Yellowstone and the Cavalry

08 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by dccaughey in 1st U.S. Cavalry, 3rd U.S. Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, 6th U.S. Cavalry, 7th U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, Uncategorized

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1st U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, Fort Yellowstone, Moses Harris, Yellowstone National Park

As many of my friends are aware, I made my first visit to Yellowstone National Park a few weeks ago in the company of our Boy Scout troop. While I thoroughly enjoyed the scenic beauty and wildlife of the park, I dimly remembered something about Moses Harris, one of the cavalry regiments, and the parks. Cell and internet service being very sketchy at best in the area, I resolved to look into it when I returned.

Lest one think this simply another manifestation of my determination to find a connection of Civil War cavalry with anything I happen to run across, I will first direct the reader to this article on the Yellowstone NPS webpage, entitled “How The U.S. Cavalry Saved Our National Parks” .

If the name Moses Harris sounds familiar, it should. An enlisted man in the 4^th U.S. Cavalry and officer in the 1^st U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War, I have previously written about him here. I came across several new items while researching his Yellowstone connections, so there will be an updated biographical sketch of him posted here in the near future.

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, one of the original national parks. As such, there was no inherent program for the administration of the park and the protection of its resources. Civilian superintendents were appointed, but with little instruction or resources to carry out their mandate to protect the park and its treasures. Consequently, the park was under constant threat from those who wanted to exploit its resources. This varied from souvenir hunters and poachers to tourist facilities in and around the geysers and hot springs.

In 1886 the problem came to a head when Congress refused to appropriate additional funds to administer the park. The Secretary of the Interior turned to the Secretary of War for assistance. In August, Captain Moses Harris and the 50 men of his Company M, 1^st U.S. Cavalry were ordered from Fort Custer, Montana to the park.

Here is Captain Harris’ account of his time at Yellowstone:

“In August 1886 Captain Harris was ordered to take station with his troop in the Yellowstone National Park relieving the civilian superintendent, and was ordered to report to the Secretary of the Interior for instructions relative to the protection of the Park. Having so reported was directed to perform the duties which had previously been performed by the superintendent of the Park and his assistants. He remained at this station with his troop performing the civil duties of the superintendent of the National Park, and with his troop giving the Park full and efficient protection until June 1889, when he was ordered to take station at Fort Custer. It is proper in connection to state that the reports of the Secretary of the Interior for the years 1887, 1888, and 1889 contain expressions of satisfaction at the efficient manner in which the duty of protecting the park had been performed and its interests cared for during the tour of duty in the Park of Captain Harris and his command.”

For those interested, one of Captain Harris’ annual reports to the Secretary of the Interior can be found here.

At first, the soldiers lived in temporary frame buildings at what was initially called Camp Sheridan at the foot of the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces. After five cold, harsh winters, the Army realized there was no end in sight to this assignment and requested funds from Congress for a permanent post. These funds were granted in 1890, and the post renamed Fort Yellowstone.

The first buildings of Fort Yellowstone were finished by late 1891, though Company M had been replaced by a different company by then. An almost identical set of wooden buildings was finished in 1897 to house a second troop. In 1909, sandstone buildings were constructed, increasing the fort’s capacity to four troops (approximately 400 men). The stone for these buildings was obtained from a local quarry. At its height in 1910, over 300 soldiers manned the park between the fort and outlying posts.

In 1916, the National Park Service was created and assumed control of the park. After a brief return the following year, the Army departed the park for the final time in 1918. Fort Yellowstone became the administrative center of the park for the new organization. Over the 32 years of its tenure, troops from 10 different cavalry regiments served in the park: the 1^st, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 11^th and 13^th U.S. Cavalry Regiments.

Ironically, I didn’t get to see Fort Yellowstone while I was in the park. Maybe on my next visit.

Fiddler’s Green: William B. Royall

11 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by dccaughey in 3rd U.S. Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, Battle fo the Rosebud, Fiddler's Green, officers, Peninsual Campaign, Uncategorized

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3rd U.S. Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, Battle of the Rosebud, officers

This is the first of several posts this month focusing on Civil War soldiers who fought on the frontier against Indians after the war, either in 1866-67 or the 1876 Sioux campaign.

