 U.S. Army Cavalry Sergeant, 1866 Cavalry was a branch of army service in a process of transition during the American Civil War. It suffered from emerging technology threats, difficult logistics, and sometimes misguided or inept commanders. Nevertheless, it played important roles in many Civil War campaigns and earned its place alongside the infantry and artillery combat arms. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (415x636, 69 KB) 1866 photo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (415x636, 69 KB) 1866 photo File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ...
Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Lincoln, President Ulysses S. Grant, General Jefferson Davis, President Robert E. Lee, General Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action...
Look up Logistics in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
During the American Civil War, the infantry, foot-soldiers fighting primarily with small arms, carried the brunt of the fighting on battlefields across the country. ...
Field Artillery played a crucial role in the American Civil War. ...
Types of mounted forces
There were four types of mounted forces prevalent in the Civil War. - Cavalry. Forces that fought principally on horseback, armed with carbines, pistols, and, especially, sabers. Only a small percentage of Civil War forces met this definition—primarily Union mounted forces in the Eastern Theater during the first half of the war. Confederate forces in the East generally carried neither carbines nor sabers. A few Confederate regiments in the Western Theater carried shotguns, especially early in the war.
- Mounted infantry. Forces that moved on horseback, but dismounted for fighting on foot, armed principally with rifles. In the second half of the war, most of the units considered to be cavalry actually fought battles using the tactics of mounted infantry. An example of this was the celebrated "Lightning Brigade" of Col. John T. Wilder, which used horses to quickly arrive at a battlefield such as Chickamauga, but deployed and fought using standard infantry formations and tactics. By contrast, at the Battle of Gettysburg, Federal cavalry under John Buford also dismounted to fight Confederate infantry, but they used conventional cavalry tactics, arms, and formations.
- Dragoons. Hybrid forces that were armed as cavalrymen, but were expected to fight on foot as well. The term comes from the Napoleonic Era, representing a cross between heavy and light cavalry. The fighting tactics of the forces deployed by Union General Philip Sheridan in 1864, and by Confederate General Wade Hampton after the Battle of Yellow Tavern, fit the Dragoon model, although those units did not adopt the term.
- Irregular forces (partisan rangers or guerrillas). Most of the irregular forces of the war were mounted. There is little commonality as to their weapons—in general, any available were used. The Confederacy produced the most famous irregular leaders, including John Mosby, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and John Hunt Morgan (although the latter two did employ traditional mounted infantry tactics in some campaigns).
A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than, a rifle or musket of a given period. ...
A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ...
The Saber (spanish/portuguese: knowledge) currency is an educational sectoral currency in Brazil that is handed out by the ministry of education. ...
This article is in need of attention. ...
A pump-action and two semi-automatic action shotguns, 20 boxes of shotgun shells, a clay trap, and three boxes of clay pigeons. ...
Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot with muskets or rifles. ...
The rifled musket is a long-barreled infantry weapon (to be distinguished from the shorter rifle carried by some light infantry units), usually percussion, that was common in the 19th century. ...
John Thomas Wilder (January 31, 1830 – October 20, 1917) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War and an industrialist who was instrumental in developing the natural resources of the State of Tennessee. ...
Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders William S. Rosecrans George H. Thomas Braxton Bragg James Longstreet Strength Army of the Cumberland (56,965) Army of Tennessee (66,000) Casualties 1,657 killed, 9,756 wounded, 4,757 captured/missing 2,312 killed, 14,674 wounded, 1...
Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 93,921 71,699 Casualties 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured/missing) 22,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured/missing) The Battle of...
John F. Buford (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was an American cavalry officer during the American Civil War. ...
A light dragoon from the American Revolution French dragoon, 1745. ...
The Napoleonic Era is a period in the History of France and Europe. ...
Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. ...
1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...
Wade Hampton III during the Civil War Wade Hampton III (March 28, 1818 – April 11, 1902) was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterwards a politician from South Carolina, representing it as governor and U.S. Senator. ...
On May 11th, 1864, Confederate General Jeb Stuart was shot at Yellow Tavern by a Union sharpshooter at a distance of 30 feet (10 m). ...
Irregular soldiers in Beauharnois, Quebec, 19th century Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. ...
Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Colonel John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 - May 30, 1916), also known as the Gray Ghost, was a Confederate guerilla fighter in the American Civil War. ...
Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821 – October 29, 1877), was a Confederate general and perhaps the American Civil Wars most highly regarded cavalry and partisan ranger (guerrilla leader). ...
Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War. ...
Tactics At the time of the Civil War, the cavalry had five major missions, in rough priority: - Reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance screening
- Defensive, delaying actions
- Pursuit and harassment of defeated enemy forces
- Offensive actions
- Long-distance raiding against enemy lines of communications, supply depots, railroads, etc.
This represented a change from previous eras, in which offensive action was the primary mission. The Napoleonic Wars, for instance, saw instances of massive cavalry charges used for tactical envelopments of infantry formations. The technology of the rifled musket, which emerged in the 1850s, put an effective end to this practice. While swiftly moving cavalry could overwhelm infantry whose weapons fired accurately only 100 yards, the infantryman with a rifled musket (accurate to 300 yards or more) could fire multiple rounds in the time it took the cavalry to reach his position. And a horse and rider were easy targets. Combatants Allies: Great Britain (until 1801)/United Kingdom(from 1801) Prussia Austria Sweden Russia Ottoman Empire Portugal Spain and others France Client States to France: Denmark-Norway Kingdom of Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Grand Duchy of Warsaw Confederation of the Rhine: Bavaria Saxony and others Commanders Mikhail...
The rifled musket is a long-barreled infantry weapon (to be distinguished from the shorter rifle carried by some light infantry units), usually percussion, that was common in the 19th century. ...
// Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution...
Offensive actions were certainly not unknown, however, but they were more frequently employed against enemy cavalry than against infantry. Examples of the former are the Battle of Brandy Station and the Battle of Yellow Tavern; of the latter, the First Battle of Bull Run and Elon J. Farnsworth's ill-fated charge on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry engagement on the North American continent. ...
On May 11th, 1864, Confederate General Jeb Stuart was shot at Yellow Tavern by a Union sharpshooter at a distance of 30 feet (10 m). ...
Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Irvin McDowell Joseph E. Johnston P.G.T. Beauregard Strength 35,000 effectives 32,500 effectives Casualties 2,896 (460 killed, 1,124 wounded, 1,312 captured/missing) 1,982 (387 killed, 1,582 wounded, 13 missing) The First Battle...
Elon John Farnsworth (July 30, 1837 – July 3, 1863) was a Union Army cavalry general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. ...
Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 93,921 71,699 Casualties 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured/missing) 22,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured/missing) The Battle of...
Reconnaissance was the key to effective cavalry, as it remains today in modern armies (although modern cavalrymen usually prefer light armored vehicles or helicopters over horses). The cavalry serves as the "eyes" of the army. Reconnaissance was a crucial component in the Gettysburg Campaign, where cavalry under Union General Alfred Pleasonton attempted to find the wide-ranging Army of Northern Virginia on its invasion of the North, and Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart effectively employed counter-reconnaissance to screen passes in the Blue Ridge Mountains and hide Robert E. Lee's movements. ...
The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors. ...
Meade and Lee of Gettysburg Gettysburg Campaign (through July 3); cavalry movements shown with dashed lines. ...
Alfred Pleasonton Alfred Pleasonton was a U.S. Army officer and general of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. ...
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War in the eastern theater. ...
James Ewell Brown Stuart (February 6, 1833 – May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general during the American Civil War. ...
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shining Rock Wilderness Area Appalachian Mountain system The Blue Ridge is a mountain chain in the eastern United States, part of the Appalachian Mountains, forming their eastern front from Georgia to Pennsylvania. ...
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career U.S. Army officer and the most celebrated general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ...
Long-distance raids were the most desirable mission for cavalrymen, primarily due to the fame that successful raids would bring, but they were often of little practical strategic value. Jeb Stuart became famous for two audacious raids around the Union Army of the Potomac in 1862; in his third such attempt, during the Gettysburg Campaign, he squandered much of the cavalry forces of the Army of Northern Virginia and deprived Robert E. Lee of adequate reconnaissance at the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg, one of the principal reasons for the Confederate defeat there. Union attempts at strategic raids had mixed success. George Stoneman's raid in the Battle of Chancellorsville was a colossal failure; Benjamin Grierson's raid in the Vicksburg Campaign was a strategic masterpiece that diverted critical Confederate forces away from Ulysses S. Grant's army; James H. Wilson's massive 1865 raid in Alabama foreshadowed the armored warfare maneuvers of World War II. In general, strategic raids were used more effectively in the Western Theater of the war. Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ...
