text: Cavalry Organizations and
  the Operational Environment
  significant and determined to evict them the following day. They lacked detailed
  information of Buford’s force, and they were under orders not to trigger a general
  engagement before the arrival of the rest of Lee’s army. A thorough reconnaissance of
  Gettysburg might have provided a more realistic assessment of the Union position. With
  much of the Confederate Cavalry on detached service, they were not available to locate
  and track the movements of the Army of the Potomac, much less conduct a deliberate
  reconnaissance of Gettysburg thus depriving Lee of vital information.
  In the early hours of 1 July, Confederate Major General Henry Heth led elements of his
  division down the Chambersburg Pike toward Gettysburg. Heth’s forces quickly
  encountered Buford’s forward picket line. Large numbers of Confederate skirmishers
  deployed to engage the pickets, while an artillery battery provided fire support. Buford’s
  pickets withdrew slowly, keeping the enemy engaged and unable to make a rapid advance.
  Buford reinforced his forward lines causing further delays for the Confederate advance.
  Buford’s actions caused the Confederates to deploy their brigades prematurely to prepare
  for a general assault and commence an artillery bombardment of the Union positions.
  Confederate deployment allowed the Army of the Potomac the opportunity to gain
  positions of tactical advantage and retain initiative.
  Buford and his division set conditions for Meade’s success. As more U.S. formations
  arrived on the field, other Union forces relieved Buford’s division. Buford’s actions
  ensured that the Army of the Potomac secured the high ground. Over the next two days,
  General Lee’s army would shatter itself in repeated attacks upon these heights.
  Reconnaissance operations to identify Confederate forces and key terrain, along with
  security operations delaying Confederate advances and protecting the main body, proved
  decisive at The Battle of Gettysburg.
  CURRENT ROLE
  1-5. The fundamental purpose of the U.S. Army’s Cavalry is to set conditions for successful operations of
  their higher headquarters. These roles are not necessarily missions themselves but translate into mission
  statements. Cavalry units conduct the following to set conditions for successful operations:
  * Enable combat operations.
  * Provide accurate and timely information to the operations process.
  * Operate as combined arms air-ground teams.
  * Provide reaction time and maneuver space.
  * Preserve combat power and achieve economy of force.
  * Facilitate movement and transitions.
  * Fight for information.
  ENABLE COMBAT OPERATIONS
  1-6. Reconnaissance and security operations are essential to all successful operations. BCTs conduct
  continuous reconnaissance and security operations mainly through their organic Cavalry organizations. BCTs
  must defeat adaptive and determined enemies as well as consolidate tactical gains. Effective reconnaissance
  and security operations improve situational understanding and enable commanders to—
  * Identify or create options to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative.
  * Achieve situational understanding.
  * Visualize operations in the context of mission variables of METT-TC (I).
  * Develop the situation through action in close contact with enemy and civilian populations.
  * Execute operations with higher degrees of flexibility, adaptability, synchronization, and integration.
  * Understand the tactical, human, and political dynamics within an area of operations.