William Bedford Royall was born in Virginia on April 15, 1825. His family moved to Missouri when he was at a very young age. During the Mexican War, he was appointed a first lieutenant in Company D, 2nd Missouri Infantry on July 31, 1846. Royall served creditably at the battle of Canada, the skirmish at Embudo and capture of Puebla de Taos in New Mexico, serving under the command of his uncle, Colonel Sterling Price. Upon the expiration of his regiment’s term of service, he was first lieutenant and adjutant of the Santa Fe Battalion on August 14, 1847. After a year of recruiting service back in Missouri, he was escorting his recruits to Santa Fe when he had a skirmish with Comanche Indians on June 18, 1848 near Coon Creek in Kansas. Royall’s command arrived in Santa Fe as the war ended, and he subsequently assigned with his recruits to escort duty with now-General Price on his return to Missouri. Royall was honorably mustered out of volunteer service on October 28, 1848.

When the Army expanded by the creation of two new cavalry regiments in 1855, Royall was appointed the senior first lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry on March 3, 1855. He received his appointment at Columbia, Missouri, and proceeded immediately to recruiting service for his regiment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania until July. He joined the regiment at Jefferson Barracks and served with Company C. Following a month of recruiting duty in Columbia, Missouri, he marched with his regiment to Texas in October and arrived at Fort Mason, Texas on January 14, 1856.

He was recognized for gallantry in action against the Comanches during skirmishes that summer, before reporting to Philadelphia for recruiting duty until November 1858. After leading his recruits from Carlisle barracks to Camp Radziminski, Texas, he assumed command of Company C. He commanded the company from December 31, 1858 to February 10, 1860. He was highly commended for conspicuous gallantry during fighting on May 13, 1859 in regimental reports and by General Winfield Scott. He was granted a leave of absence from June 1860 to February 1861.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Royall chose to side with the Union, despite his southern birth and his uncle, now a Confederate general. During the regiment’s evacuation of Texas, he led his company from Fort Inge to Indianola, where it embarked on the steamship Empire City. He and his company arrived at Carlisle Barracks on April 27, 1861, where he learned he had been promoted to captain on March 21st.

Captain Royall and his company served under General Patterson in the Shenandoah Valley during the summer and fall of 1861, seeing action at Falling Waters, Martinsburg and Bunker Hill. He and his regiment drilled as part of the Cavalry Reserve in the defenses of Washington during the winter of 1861-1862.

During the Peninsula campaign in the spring, he and his regiment were active on the right flank of the army as it advanced toward Richmond. They saw action at the siege of Yorktown and the battle of Williamsburg in April and May. He again distinguished himself at the battle of Hanover Court House on May 27, 1862, receiving a brevet promotion to major for gallant and meritorious service there.

Captain Royall was commanding two squadrons of the regiment on the extreme right of the army when he fought an engagement against a cavalry brigade under Confederate Brigadier General J.E.B. Stuart on June 13, 1862 near Old Church, Virginia. This was the only significant fighting during Stuart’s ride around the Army of the Potomac. Royall’s command, heavily outnumbered, was overwhelmed after a stubborn fight and routed. He was again brevetted for gallantry, this time to lieutenant colonel, but at a heavy price. Royall received six saber wounds during the fighting: two contusions on the right side of the head, a cut two inches long on the forehead, a long cut on the left cheek, a cut dividing a tendon on the right wrist, and an incised fracture of the left parietal bone. These wounds disabled him from active field service for the rest of the war.

Royall was offered the colonelcy of the 27th New Jersey Volunteers in September 1862, but declined due to the effects of his wounds. When he returned to light duty in October, he was assigned to duty as a mustering and disbursing officer in Louisville, Kentucky until March 1864. He was promoted to major in the 5th U.S. Cavalry on December 7, 1863, but would not return to the regiment for nearly two and a half years.

