with the purchase of our 250th Anniversary or American Flags.
“The guidon is a great source of pride for the unit … Any sort of disgrace toward the guidon is considered a dishonor of the unit as a whole.”
—An Excerpt from U.S. Army Guidelines
The Cavalry Guidon: A Swallowtail of Honor
From the Battle of Gettysburg to the Battle of Little Bighorn, amidst the pounding hooves, the clash of sabers, and the deafening crack of carbines, a small but stubborn banner has whipped in the wind, its stars and stripes flashing in the Sun. This banner is known as the Cavalry Guidon, and it has served as a means of unit pride and a rallying point for mounted American soldiers since the Revolutionary War. To the men of the U.S. Cavalry, the Guidon—the term used to describe a small flag with a swallowtail, or right side of the banner sporting an inverted triangle of empty space was the heartbeat of the unit, the mark of their position on the field, and a sign of their honor in battle. Wherever the Cavalry Guidon flew, the fight raged the fiercest. It was there when comrades fell, and it was there when victory was won. [Photo: The Cavalry Guidon]
The Cavalry Guidon at the Battle of Gettysburg
As the Northern and Southern armies began to concentrate around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as June turned to July in 1863, Union cavalry division commander John Buford and his unit found themselves first on the scene. Buford’s mission was simple: prevent the Confederate infantry from uniting on the high ground around Gettysburg before the Union infantry could arrive.
On the morning of July 1, 1863, Confederate infantry coming toward Gettysburg from the west applied brute force to dislodge Buford’s dismounted cavalrymen. Throughout the early morning, gray and butternut-clad Southerners charged Buford’s improvised defensive line, only to find themselves pushed back with heavy casualties. In the smoke and confusion, the Union cavalrymen consistently rallied around their guidons to coordinate their defense and hold the Confederates at bay. This stalling action allowed the Union infantry to arrive and take the place of the exhausted but triumphant cavalrymen and ultimately became the first chapter in the Union’s most famous victory of the war.
[Photo: Cavalry Guidon Flown at Gettysburg]
The Cavalry Guidon and the Battle of Little Bighorn
The Cavalry Guidon remained in consistent use after the Battle of Gettysburg, but nowhere did it gain more fame than on the frontier of the American West. After the Civil War, more and more Americans began to believe that it was the “Manifest Destiny” of white Americans to advance all the way to the Pacific coast. Unfortunately, dozens of tribes of Native Americans stood poised to harass—if not completely stall—the white Americans’ advance.
General George Armstrong Custer was the most famous—and to some, notorious—American cavalryman to employ the Cavalry Guidon. Custer had actually fought and employed the guidon at Gettysburg, but now he commanded a U.S. unit force in the West. This role only increased in importance given that the vast expanse of the American West required soldiers to ride on horseback to get from one isolated point to another.
[Photo: George Armstrong Custer]
On June 25–26, 1876, the rolling hills along the Little Bighorn River in present-day Montana became the stage for one of the most famous—and tragic—clashes in American history. The Battle of the Little Bighorn pitted the U.S. 7th Cavalry, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, against a coalition of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors led by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other prominent chiefs.
Custer was relentlessly aggressive, but, unfortunately, this bulldog mentality led him to attack the first Native American warriors he saw. Little did he know he was advancing his cavalrymen into a trap laid by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Custer was quickly surrounded, and he and all five companies under his immediate command were surrounded and annihilated. When other U.S. cavalrymen later came upon the battlefield, they discovered guidons still planted in the ground, fluttering above their dead brothers in arms. Custer and his doomed troops had obviously used these flags as rallying points, even as their numbers dwindled and hope was lost. For this reason, the Cavalry Guidon became the enduring symbols of Custer’s Last Stand—an emblem of the bravery that defined Custer’s last fight.
[Photo: Custer’s Guidon Recovered from Little Bighorn Battlefield]
Origins of the Cavalry Guidon
Guidons have been in use by militaries around the world for centuries, but in the United States, their story began with the Continental Army. In the early days of the American republic, mounted troops adopted flags patterned after the national colors. These early Cavalry Guidons were designed for visibility in battle—smaller and lighter than full-sized flags so they could be carried easily on horseback without entangling the rider or the mount. The swallowtail shape, with its distinctive “v” cut, made the flag more stable in strong winds and easier to recognize from a distance.
By the mid-19th century, U.S. cavalry guidons typically followed the pattern of the national flag, with thirteen red and white stripes and a blue canton. The canton’s arrangement of stars varied over the years, and in this particular guidon, the circle of stars echoes the early Betsy Ross Flag style, symbolizing equality and unity among the states.
Design Features of the Cavalry Guidon
The Canton and Stars
The blue canton features a circle of stars, just like the Besty Ross Flag’s canton, each representing one of the states in the Union at the time.
The Circle Arrangement: A design element dating back to the American Revolution, the circle emphasizes the idea that no state holds a higher place than another.
The Stars’ Color: Gold or yellow was often embroidered or printed cavalry guidons instead of the traditional white for visibility and distinction, especially in the dusty and smoky battle conditions prevalent in the West.
The Swallowtail Cut
The swallowtail, or forked, end served both practical and symbolic purposes. It reduced wind resistance, preventing fraying during long campaigns, and made the guidon stand out among the many rectangular flags of infantry and artillery. Its very shape became synonymous with the cavalry arm of the military.
The Cavalry Guidon’s Legacy
The cavalry guidon is more than a military tool. Instead, it is a symbol of a unique way of fighting and living. Cavalry units represented speed, independence, and the ability to strike deep into enemy territory. The guidon became a shorthand for those qualities.
In ceremonies today, guidons continue to be used by Army units, though mostly for tradition and esprit de corps. Modern cavalry units—now often mechanized—still carry guidons as a link to their horse-mounted predecessors. Collectors prize authentic guidons, and reproductions are often used in reenactments, parades, and ceremonies to keep the tradition alive.
[Photo: A Modern Army Unit with its Uniquely Designed Guidons]
The Cavalry Guidon, with its proud stripes, eternal circle of stars, and swallowtail snapping in the wind, is a reminder that some banners are carried not for show, but for the soul of the unit. The Guidon was—and remains—a symbol of unity, honor, and unyielding spirit. And as long as there are soldiers who remember for what this flag truly stands, the guidon will never truly be furled.