The United States Cavalry was, in various forms from 1775 to 1942, an historically horse-mounted cavalry force. The "plains cavalry" played an important role in extending American hegemony into western North America by forcefully subduing and displacing Native Americans from their lands during the western Indian Wars, thereby making way for colonists of primarily European descent. Certain mechanized divisions of the modern US Army retain the "Cavalry" moniker, although a distinct US Cavalry ceased to exist during World War II.
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