After two months at the Cavalry Bureau in the spring of 1864, Major Royall was assigned as the superintendent of the Mounted Recruiting Service at Carlisle. He assumed command of the post on May 19, 1864. Like the two officers who had preceded him, Royall was another very experienced cavalryman. He also served as the commander of the drafted camp for his district, and much of his correspondence during this period refers to difficulties maintaining sufficient guards for the draftees, especially during Confederate General Early’s advance from the Shenandoah during the summer of 1864. Major Royall was ordered to send out his permanent company and recruits to scout Early’s advance, leaving him no capable soldiers for duty on the post. He served in this position until April 1866. He was brevetted colonel on March 13, 1865 “for arduous and faithful services in recruiting the Army of the United States.”

Major Royall next rejoined his regiment in Nashville, Tennessee, where he commanded four companies until November when he was relieved by the regiment’s lieutenant colonel. He continued to serve there until April 1867. Ryall was next assigned to North Carolina, where he worked as a cavalry inspector in the 2nd Military District and later Chief of the Bureau of Civil Affairs there. This was followed by duty at Morganton, N.C., where he oversaw execution of the reconstruction acts of Congress in fifteen counties of western North Carolina.

In September 1868, Major Royall was at last reassigned to frontier service with a detachment of four companies of the 5th U.S. Cavalry. He led them to Fort Harker, Kansas by September, and was then assigned to Fort Riley. Major Royall served during several campaigns in the vicinity of the Republican River in Kansas, Nebraska and northeastern Colorado over the next year.

On December 22, 1869, he was assigned with a detachment of the regiment to Fort D.A. Russell, Wyoming. He commanded the detachment of up to seven companies at different periods until March 1872, when he was reassigned to Camp Grant, Arizona. He served in various capacities in Arizona and southern California until May 1875, when he marched with the regimental headquarters and six companies of the regiment to Fort Lyon, Colorado, where the command was divided amongst several forts. Royall established the regimental headquarters at Fort Hays, Kansas.

After a brief leave of absence, he assumed command of Fort Dodge, Kansas, and a few days later was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry on December 2, 1875. The promotion had to be bittersweet, as it ended nearly 21 years of service in the 5th Cavalry. He was transferred to the Department of the Platte at Fort Sidney, Nebraska. From January to March 1876, he served as a member of a board examining Army supplies and the best method of issuing them in the west for the War Department in Philadelphia. While he was there, General Crook applied for him to command the cavalry during the upcoming campaign against the Sioux in the summer of 1876. He returned to the department, and spent April and May purchasing horses for the campaign.

Lieutenant Colonel Royall joined the expedition on May 18, 1876, and commanded his regiment in the field. The regiment’s colonel, John J. Reynolds, was under a court martial for actions the previous December. Some speculate that he resented Crook because of this, but it seems unlikely since he wasn’t present during the incident, and the result of a personal request from the commander was a field command rather than continued staff work in Philadelphia. A battalion of the 2nd Cavalry was added to his command once the expedition was under way, giving him command of 14 companies of cavalry.
Royall had command of these companies during the battle of the Rosebud on June 17, 1876. He took personal command of several companies during the fight and made an independent attack without informing General Crook, which caused some difficulties in managing the battle. After the expedition disbanded in Nebraska in October, he was appointed an acting assistant inspector general for the Department of the Platte until September 1882. After a brief reunion with his regiment at Fort Whipple, Arizona, he was promoted colonel of the 4th U.S. Cavalry on November 1, 1882.

Five years later, Royall retired with the rank of brigadier general on October 19, 1887. On February 27, 1890, he was granted a brevet of brigadier general for gallant service in action at the battle of the Rosebud, fourteen years after the engagement. William Bedford Royall died in Washington, D.C. on December 13, 1895. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sources:
Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1903. Page 563.

Henry, Guy V. Military Record of Civilian Appointments in the United States Army, Volume 1. New York: George W. Carleton, 1869. Page 178.