1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
Meade and Lee of Gettysburg Gettysburg Campaign (through July 3); cavalry movements shown with dashed lines. ...
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War in the eastern theater. ...
Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 93,921 71,699 Casualties 23,055 (3,155 killed, 14,531 wounded, 5,369 captured/missing) 22,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 captured/missing) The Battle of...
Portrait of George Stoneman during the Civil War George Stoneman (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career U.S. Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the Governor of California between 1883 and 1887. ...
Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Joseph Hooker Robert E. Lee Stonewall Jackson†Strength 133,868 60,892 Casualties 16,839 (1,574 killed, 9,554 wounded, 5,711 missing) 13,156 (1,683 killed, 9,277 wounded, 2,196 missing) The Battle of Chancellorsville was...
Brigadier General Benjamin Henry Grierson (July 8, 1826, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - August 31, 1911, Omena, Michigan) was an American army officer. ...
Griersons Raid was a Union cavalry raid during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. ...
Lithograph of the Mississippi River Squadron running the Confederate blockade at Vicksburg on April 16, 1863. ...
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was an American general and politician who was elected as the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ...
Portrait of James Wilson during the Civil War James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a U.S. Army topographic engineer, a Union Army general in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author. ...
1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Montgomery Largest city Birmingham Area Ranked 30th - Total 52,419 sq mi (135,765 km²) - Width 190 miles (306 km) - Length 330 miles (531 km) - % water 3. ...
Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...
Defensive actions by the cavalry were critical in the retreat from Gettysburg. Pursuit and harassment of enemy forces were often neglected (particularly by the Union after Gettysburg and Antietam), but can be seen in their finest form in the pursuit of Robert E. Lee during the Appomattox Campaign. Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Robert E. Lee Strength 87,000 45,000 Casualties 12,401 (2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, 753 captured/missing) 10,316 (1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, 1,018 captured/missing) The Battle of Antietam (also...
Eastern Theater operations in 1865 The Appomattox Campaign (March 29 – April 9, 1865) was a series of battles fought in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia and the effective end of the American Civil War. ...
Organization Cavalry forces were composed of "troops" of 100 men (comparable to an infantry company). Two troops composed a "squadron", although later in the war these were generally replaced by "battalions" of four troops. Union cavalry regiments usually contained 12 troops, Confederate 10. By the end of the war, 272 cavalry regiments were formed in the Union army, 137 in the Confederate army.
Early in the war, most cavalry regiments were dispersed to be under the command of infantry formations, such as divisions or corps. As commanders realized the importance of long-range reconnaissance and raiding, the organizations changed to consolidate more of the regiments into larger units controlled separately. Eventually the Union Army of the Potomac included a Cavalry Corps, which had three divisions. The Army of Northern Virginia, earlier to consolidate under Jeb Stuart, organized its force as a cavalry division. Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ...
A corps (a word that migrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: , but originating in the Latin corpus, corporis meaning body; plural same as singular) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or signals...
In both armies, the cavalry was accompanied by batteries or battalions of horse artillery, as well as its own train of ammunition and supply wagons. Horse Artillery were light, fast moving and fast firing artillery units which provided fire support to the cavalry elements of armies in the 18th and 19th centuries. ...
Equipment The principal item of equipment for a cavalryman was the horse. In the North, over 600,000 cavalry horses were procured by a central agency of the army. They were usually mares or geldings, aged four or five years. During the Civil War, it is estimated that 1.5 million horses died, although this includes draft and artillery horses. Equipping a cavalry regiment was an expensive proposition (approximately $100,000 per year for a Union regiment) and they demanded a large logistical infrastructure to support them. A cavalry horse ate 10 pounds a day of grain, which had to be transported behind the otherwise fast-moving force. Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ...
Mare may mean any of several things: A mare (horse) is a female horse. ...
A gelding is a castrated animal—in English, a castrated male horse. ...
