"The Current Story of the US Cavalry Stetson" Topic

"The US Cavalry Hat, often referred to by soldiers as a "Stetson", is sort of an American military tradition on par with the feathered hats of the Italian Bersaglieri or the tall bearskin caps of Britain's Grenadier Guards.

Although not an official part of the US Army uniform, members of any US military unit with a cavalry designation may privately purchase a black, wide-brimmed hat in a shape often associated with cowboys on the American Great Plains. Cords, insignias, and unit badges are added. These hats are typically worn with the army uniform at special events (or on Fridays). They can be worn with any uniform at the commanding officer's discretion. The purpose of this hat tradition is to generate esprit de corps among cavalry troopers who hope to distinguish themselves in some way in their respective brigades and divisions. If you have seen the film, Apocalypse Now!, you will remember Robert Duvall as the commander of an "air cavalry" squadron wearing a "Cav Hat" in combat.

But the question I'm hoping to answer in this essay is how much tradition is really tucked away in this historic headgear of the US Cavalry? The Grenadier Guards and other European units that are steeped in tradition typically have not changed their uniforms at all since those units were first created. US Cavalry leaders seem to make a similar claim regarding their hats. The lore purported by cavalrymen is that the Stetson's tradition began with US Cavalry regiments wearing these hats since the 1700s. The wearing of the hats disappeared with the extinction of horse cavalry in the 1920s, but was later revived. Obviously, there are some missing details to this vague lineage that I think we should look into. We should ask the questions: When did the "cavalry" hat originate? Who wore it? What did it look like? When did soldiers stop wearing it? When and why did they start wearing it again?…"
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