Category Archives: 3rd Cavalry

Fiddler’s Green: Alexander J. Sutorius

20 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in 3rd Cavalry, Battle of the Rosebud, Fiddler's Green, New Mexico, Regiment of Mounted Rifles

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Alexander Johann Sutorius was born in Guienne, Switzerland on May 7, 1837.  He emigrated to the United States in 1854, arriving in New York on the ship Samuel B. Fox from Havre de Grace on April 10th.  He used his middle name, Johann, on the ship’s passenger list, and like many young men, claimed to be older than he was.

A few months later, as many immigrants did, he enlisted into the army while still in New York.  Captain Palmer enlisted him into the Field & Staff of the Regiment of Mounted Rifles as a musician on September 15, 8154.  His enlistment documents describe him as 5’8” tall, with hazel eyes, brown hair and a dark complexion.

Military service definitely agreed with Alexander.  By the time he re-enlisted four years later, he was the regiment’s chief bugler.  Lieutenant Dabney Maury re-enlisted him on September 1, 1859 at Fort Union, New Mexico.

Promotions came quickly for Sutorius with the outbreak of the war.  He was promoted to regimental quartermaster sergeant during the fighting in New Mexico, then to sergeant major of the regiment on July17, 1862.  He replaced former sergeant major Charles Meinhold, who was promoted to second lieutenant in Company M.  At the end of the year, he accompanied the remnants of the regiment on its march eastward to Memphis, TN

Sergeant Major Sutorius was discharged to receive an appointment as a second lieutenant in Company E, 3rd U.S. Cavalry on April 22, 1863 at Memphis, TN.  He would spend much of the rest of his career in this company.

Second Lieutenant Sutorius was appointed regimental adjutant on October 1, 1863.  The duties must have been familiar, given the amount of time he’d spent on the regimental staff.  The regiment had its busiest day of the war on the 26th near Tuscumbia, AL, fighting three distinct engagements on the same day.  Sutorius received a brevet promotion to first lieutenant for gallant and meritorious service in action for his services during that day’s fighting on November 15, 1863.  He remained in this position during the regiment’s campaigns during the rest of the war in Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and Arkansas.

Lieutenant Sutorius remained the adjutant after the war, and was promoted to first lieutenant October 9, 1865.  The regiment continued to serve in Arkansas until April 1866, when it was ordered to New Mexico.  After accompanying the regiment on its march west, he returned to the east briefly to claim his bride.  Lieutenant Sutorius married Mercy Tompkins, a native of New York and Daughter of the American Revolution fourteen years his junior, on August 19, 1866.  They eventually had four children, Camille, Ford, Francis Alexis and Frances Eugenia.

In New Mexico, Lieutenant Sutorius relinquished the position of adjutant on May 29, 1867 to become the Regimental Commisary of Stores.  He continued in this position until October 3d of the same year, when he became the Regimental Quartermaster.  During this time, while the regiment was spread across New Mexico, Lieutenant Sutorius served primarily at Fort Craig and Fort Sumner.

On December 1, 1868, he finally left the regimental headquarters to return to Company E.  During his time on the regimental staff, Sutorius held every position excepting only major and regimental commander.  On May 6th of the following year, he was promoted to captain and command of the company.

He and the company served in Arizona Territory at Camp Verde and Fort McDowell before they were transferred to Fort Sanders, Wyoming Territory in March 1872.  During the next four years, he served in Nebraska and Wyoming Territory, commanding at various times Fort Sanders, Sidney Barracks and Camp Sheridan, Nebraska.

Like many of the cavalry officers on the frontier, Captain Sutorius and the 3rd Cavalry were part of General Sheridan’s Centennial Campaign in 1876 to subdue the Indians.  The 3rd Cavalry was part of the force under General Crook.  Captain Sutorius led Company E well at the battle of the Rosebud on June 17, 1876, but his career ended abruptly only a month later.

On July 22nd, Captain Sutorius was charged with drunkenness on duty while in charge of the regiment’s pickets in the field.  The charges read as follows:

“Charge. Drunkenness on duty in violation of the 38th Article of War.