Horses gave the cavalry forces significant mobility. Under typical conditions on the march, cavalry could cover 35 miles in an eight-hour day. In some operations, forces were pushed to the limit (such as Jeb Stuart's raid on Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in 1862, where his troopers marched 80 miles in 27 hours). Such excesses were extremely damaging to the readiness of the units and extensive recovery periods were required. Stuart, during the Gettysburg Campaign the following year, resorted to procuring replacement horses from local farmers and townspeople during his grueling trek northward around the Union army. In York County, Pennsylvania, following the Battle of Hanover, his men appropriated well over 1,000 horses from the region. Many of these untrained new mounts proved a hindrance during the subsequent fighting at East Cavalry Field during the battle of Gettysburg. Chambersburg is a borough located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. ...
1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
York County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ...
The Battle of Hanover took place on June 30, 1863, in York County, Pennsylvania as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. ...
Some mounted forces used traditional infantry rifles, as explained earlier. However, cavalrymen, particularly in the North, were frequently armed with three other weapons:
- Carbines, with a shorter barrel than a rifle, were less accurate, but easier to handle on horseback. Most carbines were .52- or .56-caliber, single-shot breech-loading weapons. They were manufactured by a number of different companies, but the most common were the Sharps, the Burnside, and the Smith. Late in 1863, the seven-shot Spencer repeating carbine was introduced, but it saw relatively little deployment. A notable exception was Union Colonel John T. Wilder, who equipped an entire brigade with repeaters (at his men's own expense of $35 apiece) in May of 1863. His mounted infantry would gain fame as the "Lightning Brigade" for their swift movements. One admiring Confederate stated that Wilder's men could "load on Sunday and fire all week." (Confederate forces were able to use captured breechloaders, but were unable to duplicate the metallic cartridges needed by the Spencer.)
- Sabers were used more frequently by Northern cavalrymen. They were terror weapons, more useful for instilling fear in their opponents then as practical offensive weapons and Confederate cavalrymen often avoided them simply because they considered sabers to be outmoded, unsuitable for the "modern" battlefield. (There were instances in the war in which Union cavalrymen taunted their opponents to "Pick up your sabers and fight like gentlemen!") The American cavalry saber was lighter than the typical European saber, the latter being similar to the older U.S. Model 1840 "wrist breaker". The curved blade of the saber was generally sharpened only at the tip because it was used mostly for breaking arms and collarbones of opposing horsemen, and sometimes stabbing, rather than for slashing flesh. (A notable exception to this was the saber of Nathan Bedford Forrest, sharpened like a razor on both edges.)
- Pistols, which Southern cavalrymen generally preferred over sabers, were usually six-shot revolvers, in .36- or .44-caliber, from Colt or Remington. They were useful only in close fighting, having little accuracy. It was not uncommon for cavalrymen to carry two revolvers, for extra firepower, and John Mosby's troopers often carried four each.
A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than, a rifle or musket of a given period. ...
Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company was formed in Hartford, Connecticut. ...
Portrait of Ambrose Burnside by Mathew Brady, ca. ...
1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...
The Spencer repeating rifle was a falling block, repeating rifle fed from a removable magazine. ...
The Saber (spanish/portuguese: knowledge) currency is an educational sectoral currency in Brazil that is handed out by the ministry of education. ...
1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ...
rEVOLVEr (2004) is the fourth studio album release by Swedish thrash metal band The Haunted. ...
Colts Manufacturing Company (CMC) is a United States firearms manufacturer founded in 1847. ...
Remington Arms is a major American manufacturer of rifles, shotguns, other firearms, and ammunition. ...
Confederate cavalry
 Sketch of 1st Virginia Cavalry A Southerner was, on average, considered a superior horseman to his Northern counterpart, especially early in the war. Roads in the rural South were generally poor and horses were used more for individual transportation than they were for the carriages and streetcars of the urbanized North, where many of the early Federal cavalry regiments were formed. Furthermore, Southern society was more stratified, which made the soldiers more accustomed to a hierarchy of command, and were generally considered more suited to the martial lifestyle. Additionally, the strong militia tradition in the antebellum South and the requirements for local 'slave catcher' patrols led to the development of mounted units prior to 1861. Image File history File links Confederate_cavalry_1st_virginia_bw. ...