National Archives, Record Group 94, Letters Received by the Office of the Adjutant General, 1861-1870.

National Archives, Record Group 94, Letters Received by the Commission Branch, 1863-1870.

National Archives, Record Group 94, U.S. Returns from Regular Army Non-infantry Regiments, 1821-1916: 5th U.S. Cavalry.

Price, George F. Across the Continent With the Fifth Cavalry. New York: D. Van Nostrand, Publisher, 1883. Pages 292-298.

Fiddler’s Green: John A. Thompson

06 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by dccaughey in 1st/ 4th Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, Chickamauga, Fiddler's Green, officers

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4th U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, chickamauga, Civil War, Fort Halleck, Fort Laramie, John Thompson, Virginia Military Institute

This one has been a LONG time coming.

John A. Thompson was born in Belmont County, Ohio in 1832. The family’s holdings were just across the Ohio River from Moundsville, Virginia. He was the son of Colonel John Thompson, of Belmont County, Ohio, and his wife, Sara Ann Walker, both born in Pennsylvania, and whose paternal parents came from County Armagh, Ireland.

John attended Virginia Military Institute in the graduating class of 1850-51. During his senior year, he and several other classmates had an issue with the Second Cadet-Captain. According to one history of the Institute, “Thompson was a great favorite, and the Second Captain was very unpopular – both in his Class and the Corps at large. The issue was joined by Thompson denouncing in unmeasured terms his commanding officer. A court-martial resulted; but his classmates (all but two or three) stood by him, and they were threatened with dismissal for “forming a combination,” in contravention of the Regulations of the Institute. There was great excitement in the Corps which met and adopted resolutions upholding both Thompson and his Class, and condemning the Second Captain. The verdict of the court-martial was generally thought to have been unjust. Thompson left the Institute, but carried with him unmistakable proof of the confidence and admiration of his classmates (except one or two) and of the whole Corps.”

Three years later, June 25, 1855, he received a commission from civil life as second lieutenant in the First United States Dragoons. He reported to Brevet Colonel Charles A. May for instruction at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri on July 7th, but was transferred to the newly formed 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment a few weeks later on August 29th. He reported to Colonel Edwin V. Sumner at Fort Leavenworth in time to join the regiment on the Sioux expedition that fall. He was assigned to Captain William D. De Saussure’s company.

In 1857, he was part of the escort of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph E. Johnston’s expedition to survey the southern boundary of the Kansas territory. The expedition consisted of four companies of the 1st Cavalry and two companies of infantry. Lieutenant Thompson led the pioneer party and preliminary survey line for the expedition.

The following year, Thompson’s company served as part of the advance guard on the march from Fort Bridger to Salt Lake in March 1858. The young lieutenant also served as acting quartermaster and commissary officer for the command. He was relieved on August 6, 1858 and ordered back to Fort Leavenworth, where he arrived in October. He was granted a four month leave of absence later that month after settling his quartermaster accounts. He rejoined his company at Fort Riley, where it had moved during his leave.

Lieutenant Thompson spent the summer of 1859 as part of an expedition along the Arkansas River. The four companies of the 1st Cavalry spent the summer protecting Santa Fe mail trains before returning to Fort Riley in the fall. During that winter he served as the post adjutant of Fort Riley for Major John Sedgwick.

The next spring he accompanied Major Sedgwick on an expedition against the Kiowa and Comanche. That summer he assisted the command in the construction of Fort Wise, Colorado Territory (later renamed Fort Lyon). One of the second lieutenants in the command was James E.B. Stuart. Thompson departed on another four month leave of absence at the end of September. During his leave he married Mary J. Wilson, of St. Louis, Missouri.

Lieutenant Thompson’s return from his leave did not go as planned. He was diverted on his return trip in St Louis to go to Jefferson Barracks and drill infantry recruits. Shortly after organizing a company of 80 men, Thompson was ordered to secure the St Louis Arsenal. He was relieved in early April and ordered to rejoin his company at Fort Wise. He immediately set out for his unit, escorting paymaster Major Brice from Fort Riley to the post.