Specification. In this that he, Captain Alexander Sutoriu, 3d U.S. Cavalry, being officer in charge of the pickets of the 3rd Cavalry, a portion of the Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition, in the field, was so much under the influence of intoxicating liquors as to be unfit for proper performance of his duty.  This when an attack by hostile Indians might at any moment be expected in the camp of Big Horn and Yellowstone Expedition, on Middle Goose Ck, Wy. On or about 22d day of July 1876.” (Robinson, pg 383)

The regimental commander, Colonel William B. Royall, forwarded the charges to General Crook requesting an immediate trial.  Crook acquiesced, and the court martial started in the field just two days after the offense.  Among those included in the court was Frederick Van Vliet, a former Civil War comrade who also still served in the regiment.  Sutorius was found guilty, and dismissed from the service on September 25, 1876.

Captain Sutorius was far from the only army officer to have issues with alcohol on the frontier, in garrison or in the field, and the court martial and punishment appear to be very rapid and severe.  This most likely in reaction to the disaster at Little Big Horn the month before and rumors of heavy alcohol use by various members of Custer’s force.  Many officers, including general officers, were known to “like their tea,” and I have found nothing to indicate Sutorius had been anything but a model soldier to that point in his career.  It seems unlikely that he would be anything different given his long service on the regimental staff at the whim of the commander.  Colonel Royall had only served with the regiment since the previous December.

Regardless, Sutorius’ army career was over.  He returned to New York with his family, where he lived the rest of his life.  He worked as a storekeeper in Manhattan, according to the 1890 and 1900 Census.

Alexander John Sutorius died May 19, 1905 in New York City.

Sources;

Carroll and Price, Roll Call on the Little Big Horn, pg 158.

Chamberlain, Joshua L., ed. New York University: Its History, Influences, Equipment and Characteristics, Vol. 2. Boston: R. Herndon Company, 1903.

Clan of Tomkyns, Descendants of Girls, Volume III. Accessed online: no author or reference data available.

Heitman, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States, pgs 625, 937

Henry, Military Record of Civilian Appointments to the U.S. Army, Vol. 2, pg 343.

Register of Enlistments, National Archives.

Post Returns, National Archives.

Regimental Returns, National Archives.

Robinson, Charles M. III.  The Diaries of John Gregory Bourke, Volume I.  Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press, 2003.

U.S. Army Register, 1876

3rd U.S. Cavalry Regimental Staff

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 3rd Cavalry

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This post was originally intended to complement the other entries in the regimental staff series.  I have listed the members of the regimental staffs in order to help me identify the various staff members who served on the Reserve Brigade staff during the war.  While Francis Heitman was kind enough to list these in his Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army: from its organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903, there is no such listing for the brigade staff that I am aware of.

The 3rd U.S. Cavalry, or the Regiment of Mounted Rifles as it was known until August 3, 1861, was unique in several ways that I believe require a brief explanation before one peruses the list.

There are rather obvious promotion patterns for the field grade officers, caused by the fact that officers within the single regiment of Mounted Rifles competed only amongst themselves for billets.

Of the commanders, Loring resigned and joined the Confederate Army. He was featured previously here.   John Simonson served as a sergeant in the War of 1812, and left the regiment when he was retired for incapacity at the age of 65.

The discerning reader will quickly identify large gaps in staff positions.  This is due to the fact that they were normally handled within the regiment, and this regiment did not serve together in its entirety a single time during the war.  No adjutant until second year of war, as Dabney H. Maury was moved from adjutant to quartermaster in April 1860.  The two wartime adjutants were unique individuals.  Frederick Van Vliet left the position to move to the Army of the Potomac, where he served for the rest of the war as a staff officer.  A native of Switzerland, Alexander Sutorius had served in the regiment as chief bugler, quartermaster sergeant and sergeant major prior to receiving his commission in April 1863.  He will be featured in a more detailed examination later this month.

No new quartermaster was selected after Dabney Maury resigned in September 1860 until July 1862.  Henry Sachs was previously addressed in detail here. Charles Meinhold joined the regiment in 1851.  Among other enlisted positions, he served as the Company K first sergeant and regimental sergeant major prior to his promotion to second lieutenant on July 17, 1862.  He will also be featured in the near future.  Interestingly enough, Meinhold’s successor as quartermaster was Sutorius.

