History of Fort Riley

Fort Riley History

Fort Riley is named in honor of Major General Bennett C. Riley who led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail. The fort was established in 1853 as a military post to protect the movement of people and trade over the Oregon-California and Santa Fe trails. Fort Riley has always had an important role in the defense of our nation and the training of our soldiers.

MG Bennet C. Riley had a long and distinguished military career that stretched from the War of 1812 to the Mexican War. He served as the last territorial governor of California and died in June 1853. He is buried in Buffalo, New York.

Our Heritage

The early history of Fort Riley is closely tied to the movement of people and trade along the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. These routes, a result of the United States perceived "manifest destiny" in the middle of the 19th century, extended American domination and interests into far reaches of a largely unsettled territory. During the 1850s, a number of military posts were established at strategic points to provide protection along these arteries of emigration and commerce.

In the fall of 1852, a surveying party under the command of Capt. Robert Chilton, lst U.S. Dragoons, selected the junction of the Republican and Smoky Hill Rivers as a site for one of these forts. This location, approved by the War Department in January 1853, offered an advantageous location from which to organize, train and equip troops in protecting the overland trails.

Surveyors believed the location near the center of the United States and named the site, Camp Center. During the late spring, three companies of the 6th Infantry occupied the camp and began construction of temporary quarters.

On June 27, 1853, Camp Center became Fort Riley -- named in honor of Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Riley who had led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail in 1829. The "fort" took shape around a broad plain that overlooked the Kansas River valley.

The fort's design followed the standard frontier post configuration: buildings were constructed of the most readily available material - in this case, native limestone.

In the spring, troops were dispatched to escort mail trains and protect travel routes across the plains. At the fort, additional buildings were constructed under the supervision of Capt. Edmund Ogden.

Anticipating greater utilization of the post, Congress authorized appropriations in the spring of 1855 to provide additional quarters and stables for the Dragoons. Ogden again marshalled resources and arrived from Leavenworth in July with 56 mule teams loaded with materials, craftsmen and laborers. Work had progressed several weeks when cholera broke out among the workers. The epidemic lasted only a few days but claimed 70 lives, including Ogden's. Work gradually resumed and buildings were readied for the arrival in October of the 2nd Dragoons.

As the fort began to take shape, an issue soon to dominate the national scene was debated during the brief territorial legislative session which met at Pawnee in the present area of Camp Whitside.

The first territorial legislature met there in July 1855. Slavery was a fact of life and an issue within garrison just as it was in the rest of the country. The seeds of sectional discord were emerging that would lead to "Bleeding Kansas" and eventually, civil war.

Increased tension and bloodshed between pro and anti-slavery settlers resulted in the use of the Army to "police" the troubled territory. They also continued to guard and patrol the Santa Fe Trail in 1859 and 1860 due to increased Indian threats.

The outbreak of hostilities between the North and South in 1861 disrupted garrison life. Regular units returned east to participate in the Civil War while militia units from Kansas and other states used Riley as a base from which to launch campaigns to show the flag and offer a degree of protection to trading caravans using the Santa Fe Trail. In the early stages of the war, the fort was used to confine confederate prisoners.

Custer

The conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 witnessed Fort Riley again assuming an importance in providing protection to railroad lines being built across Kansas. Evidence of this occurred in the summer and fall of 1866 when the 7th Cavalry Regiment was mustered-in at Riley and the Union Pacific Railroad reached the fort. Brevet Major General George A. Custer arrived in December to take charge of the new regiment.

The following spring, Custer and the 7th left Fort Riley to participate in a campaign on the high plains of western Kansas and eastern Colorado. The campaign proved inconclusive but resulted in Custer's court martial and suspension from the Army for one year -- in part -- for returning to Fort Riley to see his wife without permission.

As the line of settlement extended westward each spring, the fort lost some of its importance. Larger concentrations of troops were stationed at Fort's Larned and Hays, where they spent the summer months on patrol and wintered in garrison.