Image File history File links Confederate_cavalry_1st_virginia_bw. ...
Insert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text here Southern United States The states shown in dark red are usually included in the South, while all or portions of the striped states may or may not be considered part of the Southern United States. ...
Regional definitions vary from source to source. ...
Confederate soldiers owned their horses and were compensated on a monthly basis. If a soldier's horse was sick, injured, or killed, the soldier was responsible for returning home and replacing the horse at his own expense. The general rule was that the soldier had 60 days to return with a new horse or he was forced to become an infantryman, considered to be an ignominious fate.
The first prominent Confederate cavalry leader was J.E.B. Stuart, who achieved success in the First Battle of Bull Run against infantry. He was a flamboyant dresser and an audacious commander, wildly popular with the Southern public for his escapades in twice encircling the hapless Army of the Potomac. These long-range reconnaissance missions accomplished little of military value, but boosted Southern morale. After Stuart's death in 1864, he was replaced by Wade Hampton, who was a more mature, and arguably more effective, commander. Another Eastern commander of note was Turner Ashby, the "Black Knight of the Confederacy", who commanded Stonewall Jackson's cavalry forces in the Valley Campaign, but was killed in battle in 1862. Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Irvin McDowell Joseph E. Johnston P.G.T. Beauregard Strength 35,000 effectives 32,500 effectives Casualties 2,896 (460 killed, 1,124 wounded, 1,312 captured/missing) 1,982 (387 killed, 1,582 wounded, 13 missing) The First Battle...
1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...
Turner Ashby (October 23, 1828 - June 6, 1862) was a Confederate cavalry commander, enlisting at rank of Capitan, then attaining rank of Colonel, and finally the rank of Brigadier General. ...
Thomas Jonathan Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan Stonewall Jackson (January 20 or January 21[1], 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. ...
Stonewall Jackson The Valley Campaign was Confederate General Thomas J. Stonewall Jacksons brilliant spring 1862 campaign through the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, during the American Civil War. ...
1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
In the Western theater, the most fearless, and ruthless, cavalry commander was Nathan Bedford Forrest, who achieved spectacular results with small forces, but was an ineffective subordinate to the army commanders he was supposed to support, resulting in poorly coordinated battles. Much of the same issues could be said of Forrest's counterpart in the Army of Tennessee, John Hunt Morgan. In the Eastern Theater, the Partisan Ranger John Singleton Mosby succeeded in tying down upwards of 40,000 Federal troops defending rail lines and logistical hubs with only 100-150 irregulars. In the Trans-Mississippi Theater, John S. Marmaduke and "Jo" Shelby became prominent. Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821 – October 29, 1877), was a Confederate general and perhaps the American Civil Wars most highly regarded cavalry and partisan ranger (guerrilla leader). ...
Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War. ...
Colonel John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 - May 30, 1916), also known as the Gray Ghost, was a Confederate guerilla fighter in the American Civil War. ...
The Trans-Mississippi Department, also known as the Trans-Mississippi Theater or Trans-Mississippi District, was the Confederate military designation for the geographic area of operations west of the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. ...
John Sappington Marmaduke (1833–1887) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. ...
Joseph O. Shelby Joseph Orville (Jo) Shelby (December 12, 1830 – February 13, 1897) was a Confederate cavalry general in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. ...
Union cavalry
 Union Cavalry capture Confederate artillery The Union started the war with five Regular mounted regiments: the 1st and 2nd U.S. Dragoons, the 1st Mounted Rifles, and the 1st and 2nd Cavalry. These were renumbered the 1st through 5th U.S. Cavalry regiments, respectively, and a 6th was recruited. The Union was initially reluctant to enlist additional regiments, because of the expense, the understanding that training an effective cavalryman could take as long as two years, and the conventional wisdom that the rough and forested terrain of the United States, being so different from that of Western Europe, would make the deployment of Napoleonic-style cavalry forces ineffective. As the war progressed, the value of cavalry was eventually realized (primarily for non-offensive missions) and numerous state volunteer cavalry regiments were added to the army. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x825, 114 KB) Summary Union Cavalry capture Confederate guns at Culpepper Image Source URL: http://memory. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x825, 114 KB) Summary Union Cavalry capture Confederate guns at Culpepper Image Source URL: http://memory. ...