Colonels

William W. Loring                   December 30, 1856 – May 13, 1861

John S. Simonson                    May 13, 1861 – September 28, 1861

Marshall S. Howe                    September 28, 1861 – August 31, 1866

 

Lieutenant Colonels

George B. Crittenden               December 30, 1856 – June 10, 1861

Charles F. Ruff                          June 10, 1861 – March 30, 1864

George Stoneman                    March 30, 1864 – July 28, 1866

 

Majors

John S. Simonson                    September 16, 1853 – May 13, 1861

Charles F. Ruff                         December 30, 1856 – June 10, 1861

Benjamin S. Roberts                May 13, 1861 – July 28, 1866

Thomas Duncan                      June 10, 1861 – July 28, 1866

E.W.B. Newby                         July 17, 1862 – September 25, 1863

Joseph H. McArthur                 September 25, 1863 – November 2, 1863

Kenner Garrard                       November 2, 1863 – November 9, 1866

 

Adjutants

Frederick Van Vliet                 July 12, 1862 – January 9, 1863

Alexander Sutorius                October 1, 1863 – May 29, 1867

 

Quartermasters

Frank Stanwood                    July 12, 1862 – January 15, 1863

Henry Sacks                          October 15, 1863 – June 1, 1864

Charles Meinhold                  July 29, 1864 – December 1, 1866

 

Commisaries

Francis H. Wilson                             October 1862 – January 15, 1863

 

Sources: Heitman, pgs 33, 460, 625

Rodenbough, The Army of the United States, pgs 196-211

Fiddler’s Green: Richard Wall

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in 3rd Cavalry, battle of Glorietta Pass, battle of Valverde, New Mexico, Regiment of Mounted Rifles

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Here’s the profile of another cavalryman from the southwestern theater of the war, Richard Wall of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry. I thought I would have this posted several days ago, but he kept popping up in the regimental monthly returns as I worked my way through them. Robert, thanks for your inquiry, and I hope this answers some of your questions.

Richard Wall was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1827. He immigrated to the United States, and was working as a miner in San Antonio, Texas when he was enlisted into Company C, Regiment of Mounted Rifles by Lieutenant Alfred Gibbs on December 1, 1855. His enlistment documents describe him as 5’7” tall, with gray eyes, brown hair, and a ruddy complexion. During his first enlistment, he was promoted to corporal and sergeant in the same company. On December 1, 1860, he was re-enlisted into Company C by Captain Dabney Maury at Fort Marcy, New Mexico.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Sergeant Wall remained with his company and regiment, and was soon promoted to first sergeant. 1861 was a year of long marches but relatively little fighting for the company. According to the regiment’s annual return, they marched 1,147 miles, but had only three small engagements with Indians and a lone skirmish against invading Texans north of fort Thorn, NM on September 25, 1861.

First Sergeant Wall was placed on special duty as an acting second lieutenant with his company in January 1862, one of three noncommissioned officers so assigned. This was an unorthodox assignment, made necessary by the lack of officers present for duty. Several officer appointments had made, but the new officers hadn’t reached new Mexico yet, and five of the six companies in the field had no officers.

On February 21, 1862, acting lieutenant Wall fought with his company at the battle of Valverde. Major Thomas Duncan commanded the regiment on the field, and commended Wall in his official report on the battle for actions “characterized by the greatest zeal and coolness.”

Following the battle, Company C was ordered north to Fort Union. They mustered only 26 enlisted men under Wall’s command. During the march, they were attacked by Indians on the night of March 3rd in Comanche Canon, NM. Wall and Bugler Piggot were wounded, and Private Patrick Hart was killed. They fought at the battle of Glorietta Pass later in the month, in a squadron with Company K under Captain Joseph Tilford.

Not long after the battle, the regiment was ordered to march to the western theater of the war, joining the General Grant’s Army of the Tennessee in November. Wall was officially appointed a second lieutenant on July 17th, but word of the promotion did not catch up with the regiment until December 17th, when he was discharged to receive the appointment at Memphis, TN. He was assigned to Company E.

Lieutenant Wall fought with his regiment in Tennessee and Alabama in 1863. He earned a brevet promotion to first lieutenant on November 15, 1863 for gallant and meritorious service in action near Tuscumbria, AL. He received an official appointment to first lieutenant three months later, on February 15, 1864.
The following month, the regiment was transferred to St Louis, MO. They spent the summer of 1864 fighting in the Department of Arkansas, where they remained through the end of the war. Lieutenant Wall was promoted to captain on December 24, 1866.