Between 1869 and 1871, a school of light artillery was conducted at Fort Riley by the 4th Artillery Battery. Instruction was of a purely practical nature. Regular classes were not conducted and critiques were delivered during or following the exercise. This short-lived school closed in March 1871 as the War Department imposed economy measures which included cutting a private's monthly pay from $12 to $9.

During the next decade, various regiments of the infantry and cavalry were garrisoned at Riley. The spring and summer months usually witnessed a skeletal complement at the fort while the remainder of the troops were sent to Fort Hays, Wallace and Dodge in western Kansas.

With the approach of winter, these troops returned to Riley. Regiments serving here during this time included the 5th, 6th, and 9th Cavalry and the 16th Infantry Regiment.

The lessening of hostilities with the Indian tribes of the Great Plains resulted in the closing of many frontier forts. Riley escaped this fate when Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan recommended in his 1884 annual report to Congress to make the fort "Cavalry Headquarters of the Army."

Fort Riley was also used by state militia units for encampments and training exercises. The first such maneuver occurred in the fall of 1902 with subsequent ones held in 1903, 1904, 1906-1908 and 1911. These exercises gave added importance to the fort as a training facility and provided reserve units a valuable opportunity for sharpening their tactical skills.

Buffalo Soldiers

The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments -- the famed "Buffalo Soldiers" -- have been stationed at Fort Riley several times during their history. Shortly after their formation in 1866, the 9th Cavalry passed through here enroute to permanent stations in the southwest. They returned during the early 1880s and the early part of this century before being permanently assigned as troop cadre for the Cavalry School during the 1920 and 30s.

The 10th Cavalry was stationed here in 1868 and 1913.

On the eve of World War II, the 9th and 10th Cavalry became a part of the Second Cavalry Division which was briefly stationed here.

The following two decades have been described as the golden age of the cavalry. Certainly it was in terms of refining the relationship between horse and rider. Army horsemen and the training they received at the Cavalry School made them among the finest mounted soldiers in the world and the School's reputation ranked with the French and Italian Cavalry Schools. Horse shows, hunts, and polo matches - long popular events on Army post - were a natural outgrowth of cavalry training.

The Cavalry School Hunt was officially organized in 1921 and provided a colorful spectacle on Sunday mornings. These activities gave rise to the perception of a special quality of life at Fort Riley that came to be known as the "Life of Riley." The technological advances demonstrated on the battlefields of Europe and World War I - most notable the tank and machine gun - raised questions in the inter-war years over the future of cavalry. By the late 1920s, the War Department directed development of a tank force by the Army. This was followed by activation of the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mech) at Fort Knox in the fall of 1936 to make-up the 2nd Regiment of this brigade.

In October 1938, the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mech) marched from Fort Knox to Riley and took part in large-scale combine maneuvers of horse and mechanized units. These exercises helped prove the effectiveness of mechanical doctrine.

World War I

America's entry into World War I resulted in many changes at Fort Riley. Facilities were greatly expanded, and a cantonment named Camp Funston was built five miles east of the permanent post during the summer and fall of 1917. This training site was one of 16 across the country and could accommodate from 30,00 to 50,000 men.

The first division to train at Camp Funston, the 89th, sailed for France in the spring of 1918. The 10th Division also received training at Funston but the armistice came before the unit was sent overseas.

The camp was commanded by Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood. A Military Officers Training Camp was established in the Camp Whitside area to train doctors and other medical personnel.

Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918, beckoned to a world made safe for democracy but also one that heralded a new day for the horse cavalry. The War Department directed service schools be created for all arms of service.

As a result, in 1919, the Mounted Service School which had ceased to function during the war, was redesignated as the Cavalry School. The change was sudden and abrupt.

The new school recognized the need for courses broader in scope while at the same time being more general in character.

