Finding aid for the Cleveland Military Units Records, Series II

History of Cleveland Military Units

Troop A, an independent military unit, was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in October 1877 to act as a defense against strikers and unruly mobs. The membership of Troop A consisted mostly of individuals from prominent Cleveland families. Among the regular members were Charles Bolton, John Hay and Myron T. Herrick. Honorary members included John Huntington, Samuel Mather and John D. Rockefeller.

In 1887, Troop A became part of the Ohio National Guard. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, Troop A was combined with several other regiments to form the 1st Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. This unit was sent to Chickamauga Park in Georgia where, after a period of training, it was to sail to Puerto Rico. However, certain vital equipment failed to arrive and the unit never saw action. In 1916, the 1st Ohio Volunteer Cavalry was sent to the Mexican border to join in the pursuit of Pancho Villa. After American entry into the First World War, the 1st Ohio Volunteer Cavalry became part of the 135th Field Artillery Regiment and participated in several battles in France. In 1920, the unit was reorganized as Troop A, 107th Cavalry Regiment of the Ohio National Guard. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Troop A was used to quell labor disturbances and maintain order in disaster-stricken areas. During the Second World War, Troop A served in Europe. In 1947, Troop A was reorganized as part of the 107th Armored Cavalry Regiment and is currently still in existence. There were two other independent military units formed in Cleveland, Ohio, during the nineteenth century. One of these was the Cleveland Gatling Gun Battery. Like Troop A, the Cleveland Gatling Gun Battery was formed in 1877 to defend the city from labor violence. It too had members from prominent Cleveland families. Unlike Troop A, which centered on cavalry, the Gatling Gun Battery organized its men around Gatling guns. By 1905, the Cleveland Gatling Gun Battery had ceased to function. In 1925, the veterans association of the Gatling Gun Battery merged with the Troop A veterans organization. The other military organization founded in Cleveland during the late nineteenth century was the Riding Club Company. The Riding Club Company was founded in 1891 for the purposes of operating a riding school, leasing horses and having a social club. Its founding members were all Troop A members, thus the skills which the club sought to foster had obvious advantages for Troop A. The Riding Club Company flourished for about two years, but its directors resolved in 1893 to dispose of all the company property.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Troop A

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Cleveland Gatling Gun Battery

Scope and Content

The Cleveland Military Units Records, Series II, 1877-1973 and undated, consist of constitutions, minutes, correspondence, orders, financial records, publications and scrapbooks of Troop A, the Cleveland Gatling Gun Battery and the Riding Club Company.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the military activities of men from Cleveland, Ohio, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection relates largely to Troop A's participation in the Spanish-American War and war maneuvers in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and provides voluminous information about the routine matters which military units deal with in peacetime. Minutes and correspondence give a detailed view of the units' military and social activities. Among the most notable correspondents are James Barnett, Thomas Grasselli, William Howard Taft, Kenyon C. Bolton, Harrison Frost and Robert Jamison.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

Researchers should also consult MS 3000 Cleveland Military Units Records; PG 309 Cleveland Military Units Photographs; PG 420 Robert Huddle Jamison Photographs; PG 152 Troop A, First Cleveland Cavalry Photographs; MS 3371 Laurence Harper Norton Papers; and MS 4313 Robert H. and Marjorie Jamison Papers.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3985 Cleveland Military Units Records, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gifts of Fayette Brown, James Fawcett, Mrs. Paul Roesch, and several unrecorded donors.

Processing Information

Processed by Thomas Pappas in 1986.

Detailed Description of The Collection