In 1849 the Dragoon Regiment gained two more companies for a total of 12. Even with that expansion, it was not enough to man all the forts on the Texas frontier. Two more companies were added in 1851 for a total of 14. At one point, there were a total of 16 garrisons from El Paso to Brownsville and up to the Trinity River.
In 1852 the Dragoon Regiment was reorganized with 9 companies and redesignated the 1st Cavalry Regiment. The other 5 companies were organized with 4 new ones into the 2nd Cavalry Regiment.
The expansion came with replacement for the worn-out Hall Carbines. Sharps Model 1853 carbines, another breech-loader, were selected for Texas.
They were safer and more reliable than the Halls, even though they still had some problems with gas leakage. Texas models were built rugged and simple, without the tape primer or pellet primer systems on versions used in the US Army.