World War II

Gathering war clouds in Europe and Asia during the late 1930s caused some military planners to prepare for possible U. S. involvement. This led to several important developments at Fort Riley. The first was the rebuilding of Camp Funston and the stationing of the 2nd Cavalry Division there in December 1940. Barracks were built in the area known as Republican Flats and renamed Camp Forsyth. In addition, 32,000 acres were added to the post for training purposes. These efforts were brought into sharp focus with America's entry into World War II.

Over the next four years, approximately 125,000 soldiers were trained at these facilities. Notable trainees included heavyweight boxing champion, Joe Louis, and motion picture stars such as Mickey Rooney. The post also received a presidential visit by Franklin Roosevelt on Easter Sunday 1943.

The 9th Armored Division was organized here in July 1942 and after its deployment, Camp Funston was used as a prisoner of war camp.

The arrival of victory in Europe and Japan during the spring and summer of 1945, were joyous occasions. But they also spelled new realities and directions for the Army and Fort Riley.

Korean War

In the aftermath of World War II, the fort experienced a period of transition. The Cavalry School ceased operation in November 1946 and the last tactical horse unit inactivated the following March. Replacing the Cavalry School was the Ground General School, which trained newly commissioned officers in basic military subjects. An officer's candidate course was conducted along with training officers and enlisted men in intelligence techniques and methods. The 10th Infantry Division, one of ten Army training divisions, was activated at Camp Funston in August 1948. The sixteen-week basic military program conducted by this division prepared soldiers for infantry combat and duty with other infantry units.

The invasion of South Korea by North Korean forces in June 1950, once again brought attention to Fort Riley as an important training facility. Over the next few years, recruits from all over the United States came to Fort Riley and received basic training.

The 37th Infantry Division, made-up of units from the Ohio National Guard, was also stationed here during the war. While they were not sent overseas, their presence was a continuing reinforcement of the fort's importance as a training post.

Cold War

The uneasy truce that settled on the Korean peninsula after 1953 was indicative of a cold war that had come to characterize relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. This would have an impact on Fort Riley.

In 1955, the fort's utilization changed from training and educational center to that of being the home base for a major infantry division. In that year, the 10th Division rotated to Germany as part of "Operation Gyroscope" and was replaced by the 1st Infantry Division. Elements of the Big Red One began arriving in July 1955 and over the next five months the remaining units arrived. They initially occupied barracks located in Camp Funston.

The influx of troops and dependents placed new demands on the fort's infrastructure. Work began on Custer Hill where new quarters, barracks and work areas were constructed. A new hospital, named in honor of Major General B. J. D. Irwin, was constructed to provide medical care.

In the decade following, 1st Infantry Division units trained to respond to any threat that might arise in Europe or other parts of the world. Construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and Cuban Missile Crisis the following year witnessed heightened alert for soldiers stationed at Fort Riley.

An additional 50,000 acres were also acquired in 1966, which enabled the Army to have an adequate training area for the division's two brigades.

Vietnam

Increased guerrilla insurgency in South Vietnam during the mid-1960s, led to the deployment of the 1st Infantry Division to Southeast Asia. The leading element, the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, left in July 1965 with the Division Headquarters arriving in South Vietnam in September. During this same year, a provisional basic combat training brigade was organized at Fort Riley and in February 1966, the 9th Infantry Division was reactivated and followed the 1st Infantry Division into combat.

Fort Riley's use as a divisional post was maintained with the arrival of the 24th Infantry Division. The division remained in Germany until September 1968 when it redeployed two brigades to Fort Riley as part of the REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany) program. One brigade was maintained in Germany.

Following nearly five years of combat in Vietnam, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley in April 1970 and assumed the NATO commitment. The division's 3rd Brigade was stationed in West Germany. During the 1970s and the 1980s, 1st Infantry Division soldiers were periodically deployed on REFORGER exercises.