He arrived to some welcome news. He had been promoted to first lieutenant in Company F, 1st U.S. Cavalry in January. He immediately renewed his oath of allegiance with Lieutenant Colonel Sedgwick and in the absence of the assigned captain assumed command of the company. Although appointed from the state of Virginia, he apparently never considered resigning his commission to fight for the Confederacy.

After a week or so he and his company were ordered to Fort Larned, Kansas, where he assumed command of the post. Captain Tyler of the 2nd U.S. Dragoons had spiked the guns and deserted the post as he departed to join the Confederacy. On May 23rd he received notification of his promotion to captain and command of Company K, 1st U.S. Cavalry, but was not yet relieved and remained at Fort Larned.

Captain Thompson was and assigned to survey the route between Fort Larned and Fort Kearny, N.T., and assigned to the latter post. He arrived on June 4th to learn he was one of three officers assigned to the fort. The senior officer, Captain Brockholst Livingston of the 2d Dragoons, was incapacitated. Captain E.W.B. Newby commanded the post, and Captain Thompson served as post adjutant, quartermaster and commissary in addition to commanding his company. After Captain Newby’s relief and arrest by Major General Hunter in November, Captain Thompson commanded the post as well.

In June 1862, Brigadier General James Craig ordered a swap, shifting Colonel E.B. Alexander to Fort Kearny and Captain Thompson with his squadron of Companies F and K, 1st Cavalry to Fort Laramie. Fort Laramie was otherwise garrisoned by volunteer units, and had the important responsibility of safeguarding the overland mail and telegraph lines. Captain Thompson managed the post well, writing afterwards “although it was a difficult matter at first to bring some of the volunteer companies to a proper understanding of discipline.”

In August 1862 the Overland Mail Company shifted its route south to the Bridger Pass road. Since securing the mail routes was one of Fort Laramie’s responsibilities, Captain Thompson was ordered by General Craig to find a location for a new fort on this southern route. He selected the site for what would become Fort Halleck, surveying it and planning the buildings. He then went east to the Cache la Poudre River to superintend hay contracts for cavalry which would garrison the new fort. He made the following observations in his report to General Craig:

“I have selected a beautiful piece of ground for the fort on the north side of the Medicine Bow Mountains. Three streams of clear mountain water run through it, either or all of which can be turned so as to water every part of the garrison without an hours work. There is plenty of the finest timber on the mountains within a mile of the place selected. The government will not be compelled to haul timber either for lumber or firewood more than two miles for many years, in fact the supply is almost inexhaustible. A fine quality of limestone can be found in the mountains half a mile distant, and hay can be had in abundance within twelve miles of the post. I submit for the approval of the Gen’l Comd’g the enclosed plan of buildings for the new post.”

Commended by Craig for his efforts, Captain Thompson was ordered to Washington to report on the state of affairs in the region. While he was away, a mutiny occurred due to maladministration of the post by his successor, Captain Herrington, and Thompson was ordered back to Fort Laramie. There had been a conflict between a lieutenant of the 6th Ohio and men of the 8th Kansas, and Herrington’s assistant adjutant general, Captain Eno, had been compelled to shoot one of the enlisted men.

Thompson was ordered to join his regiment in March 1863, but requested permission to delay the move. His wife had just given birth to their second child, John, and the doctor stated that she was unable to make the 800 mile trip by wagon for eight weeks. Requests to the War Department and Governor Pierpont of what would become West Virginia to delay the move were approved.

Captain Thompson and his squadron were delayed again during their march west. They stopped in St Louis for two weeks to update their arms, and again in Louisville to arm and equip a group of recruits. He joined the rest of the 4th U.S. Cavalry at McMinnville, Tennessee in August 1863, with both companies of his squadron fully equipped and in fine condition.

