailing the precise sequence for breaking camp at reveille. Reconnaissance duties require patrols to observe terrain and read enemy movements from subtle signs; for example, low thick dust clouds indicate infantry, while high thin clouds signify cavalry. Signal codes—utilizing flags, semaphores, and telegraphic abbreviations—establish communication channels across units. Finally, the text closes with legal standards, military justice articles, and explicit warnings regarding sentry duties, court-martial offenses, and camp governance.

How It Unfolds

Establishing the foundational code The manual opens with the oath of enlistment and formal definitions of discipline, loyalty, and military courtesy. It establishes the mandatory protocols for saluting officers and executing proper conversational etiquette within the rank structure.

Maintaining the weapon and the soldier Detailed instructions cover the care, disassembly, and chemical cleaning of the service rifle alongside strict personal hygiene standards. Soldiers receive precise guidance on waterproofing shoes with neat's-foot oil, preventing ingrowing nails, and preparing field rations.

Mastering individual and mounted drills The text transitions to physical mechanics, detailing dismounted manual of arms commands alongside mounted instruction. Troopers learn to adjust stirrup straps, mount correctly, control gaits, and align horses perpendicularly to a formation line.

Executing collective tactical movements Instruction advances to squad operations, marching in line, and converting from columns of fours into twos or single troopers. Tactical field exercises illustrate how platoons execute coordinated charges, flank attacks, and pistol deployments during combat.

Managing field camps and reconnaissance Daily operational life is outlined through strict camp schedules, tent pitching, and quiet kitchen preparations before dawn. Patrols learn to read maps, navigate by compass or landmarks, and estimate enemy troop strength from rising dust clouds.

Enforcing military law and communications The final sections detail standardized signal codes for cavalry and artillery alongside the formal manual of guard duty. The text concludes with the Articles of War, outlining the legal consequences for offenses such as sleeping on post or disobeying orders.

The People

Because this volume is an official military instruction manual, it does not follow individual literary characters through a fictional narrative arc. Instead, the "people" of this text are defined by the specific operational roles and ranks that comprise the cavalry unit.

• The Trooper / Private: The primary subject of the handbook, who seeks to transform from an untrained civilian into an disciplined soldier. He must master rifle marksmanship, physical grooming, and equestrian control while facing harsh environmental conditions and rigid discipline.
• The Noncommissioned Officer (Corporal / Sergeant): The immediate instructor and leader on the ground. Responsible for superintending rifle cleaning solutions, conducting guard relief, leading squad drills, and maintaining camp order without unnecessary friction.
• The Captain / Platoon Leader: The officer responsible for directing tactical movements, initiating charges, issuing field commands, and ensuring that subordinate elements coordinate effectively during combat maneuvers.
• The Guard and Sentinels: Enlisted men tasked with garrison and camp security. They must enforce strict access protocols, superintend prisoners, and maintain absolute vigilance under penalty of court-martial.

In Its Own Voice

"A horse is correctly disposed when he stands squarely on all four feet, having his head, neck, and body in line."

This single sentence illustrates the text's insistence on absolute structural precision during initial mounted instruction.

"Don't begin the day by nagging your men, thereby making them 'grouchy' during the march."

Here, the manual offers practical leadership advice to noncommissioned officers managing camp routines early in the morning.

"Infantry raises a low, thick cloud; cavalry a high, thin cloud; artillery and wagons a broken cloud."

This observation provides reconnaissance patrols with a quick visual method for identifying distant enemy forces across open terrain.

What It's Really About

At its core, this manual is an investigation into systems of absolute organization, standardized behavior, and human-animal coordination. It explores how a centralized institution reduces complex field survival, technical marksmanship, and large-scale troop movements into simple, repeatable steps. Beyond mere battlefield tactics, the text serves as a treatise on logistics and preventive maintenance. It argues that military effectiveness rests far less on individual heroism than on rigid cleanliness, systematic foot care, precise chemical rifle maintenance, and well-managed horsemanship.

Why Read It Today

Historians, military enthusiasts, and readers fascinated by early twentieth-century material culture will find this manual an extraordinarily rich document. It offers an unvarnished, direct look at the daily realities faced by American soldiers right as the United States entered the First World War. Reading the manual feels like stepping directly into an army camp in 1917; the prose is cold, exact, and entirely devoid of romanticism. Every page focuses strictly on functional utility, from the exact grains of ammonium carbonate needed to clean a barrel to the number of inches a soldier must step back during parade rest.

The primary difficulty for a modern reader lies in its technical density and dry, instructional style. The volume consists entirely of lists, regulations, commands, and procedural steps rather than dynamic narrative prose. However, that very rigidity gives the book its distinct historical weight, leaving the reader with a deep appreciation for the intense discipline, physical labor, and meticulous organization required to maintain a cavalry unit on the cusp of modern industrial conflict.