Shortly thereafter, the regiment was reassigned to duty in New Mexico. Captain Richard Wall died in Santa Fe of unknown causes on July 28, 1868, and was buried the same day in Santa Fe National Cemetery, section C, site 479.

Fiddler’s Green: Christopher H. McNally

25 Friday May 2012

Posted by in 3rd Cavalry, 3rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry, Fort Sedgwick, Regiment of Mounted Rifles

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Christopher Hely McNally was born in Middlesex, England in June, 1820. He immigrated to the United States as a young man, arriving in New York City on August 24, 1835. He served an enlistment from December 1, 1848 to 1853, but it is unclear in which regiment he served. I was unable to locate his enlistment papers for this first enlistment. According to Heitman, he also served that enlistment the Regiment of Mounted Rifles, but he is listed in the 1850 census as a soldier at Columbia Barracks, Clark County, Oregon Territory, which was not one of that regiment’s postings.

On October 31, 1853, McNally was enlisted into Company D, Regiment of Mounted Rifles at Bellsville, Texas by Lieutenant Robert Ransom. He was 32 years old, and claimed his previous occupation was a soldier. His enlistment documents describe him as 5’8” tall, with brown hair, gray eyes and a fair complexion. McNally earned promotions to corporal and sergeant in the company prior to his discharge on June 16, 1855 at Fort McIntosh, Texas to accept a commission as a second lieutenant in the Mounted Rifles. His commission was dated May 23rd, but notification of the promotion didn’t reach McNally and the regiment until the following month.

Lieutenant McNally continued to serve with the regiment, and was commended for his actions in an engagement with Mogollon Indians in New Mexico. The regiment remained on the frontier after Texas seceded on February 1, 1861, and he was promoted to first lieutenant on May 5th.
As Confederate troops advanced into New Mexico from El Paso, Lieutenant McNally fought in the regiment’s first engagement of the Civil War on July 25, 1861 in a skirmish at Mesilla, New Mexico. McNally was seriously wounded in the skirmish, and later received a brevet promotion to captain for gallant and meritorious service in the action.

He was among the companies of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry and 7th U.S. Infantry surrendered by Major Isaac Lynde at San Augustin Springs a few days later. He accompanied these companies of paroled prisoners of war on their long march to Fort Wayne, Michigan. After a brief stop at Fort Union, New Mexico territory, they marched to Fort Leavenworth, where they arrived in November. They reached Fort Wayne the following month, and remained there until they were exchanged in September 1862. Lt. McNally was promoted to captain, 3rd U.S. Cavalry on September 28, 1861 during the long march.

After his exchange, Captain McNally returned to duty with his regiment, after another long march from Michigan to Tennessee. He commanded an independent squadron of Cos. B and E, 3rd U.S. Cavalry in Gen. Grant’s Army of the Tennessee from January to April 1863. His command served with the cavalry assigned to the Sixteenth Army Corps, specifically in Brig.Gen. Alexander Asboth’s District of Columbus. With the great difficulty in procuring horses and mules for the armies in the western theater, he was subsequently assigned as an inspector of horses and mules in St. Louis, Missouri until March 1865.

Captain McNally received a unique opportunity on March 31, 1865, when he was appointed Colonel of the 3rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry. This was one of the “galvanized yankee” regiments composed of paroled Confederate prisoners sent west to protect overland routes from hostile Indians. The 3rd U.S. Volunteers were assigned to the Overland Route, with two companies each initially assigned to Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory, Cottonwood Springs, Nebraska Territory and Fort Laramie, Wyoming Territory. Colonel McNally, regimental headquarters and the final two companies were assigned near Julesburg, Colorado Territory.

McNally received a brevet promotion to major in the regular army on March 13, 1865 for meritorious service during the war. He was honorably mustered out of volunteer service on November 29, 1865, and rejoined the 3rd U.S. Cavalry in New Mexico in August, 1866. He was retired from active service on December 24, 1866, for incapacity resulting from wounds received in the line of duty, in conformity with an Act of Congress, of August 1861.

McNally returned to the northeast after he retired, living in New York and New Jersey. He married Martha M.E. Dawson in Manhattan, New York on August 28, 1879.

