First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry

10/12/2026

The Troop mourns the loss of Non-Active Master Sergeant Peter DeRiemer. MSG DeRiemer served as the Troop’s Trumpeter for decades, and in recent years standing in as Trumpeter as a Non-Active to support the Active Roll. He will be remembered for his eclectic humor, modified uniforms, his service in Bosnia, and dedication to the First City Troop. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

To his memory!

Non-Active Master Sergeant Peter Breckinridge DeRiemer, No. 2234

He was elected April 7, 1986. He was promoted to Corporal on July 2, 1990, Sergeant on October 4, 1992, Quartermaster Sergeant on April 3, 1995, Stable Sergeant on March 7, 2005, and Master Sergeant on February 6, 2006. He was elected to the Non-Active Roll on October 10, 2007. He was the 1988 recipient of the John Boyer Scholarship. He was deployed while on the Active Roll to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2002–2003. He died on October 6, 2026.

Obituary:

https://www.dellafh.com/obituary/Peter-DeRiemer

10/07/2026

Trench Mortars in the Argonne

As the 28th Division organized a new, modernized force structure for the world war, it created for the first time a dedicated modern mortar unit. The 103d Trench Mortar Battery was created from the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry and other excess troops of the division, and it joined the fight in France in August of 1918. As this excerpt from a history of trench mortars explains, they brought their own unique method to modern warfare.

“On the afternoon of October 7, 1918, Lieutenants Cartier and McAdoo and myself started on a hunt for German "77's" which were not too badly used up to be of value as a weapon of offense…

Lt.-Col. Crookston led us up on the hill overlooking their position and showed us a gun which some of the members of his regiment had been firing since its capture from the Huns a few days previous.
This gun was in perfect condition, and Col. Crookston very kindly turned it over to our officers. We had seen plenty of am******on lying around in diferent places, particularly an old German dump just outside of Varennes-en-Argonne, and anticipated no difficulty in securing a sufficient supply for our needs.

Everyone took great pleasure in working on the gun and palling the lanyard which released a bunch of H.E, or shrapnel to do its worst (or best) among the "Kultured" beings
over the line. Twas here that "Scotty" the Cook came into his own, and with his deep-sea walk swaggered up to the gun, and to use his own words "Crowed a few iron rations over to Jerry." Sgt. Shires, Corp. Cahn and I then put over a little sweeping barrage of our own which lasted several minutes. Corp. Cahn was loading, and he certainly knew how to make every move count, for, believe me, we got 'em off fast.”

09/29/2026

09/29/2026

Many of our Troopers are deploying under the B Troop guidon for this deployment. We wish all of the Troopers a safe and successful deployment!

09/18/2026

On Friday, September 11, members of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry visited the NGAUS building and museum, and met Jon Eisberg, VP of Government Affairs at NGAUS.

The First Troop is the oldest mounted military unit in America, founded in 1774. It was first organized as a volunteer-only calvary troop to defend the colonies during the Revolutionary War. Today, the First Troop is a private military organization that serves the United States and is also part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Thank you to the First Troop for stopping by NGAUS and visiting the National Guard Memorial Museum! We hope to see you again soon. Pennsylvania National Guard First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry

09/11/2026

09/06/2026

You can see the First City Troop’s crest above the designation of 28th Reconnaissance.

Over the 147 year history of the 28th Infantry Division, many units have passed through the ranks.

This graphic from 1945 shows the organic elements of the division at inactivation post-WWII. Through the Pentomic, ROAD, Modular, and now Army Transformation Initiative (ATI) the division has seen many a unique unit sew the keystone on their sleeve.

08/30/2026

08/12/2026

Merion Golf is hosting the United States Golf Association - USGA Amateur. Here’s Honorary Sergeant John G. Capers, Merion’s historian, sharing the backstory of the historic club’s wicker baskets.

07/05/2026

Yesterday, marking 250 years of Independence, members of the Troop joined Descendants of Signers of the Declaration of Independence at the Liberty Bell for the annual ceremonial tapping. The Troop, along with members of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution’s Color Guard, were present in support of the young descendants who had the great honor of participating in the bell tapping ceremony. Let Freedom Ring! 🇺🇸