Reserve Officer Training Corps summer camps were also held at the fort, which permitted troops to demonstrate and teach their skills to aspiring second lieutenants. The fort also hosted the model U. S. Army Correctional Brigade, housed in Camp Funston, and the 3rd ROTC Region Headquarters until their inactivation in 1992.

The Gulf War

In August 1990, Iraq invaded its neighbor, Kuwait. The resulting international outcry led to the largest U. S. troop build-up and deployment overseas since the Vietnam War. In the fall of that year, Fort Riley was notified to begin mobilization of troops and equipment for deployment to the Persian Gulf. Between November 1990 and January 1991, men and equipment were deployed overseas.

In addition to the 1st Infantry Division, twenty-seven non-divisional units were deployed and twenty-four reserve components were mobilized. This amounted to 15,180 Soldiers being sent overseas via 115 aircraft. Over 2,000 railcars transported 3,000 short tons of equipment which were then shipped to theater on eighteen vessels.

Once in theater, these Soldiers and equipment were readied for combat. This commenced in late February 1991 and over the course of the 'hundred hours' combat of Operation Desert Storm, these Soldiers carried out their orders and executed their missions that resulted in the crushing of the Saddam Hussein's touted Republican Guards. Later that spring, Soldiers returned to Fort Riley.

The Recent Past

Following Operation Desert Storm, the 1st Infantry Division returned to Fort Riley. But the winds of change were once again blowing across the Army and affected the post. The Cold War of the past four decades was being replaced by new realities in Eastern Europe with the crumbling of the Iron Curtain. Budget cuts and revised strategic thinking resulted in troop cutbacks.

In the spring of 1996, Headquarters of the 1st Infantry Division were transferred from Fort Riley to Germany. A brigade of the Big Red One remained at the post along with a brigade of the 1st Armored Division and the 937th Engineer Group.

On June 5, 1999, Fort Riley once again became a Division Headquarters with the reactivation of the 24th Infantry Division (Mech).

The events of 9-11 and its aftermath brought great changes to Fort Riley. As in past conflicts, the fort became a staging and mobilization center for reserve and active army units as our nation fought a global war on terrorism. Units of the 1st Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division deployed to Southwest Asia. On August 1, 2006, the 24th Infantry Division colors were cased and the 1st Infantry Division headquarters returned to Fort Riley from Germany.

Soldiers from Fort Riley continue to be deployed to areas in all corners of the world. From southwest Asia to the Caribbean and the Balkans, Fort Riley Soldiers are engaged in peacekeeping and nation-building missions. They continue to hone their skills by periodic deployments to the National Training Center located at Fort Irwin, California.

Like the Soldiers from previous generations - who have trained, stood ready and deployed - the Soldiers assigned to Fort Riley today look back across a long history of serving and defending our nation. Their sacrifices are many and sometimes the thanks is short - but they fulfill their obligations and duties in a tradition of selfless-service. With this sense of duty and dedication that has always been a hallmark of the Army, these Soldiers take these same values into the first decade of the 21st century.

Bosnia

In March 1993, the U.S. arranged to end the war between Muslim and Croat forces, although Serbian forces continued to fight.

Following a Serb attack against Gorazde, NATO launched the first of many air strikes against Serbian rebels. At the same time, a U.S. delegation mediated peace talks between Serb and Bosnian forces which resulted in a truce on 1 January 1995.

War continued during the spring of 1995, when the Croat army attempted to retake territory held by Serbs. After seven months of sporadic fighting, peace talks began in November between leaders from each ethnic group at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. On 14 December 1995, the Dayton Peace Accord was signed in Paris by Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia.

1st Infantry Division (1ID) units played a key role in Bosnia in the first movement of U.S. troops into the war-torn country. 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment was attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (AD) during Operation Joint Endeavor, from October 1995 to October 1996. The squadron crossed the Sava River on 3 January 1996, and led the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (2nd BCT) into Bosnia. After a year long deployment, the squadron was replaced by 1st ID elements in October 1996.