Christopher McNally died February 14, 1889, at the age of 68 years, 8 months. He is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey. His headstone lists his military service only as Colonel, 3rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry. His widow listed both the 3rd U.S. Cavalry and the 3rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry when she applied for his pension in New Jersey on April 5, 1889.

Here’s to Christopher McNally, most likely the most travelled regular cavalry officer during the Civil War. In less than four years, he marched from El Paso to Kansas to Michigan to Tennessee to Colorado, with fighting in between.

Fiddler’s Green: Henry Sachs

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in 2nd Dragoons/ 2nd Cavalry, 3rd Cavalry, Fiddler's Green, Fort Leavenworth

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Henry Sachs was born in Bavaria about 1836. He immigrated to the United States at age 16, aboard the ship Emperor from LeHavre, France. He arrived in New York City on September 27, 1852. Five years late, Sachs lived in Boston and worked as a laborer. He was enlisted into Company K, 2d Dragoons there by Lt. McArthur on October 1, 1857. His enlistment documents describe him as 5’9” tall, with hazel eyes, dark hair, and a fair complexion.

Sachs served in the regiment on the frontier and in Utah until the outbreak of the war, earning promotions to corporal and sergeant in Co. K. His was the only company of the regiment to reach Washington, D.C. in time for the battle of Bull Run in July 1862, where he distinguished himself. According to Colonel Porter’s report on the battle, “While the cavalry were engaged in feeling the left flank of the enemy’s position, some important captures were made — one by Sergeant sachs, Second Dragoons, of a General George H. Steuart, of Baltimore.” This exploit earned him a promotion to first sergeant of the company, and later a second promotion.

On October 24, 1861, First Sergeant Sachs was discharged in Washington, D.C. to receive a commission as a second lieutenant assigned to Company C, 3rd U.S. Cavalry. The regiment was then fighting in New Mexico Territory. He started west not long after, but took a long time to reach his new regiment.

By the following June, Lt. Sachs had only reached Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, where the post commander assigned him as the post adjutant. Sachs was promoted to first lieutenant, 3rd Cavalry and assigned to Company L on July 17, 1862, but remained at Fort Leavenworth for the next nine months working as the post adjutant and acting assistant quartermaster. While at the post, he participated in skirmishes at Rocky Bluff and Hickory Grove, Missouri in August 1862. He was wounded in a separate skirmish with Quantrill’s raiders in Missouri the following month.

After he joined his regiment, Lt. Sachs commanded a detachment in Tennessee in June 1863 for several months. On October 15, he was assigned as the Regimental Quartermaster and served in that position until June 1, 1864. After his relief from this position, he commanded an independent company of cavalry near Van Buren, Arkansas for several months. Something that he did during this time brought him to the attention of his superiors, for on November 7, 1864, Lt. Sachs was assigned to headquarters, Department of Arkansas, on the staff of Maj.Gen. Frederick Steele. He served the next two months as an acting assistant quartermaster for the department.

First Lieutenant Sachs resigned his commission on January 25, 1865 for unknown reasons, and I was unable to find any further record of him following the war.

Officers of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry in the Civil War

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in 3rd Cavalry

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With the help of the Army Registers for each of the war years and the monthly regimental returns, I’ve been able to piece together all of the officers who served in the 3rd U.S. Cavalry (formerly Regiment of Mounted Riflemen) during the Civil War. I’ll feature a few of the more interesting members in the Fiddler’s Green series. Since I included the entire war, those members of the regiment who resigned their commissions are listed. Each member is listed at the highest rank they achieved in the regiment during the war. Departures from the regiment are listed when possible.

Colonels

William W. Loring- resigned May 13, 1861
John S. Simonson- retired for incapacity, September 28, 1861
Marshall S. Howe

Lieutenant Colonels

George B. Crittenden- resigned June 10, 1861
Charles F. Ruff
George Stoneman

Majors

Benjamin S. Roberts
Thomas Duncan
Edward W.B. Newby
Kenner Garrard

Captains

Andrew J . Lindsay- resigned May 5, 1861
Thomas Claiborne Jr.- resigned May 14, 1861
John G. Walker- resigned July 31, 1861
Llewellyn Jones- transferred to Major, 1st Cavalry, retired November 1, 1861
Washington L. Elliott- transferred to Major, 1st Cavalry
Robert M. Morris
John P. Hatch
Gordon Granger
Alfred Gibbs
William B. Lane
George W. Howland
Alexander McRae- killed at Valverde, NM February 21, 1862
Joseph G. Tilford
Christopher H. McNally
Edward Treacy- died at Cincinnati, OH February 15, 1864
John V.D. DuBois
William W. Averell
Edward P. Cressey
Leroy S. Elbert
Andrew J. Alexander
Elisha W. Tarlton
William Hawley