A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ...
The Union cavalry was disadvantaged at the start of the war because Northern soldiers had comparatively less equestrian experience than their Southern counterparts and over half (104 out of 176) of the experienced U.S. Army cavalry officers had resigned their commissions to fight for the Confederacy. One advantage the Union horseman had over his opponent was the centralized horse procurement organization of the army, relieving him of any responsibility for replacing an injured horse. Commanders often tried to procure specific breeds for their men, with the Morgan being a particular favorite within the Army of the Potomac. The Morgan is one of the first horse breeds developed in the United States. ...
Early in the war, Union cavalry forces were often wasted, used merely as pickets, outposts, orderlies, guards for senior officers, and messengers. The first officer to make effective use of the Union cavalry was Major General Joseph Hooker, who in 1863 consolidated the cavalry forces of his Army of the Potomac under a single commander, (the lamentably ineffective) George Stoneman. Portrait of Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879), known as Fighting Joe, was a career U.S. Army officer and a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ...
1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...
Generals Burnside, Hancock, Couch, Ferro, Patrick, Wilcox, Cochrane, Buford and others. ...
Portrait of George Stoneman during the Civil War George Stoneman (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career U.S. Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the Governor of California between 1883 and 1887. ...
Halfway into the war, during the summer of 1863, the Union cavalry came into its own. Widely regarded as inferior to its Southern counterpart up until then, the Battle of Brandy Station, although tactically indecisive, is recognized as the point at which it was acknowledged to have comparable competence. 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...
The Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry engagement on the North American continent. ...
In 1864, Philip Sheridan was given command of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac and he deployed his horsemen in a more effective, strategic way than his predecessors. Despite the reluctance of his superior, Major General George G. Meade, Sheridan convinced General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant to allow him to deploy the cavalry in long-range raids, the first of which, at Yellow Tavern, resulted in the death of Confederate commander Jeb Stuart. He later employed his cavalry force effectively in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 and the Appomattox Campaign, in pursuit of Robert E. Lee. 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...
Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. ...
George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 - November 6, 1872) was an American military officer during the American Civil War. ...
Eastern Theater operations in 1864 The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October, 1864. ...
Eastern Theater operations in 1865 The Appomattox Campaign (March 29 – April 9, 1865) was a series of battles fought in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia and the effective end of the American Civil War. ...
In the Western Theater, two extraordinarily effective cavalry generals have not achieved the fame of their Eastern counterparts: Benjamin Grierson's dramatic raid through Mississippi was an integral part of Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign; James H. Wilson was invaluable in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign and in his 1865 Alabama raid. Brigadier General Benjamin Henry Grierson (July 8, 1826, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - August 31, 1911, Omena, Michigan) was an American army officer. ...
Portrait of James Wilson during the Civil War James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a U.S. Army topographic engineer, a Union Army general in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author. ...
The Franklin-Nashville Campaign, also known as Hoods Tennessee Campaign, was a series of battles fought in the fall of 1864 in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia during the American Civil War. ...
1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ...
After the war, the U.S. Army cavalry would achieve great prominence on the Western frontier, fighting against the force that most historians consider the best light cavalry in the world, the American Indian.
Significant cavalry battles and raids The following are Civil War battles, campaigns, or separate raids in which cavalry forces played a significant role. The Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry engagement on the North American continent. ...
Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Joseph Hooker Robert E. Lee Stonewall Jackson†Strength 133,868 60,892 Casualties 16,839 (1,574 killed, 9,554 wounded, 5,711 missing) 13,156 (1,683 killed, 9,277 wounded, 2,196 missing) The Battle of Chancellorsville was...
Portrait of George Stoneman during the Civil War George Stoneman (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career U.S. Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the Governor of California between 1883 and 1887. ...
Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Fitz John Porter Robert E. Lee Strength 34,214 57,018 Casualties 6,837 8,751 The Battle of Gaines Mill, also known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took...
On the Third Day of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 3, 1863) in the American Civil War, the attention of history has focused on the disastrous infantry assault nicknamed Picketts Charge. ...