The 1st ID assumed authority for command and control of Task Force Eagle on 10 November 1996. The division's mission was to provide a covering force for the 1st AD units returning to Germany and to continue implementing the military aspects of the General Framework Agreement for Peace.

The 1st ID continued to support the Dayton Peace Accord through the transition from the Implementation Force (IFOR) to the Stabilization Force (SFOR) in December 1996. The Division drew together Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen as well as Soldiers from twelve nations in the area known as Multi-National Division North (MND(N)).

On 22 October 1997, the 1st AD again assumed command of MND(N) and Task Force Eagle. 1st AD's Soldiers, familiar with the mission and with Bosnia-Herzegovina, quickly adapted to the role and challenges of establishing a secure and peaceful environment in MND(N).

In June 1998, the NATO led SFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina transitioned to a slightly smaller follow-on force led by the 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood. The U.S. agreed to provide a force of approximately 6,900 to maintain a capable military force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Simultaneously, Operation Joint Guard concluded and Operation Joint Forge began. Operation Joint Forge built on the successes of Operation's Joint Endeavor and Joint Guard.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

The First Infantry Division and Task Force Danger conducted operations in Iraq from 2003 to 2005. The Division led in the establishment of Army Forces-Turkey, followed by the C-17 air insertion of Task Force 1-63 into Bashur Airfield, Iraq in April 2003. This was the largest air/combat insertion of an armored heavy task force in US Army history.

Beginning in September 2003 and continuing for the next year, 1st Brigade Combat Team, stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, fought in areas in and around Al Ramadi. Units of Task Force Danger began deployment operations in January 2004 by conducting training in Kuwait and an approach march north into north-central Iraq. They completed a transfer of authority with the 4th Infantry Division in March 2004. From intelligence driven combat operations, to stability and support operations, Task Force Danger Soldiers made great strides to defeat the insurgency.

On 10 September 2004, the tempo of insurgent attacks in Samarra increased and force was used to eliminate enemy forces in the city. Combat operations began on 1 October 2004. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, with five Task Force Danger task forces reinforced by six Iraqi Security Force battalions, attacked insurgent forces and strongholds. The Iraqi Security Forces played a major role in the liberation of Samarra, by clearing and securing key infrastructure and sensitive sites. Following combat, the Division provided support to restore basic services and infrastructure which led to civil-military projects.

Task Force Danger conducted combat operations throughout the four provinces of Salah Ad Din, Diyala, Kirkuk, and Sulaymaniyah of North-Central Iraq. Similar operations were conducted in cities like Kirkuk, Hawijah, Bayji, Tikrit, Balad, Ad Duluiyah, Baqubah, An Najaf, Ramadi, Mosul, and Fallujah. The use of decisive and deliberate combat power deterred the insurgent threat. During these operations, one insurgent signal intercept described Big Red One Soldiers as being "ferocious".

The diversity of Task Force Danger is reflected by the units not normally assigned to the Division. Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Light) from Hawaii, the 30th enhanced Separate Brigade of the North Carolina Army National Guard, and the 264th Engineer Group of the Wisconsin Army National Guard were all critical members of this task force. Other units such as the 167th Corps Support Group, New Hampshire Army National Guard and the 415th and 411th Civil Affairs Battalions were valued members of the team. Daily, task force Soldiers conducted intelligence-driven combat operations to defeat the enemy, while at the same time changing Iraqi attitudes and giving the people alternatives to the insurgency.

The culmination of the Division's yearlong deployment was overseeing the elections for the Iraqi National Assembly in January 2005. Due in large measure to the Task Force Danger, 64 percent of registered voters (over one million) defied the insurgency and voted.

In February 2005, Task Force Danger transferred the mission to the 42nd Infantry Division and began redeployment.

Never to be forgotten were 193 Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines who gave their last, full measure while in support of the Fort Riley based 1st Brigade Combat Team and Task Force Danger during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and II. They and their families will forever be in our prayers. No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great. Duty First!