First Lieutenants

Laurence S. Baker- resigned May 10, 1861
Hyatt C. Ransom- appointed AQM, vacated regt commission June 10, 1861
Roger Jones- appointed AQM, vacated regt commission July 31, 1861
Sidney Banks
James R. Kemble
Charles E. Hay
Frank Stanwood
William A. DuBois
Frederick Van Vliet
Henry Sachs
Philip K. Thomas
William G. Hoffman
Francis H. Wilson
William M. Watts
John E. Phelps
Frederick J. James- died near Cold Spring, NY August 4, 1864
Charles Meinhold
Richard Wall
Gerald Russell

Second Lieutenants

William H. Jackson- resigned May 16, 1861
Henry C. McNeill- resigned May 12, 1861
Joseph Wheeler Jr.- resigned April 22, 1861
John Falvey
Deane Monahan
William Ewing
George O. McMullin
Samuel Hildeburn
Alexander Sutorius
William J. Cain
George Harrington- killed in attack at Memphis, TN August 21, 1864
George J. Campbell
Henry Carroll
Charles Newbold- transferred to 5th U.S. Infantry August 20, 1862
Armon Trimble- commission revoked September 18, 1863
Carter B. Harrison- declined appointment
Theodore Texter- commission revoked September 18, 1863

Brevet Second Lieutenants

Mathis W. Henry- resigned August 19, 1861
George O. Watts- resigned August 10, 1861
John M. Kerr- dismissed

3rd U.S. Cavalry in the Civil War – 1861

17 Monday Aug 2009

Posted by in 3rd Cavalry

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The Civil War history of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry regiment is largely unknown and unremarked. They were on the periphery of the conflict at its outbreak, and herculean efforts were involved simply to get them to the scene of large scale fighting by the end of 1862. Arguably, however, they had the most rigorous experience of any of the regular cavalry regiments during the war.

As with most Regular units, the Regiment of Mounted Rifles was caught off guard at the outbreak of the Civil War. Home to many seasoned veterans, the regiment had served on the frontier since the end of the Mexican War. Early 1861 found the regiment spread across New Mexico territory and portions of western Texas. They were renamed the 3rd U.S. Cavalry on August 3, 1861.

The regiment lost its commander prior to the outbreak of hostilities. Colonel William Wing Loring was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, and appointed to the Army from Florida. He was one of the original officers appointed to the regiment as a captain when it was created in 1846. He was wounded three times during the Mexican War, receiving two brevet promotions during the war and losing an arm to amputation. Despite the loss, he worked his way to command of the regiment. When promoted to colonel of the regiment on December 30, 1856 at the age of 38, he was the youngest colonel in the Army. He resigned his commission on May 13, 1861. In a conference in New Mexico prior to departing the regiment, he told his officers, “The South is my home, and I am going to throw up my commission and shall join the Southern Army, and each of you can do as you think best.”

Colonel Loring was succeeded by John S. Simonson. Simonson had also been appointed a captain when the regiment was formed in 1846, but his first service had come as a sergeant in the New York militia thirty years previously in 1814. He distinguished himself during fighting at Chapultepec during the Mexican War, but was far too old for active campaigning in the Civil War. He retired at his won request on September 28, 1861 “for incapacity resulting from long and faithful service, and from injuries and exposure in the line of duty.”

Newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Marshall S. Howe of the 5th U.S. Cavalry was promoted to Colonel and command of the 3rd Cavalry, but he didn’t join the regiment until the following July. In the meantime, the regiment fought in numerous engagements during 1861.

First Lieutenant Christopher H. McNally led detachments of Companies B and F the regiment’s first engagement of the war. Another veteran, McNally worked his way through the ranks to first sergeant of Company D before his appointment to second lieutenant in 1855. He was promoted to first lieutenant in May 1861. This first fight against the Confederates didn’t go well for the mounted riflemen. In a fight at Mesilla, Texas on July 25, 1861, Lt McNally was wounded, and the squadron suffered “considerable loss.” They retreated to nearby Fort Fillmore.