Elon John Farnsworth (July 30, 1837 – July 3, 1863) was a Union Army cavalry general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. ...
Battle of Franklin II Conflict American Civil War Date November 30, 1864 Place Williamson County, Tennessee Result Union victory The Battle of Franklin was a major engagement of the American Civil War fought at Franklin, Tennessee on November 30, 1864. ...
Portrait of James Wilson during the Civil War James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a U.S. Army topographic engineer, a Union Army general in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author. ...
Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821 – October 29, 1877), was a Confederate general and perhaps the American Civil Wars most highly regarded cavalry and partisan ranger (guerrilla leader). ...
Battle of Saylers Creek Conflict American Civil War Date April 6, 1865 Place Amelia, Prince Edward & Nottoway Counties, Virginia Result Union victory The Battle of Saylers Creek (also known as Sailors Creek, Hillsman Farm, or Lockett Farm) was fought April 6, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, in...
Eastern Theater operations in 1865 The Appomattox Campaign (March 29 – April 9, 1865) was a series of battles fought in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia and the effective end of the American Civil War. ...
This history article needs to be wikified. ...
Portrait of James Wilson during the Civil War James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a U.S. Army topographic engineer, a Union Army general in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author. ...
On May 11th, 1864, Confederate General Jeb Stuart was shot at Yellow Tavern by a Union sharpshooter at a distance of 30 feet (10 m). ...
James Ewell Brown Stuart (February 6, 1833 – May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general during the American Civil War. ...
Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. ...
The Dahlgren Affair was an incident in the American Civil War involving a failed Union raid on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia on March 2, 1864. ...
Nickname: River City, Cap City, R-V-A Motto: Sic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars) Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates: Country United States State Virginia County Independent City Mayor L. Douglas Wilder (D) Area - City 62. ...
Meade and Lee of Gettysburg Gettysburg Campaign (through July 3); cavalry movements shown with dashed lines. ...
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career U.S. Army officer and the most celebrated general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ...
Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area Ranked 33rd - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²) - Width 160 miles (255 km) - Length 280 miles (455 km) - % water 2. ...
Griersons Raid was a Union cavalry raid during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. ...
This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was an American general and politician who was elected as the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ...
Lithograph of the Mississippi River Squadron running the Confederate blockade at Vicksburg on April 16, 1863. ...
Confederate dead at Antietam The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign, was a series of battles fought in September, 1862—Robert E. Lees first invasion of the North—during the American Civil War. ...
James Ewell Brown Stuart (February 6, 1833 – May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general during the American Civil War. ...
The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ...
McClellan and Johnston of the Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula Campaign (also known as the Peninsular Campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. ...
James Ewell Brown Stuart (February 6, 1833 – May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general during the American Civil War. ...
The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ...
Maj. ...
General Price Sterling Old Pap Price (September 20, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an antebellum politician from the U.S. state of Missouri and a Confederate major general during the American Civil War. ...
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. ...
Wilsons Raid was a cavalry operation through Alabama and Georgia in March-April 1865, late in the American Civil War. ...
Portrait of James Wilson during the Civil War James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a U.S. Army topographic engineer, a Union Army general in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author. ...
Notable cavalry leaders and partisan rangers Turner Ashby (October 23, 1828 - June 6, 1862) was a Confederate cavalry commander, enlisting at rank of Capitan, then attaining rank of Colonel, and finally the rank of Brigadier General. ...
William Woods Averell, (November 5, 1892 - February 3, 1900) United States army officer. ...
John F. Buford (March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863) was an American cavalry officer during the American Civil War. ...
Philip St. ...
George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. ...
Colonel Ulric Dahlgren (died March 2, 1864) was the son of United States Admiral John A. Dahlgren. ...
Elon John Farnsworth (July 30, 1837 – July 3, 1863) was a Union Army cavalry general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. ...
Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821 – October 29, 1877), was a Confederate general and perhaps the American Civil Wars most highly regarded cavalry and partisan ranger (guerrilla leader). ...
David McM. Gregg David McMurtrie Gregg (April 10, 1833 – August 7, 1916) was a farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War. ...
Brigadier General Benjamin Henry Grierson (July 8, 1826, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - August 31, 1911, Omena, Michigan) was an American army officer. ...
Wade Hampton III during the Civil War Wade Hampton III (March 28, 1818 – April 11, 1902) was a Confederate cavalry leader during the American Civil War and afterwards a politician from South Carolina, representing it as governor and U.S. Senator. ...
John D. Imboden John Daniel Imboden (February 16, 1823 – August 15, 1895) was a lawyer, teacher, Virginia legislator, coal mine operator, and a Confederate cavalry general and partisan fighter in the American Civil War. ...
Albert Gallatin Jenkins (November 10, 1830 – May 21, 1864) was an attorney, planter, representative to the United States Congress and First Confederate Congress, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War. ...
William Grumble Jones William Edmondson Jones, known as Grumble Jones, was a planter, a career U.S. Army officer, and a Confederate cavalry general, killed in the American Civil War. ...
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (1836-1881) Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (14 January 1836 near Deckertown, New Jersey – 4 December 1881 in Santiago, Chile) was a officer in the Union army during the American Civil War achieving the rank of Brevet Major General, the United States Minister to Chile, and a failed...
Fitzhugh Lee in the Civil War Fitzhugh Lee (November 19, 1835 – April 18, 1905), nephew of Robert E. Lee, was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and U.S. Army general in the Spanish-American War. ...
William Henry Fitzhugh Rooney Lee William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (May 31, 1837 – October 15, 1891), known as Rooney Lee or W.H.F. Lee, was the second son of Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis. ...
John Sappington Marmaduke (1833–1887) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. ...
Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1834 – December 3, 1910) was a general in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War. ...
Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War. ...
Colonel John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 - May 30, 1916), also known as the Gray Ghost, was a Confederate guerilla fighter in the American Civil War. ...
John Pelham (September 14, 1838 – March 17, 1863) was a brilliant young artillery officer who served with the Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart during the American Civil War. ...
Alfred Pleasonton Alfred Pleasonton was a U.S. Army officer and general of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. ...
William Clark Quantrill of Quantrills Raiders William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865), was a pro-Confederate guerrilla fighter during the American Civil War whose actions, particularly a bloody raid on Lawrence, Kansas, remain controversial to this day. ...
Colonel Beverly Robertson Beverly Robertson (1826-1910), born in Virginia, was a Confederate colonel of cavalry in the American Civil War. ...
Thomas Lafayette Rosser (October 15, 1836 – March 29, 1910) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and later an officer in the Spanish American War and railroad construction engineer. ...
Joseph O. Shelby Joseph Orville (Jo) Shelby (December 12, 1830 – February 13, 1897) was a Confederate cavalry general in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. ...
Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. ...
Portrait of George Stoneman during the Civil War George Stoneman (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career U.S. Army officer, a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War, and the Governor of California between 1883 and 1887. ...
James Ewell Brown Stuart (February 6, 1833 – May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general during the American Civil War. ...
Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert (1833-1880) was an American Civil War general in the Union Army. ...
Earl Van Dorn Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820 – May 7, 1863) was a Confederate Major General during the American Civil War. ...
John Austin Wharton (July 23, 1828 – April 6, 1865) was a lawyer, plantation owner, and Confederate general during the American Civil War. ...
Joseph Wheeler Joseph Wheeler (September 10, 1836 – January 25, 1906) was an American military commander and politician who fought during the Civil War and Spanish-American War and served as a U.S. Representative from Alabama. ...
Portrait of James Wilson during the Civil War James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a U.S. Army topographic engineer, a Union Army general in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author. ...
References - Longacre, Edward G., Lincoln's Cavalrymen, A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of the Potomac, Stackpole Books, 2000, ISBN 0-8117-1049-1.
- Longacre, Edward G. & Wittenberg, Eric J., unpublished remarks to the Civil War Institute, Gettysburg College, June, 2005.
- Mackey, Robert R., The UnCivil War: Irregular Warfare in the Upper South, 1861-1865, University of Oklahoma Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8061-3624-3.
- Nosworthy, Brent, The Bloody Crucible of Courage, Fighting Methods and Combat Experience of the Civil War, Carroll and Graf Publishers, 2003, ISBN 0-7867-1147-7.
- Introduction to Civil War Cavalry
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, adjacent to the famous battlefield. ...
External links |
Feeds |
Contact