Upon receiving word of the defeat, Major Lynde, the district commander, directed the abandonment of Fort Fillmore on July 26th. The following day he surrendered his entire command without warning at San Augustin Springs. Among the unwilling prisoners, were Lieutenants McNally and Alfred Gibbs and 88 men of Companies B, F and I. Soon receiving paroles, all of the regiment’s prisoners were assigned to Company F and sent to Fort Wayne, Michigan until they could be exchanged. By the time their exchange took place on August 27, 1862, their numbers had dwindled down to nearly nothing from discharge, desertion and death.

In the meantime, the remainder of the depleted regiment prepared for combat. Two new companies were authorized for the regiment in August 1861, but were not recruited. Of the 263 enlistments that expired during the year, only 61 soldiers re-enlisted. So few officers and troopers remained that Companies A, B, and H were “closed,” and the personnel reassigned to other companies. The regiment was now a reinforced battalion of Companies C, D, E, G, K and I, commanded by Major Benjamin S. Roberts.

A native of Vermont, Benjamin Roberts graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1835. He served as a lieutenant with the 1st Dragoons until 1839, when he resigned. Another original officer of the Mounted Rifles, he was appointed as a first lieutenant in 1846. Brevetted for gallant and meritorious conduct on three separate occasions during the Mexican War, he had been serving on the frontier with the regiment since the end of the war.

In September 1861, Captain Robert M. Morris defeated a force of Texans neat Fort Thorn with Companies C, G and K. Company E, consolidated from the squadron of E and H, reached Fort Wise, Colorado Territory on August 30th, following the departure of the last two companies of the 4th U.S. Cavalry. Captain Alexander McRae’s Company I was drilling as a light battery of artillery to utilize the few available artillery pieces in the district.

The regiment spent the remainder of the year in patrolling and preparing for future operations. According to its annual return, regimental strength on December 31st was only 453 enlisted men, optimistically counting the paroled prisoners in Michigan as “detached service.”

Fiddler’s Green: Hugh McQuade

16 Sunday Mar 2008

Posted by in 3rd Cavalry, 6th Cavalry, Fiddler's Green

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Note: I’m indebted to McQuade descendants Hugh T. McQuade and John M. Hayes for their assistance in putting this entry together.

Hugh McQuade was born in Ireland in 1832. His parents immigrated to New York several years later. He had at least one elder brother, John, who later became a contractor and official of Tammany Hall in New York City.

Hugh enlisted in the Regiment of Mounted Rifles on August 11, 1851. He served in the regiment for the next ten years, as a private, corporal, sergeant and finally first sergeant of Company F. He was commended for his conduct during an expedition against the Navajo Indians in October 1858.

McQuade was also one of the original appointees as an officer of the newly-authorized 3rd U.S. Cavalry. He was appointed a second lieutenant in the regiment on May 14, 1861. He never joined his regiment, however. On June 3, 1861, he received a commission as a captain in Company F, 38th New York State Volunteers (“Scott Life Guard”). The regiment was raised in New York City.

McQuade’s regiment fought on the Union right at the battle of Bull Run in July, eventually supporting Griffin’s battery. Possession of the guns changed hands several times during vicious fighting. The regiment’s commander during the battle, Lieutenant Colonel Addison Farnsworth, reports “The brave Captain McQuaide, while cheering on his men, fell from a severe wound in the leg” and “subsequently fell in to the hands of the enemy” (OR, Ser I, Vol 2, pg 416).

Captain McQuade’s leg was later amputated, and he remained in Confederate custody in a Richmond prison. He was deemed too ill to survive the exchange process, and in November reported “not expected to survive wounds received at the battle of Manassas (OR, Ser II, Vol 2, pg 132).

During the trial of the crew of the Confederate privateer Enchantress, Captain McQuade was initially one of the Union officer prisoners held as hostages against the execution of the rebel crew as pirates. Acting Confederate Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin later ordered wounded officers exempted as hostages. (For an excellent account of the Enchantress incident, see Ranger John Hoptak’s excellent blog post here)

On December 24, 1861, Hugh’s brother John McQuade petitioned the New York City board of aldermen “requesting the President of the United States, if not incompatible with the public interest, to take measures for the release of Capt. Hugh McQuade, of the regular army, now confined as a prisoner at Richmond.” The petition would be too late, however, as Hugh died two days later as a result of his wounds on December 26, 1861.

The 6th Cavalry, meanwhile, never realized what had happened. He wasn’t listed on the regimental muster rolls until December 1861, when he was assigned as a second lieutenant in Company B and listed as whereabouts unknown. This continued until July 1862, when he disappeared from the rolls without comment.

Sources:

Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1903), page 681.

Henry, Guy V. Military Record of Army and Civilian Appointments in the United States Army, Volume II (New York: D. Van Nostrand Publishing, 1873), pg 146.

Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, as noted within text.

New York Times, December 24, 1861.

Muster Rolls, 6th U.S. Cavalry, NARA, M744

Another Trip to Iraq for the 2nd and 3rd Cavalry

09 Wednesday May 2007

Posted by in 2nd Cavalry, 3rd Cavalry

≈ 2 Comments

Received this through the association this afternoon. Since the 2nd and 3rd are two of the Army’s remaining three cavalry regiments, I thought it still relevant to the theme of the blog. Both are still on continuous active service since before the Civil War, though they look a great deal differently today. The 2nd Cavalry has been relatively fortunate thus far, this is only their second trip to Iraq vice the third for the 3rd Cavalry. Godspeed and best of luck to the troopers of both regiments.

2nd Cavalry, Vilseck, Germany, Alerted for Deployment to Iraq From the New York Times (Electronic) 9 May 2007

WASHINGTON, May 8 – The Pentagon said Tuesday that it had informed an additional 35,000 soldiers that they were likely to be heading to Iraq by December, a move that would allow the Army to maintain heightened American troop levels into next year.

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said the decision to alert the 10 Army brigades scheduled to deploy between August and December did not mean that the Bush administration had decided to extend the current reinforcement, a buildup of about 30,000 troops that is expected to be completed in June. A decision on that issue will be made in September, officials said.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other officials have made clear that reversing the American troop buildup was among the steps that could be taken by the end of the summer if Iraq’s government failed to make progress on legislation aimed at achieving reconciliation between Sunni and Shiite Arabs.

At the same time, some military officials have argued privately that it will be necessary to prolong the higher troop levels into next year in order to have any permanent effect on security.
Overall American force levels in Iraq will reach close to 160,000 when all the additional units ordered to Iraq by President Bush arrive this summer. Only three of the five additional Army brigades ordered to Iraq are now in place, with the final two scheduled to arrive over the next two months.

Mr. Whitman said a reduction of that force later this year remained a possibility. The Pentagon “has been very clear that a decision about the duration of the surge will depend on conditions on the ground,” he said.

The replacement troops announced Tuesday would go to Iraq under the new Pentagon policy of sending units for 15 months at a time, though Mr. Whitman added that shorter tours were also possible if security conditions improved.

The 10 brigades identified by the Pentagon on Tuesday for deployment are the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment from Vilseck, Germany; the Fourth Brigade, Third Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Ga.; the First, Second and Third Brigades of the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Ky.; the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment from Fort Hood, Tex.; the Second Brigade, First Armored Division, from Baumholder, Germany; the Fourth Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, from Fort Polk, La.; the Second Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and the First Brigade, Fourth Infantry Division, from Fort Hood, Tex.

A brigade has about 3,500 soldiers.

President Bush earlier this month vetoed an effort by the Democrat-controlled Congress to force the beginning of a phased withdrawal of American forces beginning as early as Oct. 1. But his new strategy of sending more troops has intensified the strain on the Army, leaving few combat-ready units in reserve and forcing the Army to turn increasingly to National Guard forces.

If the higher troop levels continue into 2008, the next combat units sent to Iraq are likely to be from the National Guard, officials have said.

The Army also said that close to 1,000 more support troops from the U.S. Army Reserves would deploy in August.

2nd Cavalry Association Wishes Our Brethen Godspeed and Come Home Safe! To all the men and women of the 2d Stryker Regiment your association stands behind you and your families with support and encouragement in the difficult days ahead. Do not hesitate to call on us at any time. Godspeed to you all,

The Members of the 2d Cavalry Association