Thompson served with the regiment through a number of skirmishes in the vicinity of Chattanooga during the late summer and early fall of 1863. He commanded the regiment during the greater portion of the battle of Chickamauga, Captain McIntyre being too unwell to ride. He relinquished command to McIntyre the day before the regiment moved inside the lines at Chattanooga.

I found the following statement in an anonymous tribute written after his death, but could find no evidence to confirm or deny it: “He was present at the battle of Chickamauga, and it was his presence of mind, his personal bravery, and fortitude, and his disobedience of orders (or, rather, his substitution of his own military discretion), that saved the retreat of the Army and its almost total destruction.”

Thompson became very ill with dysentery and fever shortly thereafter, and was granted a 20 day leave of absence to join his family in St Louis and recover. On his arrival in St Louis, however, he was placed on temporary duty as an acting assistant commissary of musters. On November 6th he was ordered to permanently assume the position from Captain Cheek of the 13th U.S. Infantry.

Due to the fact that he had been absent from service with his regiment for such an extended period, Captain Thompson was ordered to appear before a retiring board in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1864. After recounting his military career, he ended his statement to the retention board, “I am well and sound and know of no reason why I should be unfit for duty.” The board, including Major Generals Irwin McDowell and Erasmus Keyes, voted unanimously to retain him in service.

Captain Thompson remained a conscientious cavalryman despite serving far from the action. In July 1864 he wrote to the Army’s Adjutant General concerning the possibility of recruiting newly mustered out volunteers for regular cavalry service. He noted “all I would require is a good noncommissioned officer and one man to look after these men after they have been mustered out – to bring them in after they have spent their money.” Recruiting was authorized three days later.

Captain Thompson returned to duty in the field with his regiment before the war’s end. He commanded the regiment at the battle of Selma on Wilson’s Raid during the closing days of the war. He continued to command the regiment through June, as it moved to Macon, Georgia for occupation duty. When the regiment moved to Texas, he resumed command of his company and the post of Fort Mason, Texas.

On August 25, 1867, he was promoted major of the Seventh Cavalry, though it took time for the news to reach him. He was preparing to move to join his new regiment when he was murdered by desperadoes at Fort Mason, Texas on November 14th.

The San Antonio (Texas) Express, in its issue of November 18, 1867, published this account of the incident:

“An express from Fort Mason arrived in this City on Saturday morning bringing the intelligence of the brutal murder of Major John A. Thompson, Commander of the Post, on Thursday morning last. Major Thompson was out driving with his wife and two children, and, passing by a store about half a mile from the Post, saw a difficulty taking place between some citizens and soldiers. He stopped his ambulance and ordered a sergeant, who was present, to have the parties arrested, when the desperadoes turned upon the Major and his sergeant, shooting the major through the head, killing him instantly, while by his wife’s side, and mortally wounding the sergeant.

“The murderers, having their horses at hand, fled before any attempt for their arrest could be made. [Then followed the names of the gang.] Scouts have been sent in all directions to (if possible) catch the murderers. The officers of the regiment have offered one thousand dollars reward for their arrest, and delivery to the military authorities.”

Sergeant John McDougall of the 4th Cavalry died of his wounds at the fort later the same day.

Fort Mason Assistant Surgeon John A. Hulse, wrote the following account of his murder to his father:

“Fort Mason, Texas, November 14, 1867.
Colonel John Thompson, Moundsville, W. Va.
Dear Sir – It becomes my painful duty to inform you of the death of your son, Major John A. Thompson, at this post, this morning, at the hands of desperadoes, while commanding the peace in an affray between them and a party of soldiers just arrived from Fort Chadbourne.
The ball struck the right cheek below the eye, cutting the internal carotid artery, and emerging below the left ear, with fatal hemorrhage in about twenty minutes. I was by his side in a few moments, but my best endeavors to preserve his valuable life were hopelessly futile.
He was universally esteemed here, his many noble qualities winning him a large circle of friends who, with his inconsolable family, and the Army which loses one of its most valuable officers, will ever deplore his irreparable loss.
Accept, dear sir, my most sincere sympathy, in this your sad bereavement.
Mrs. Thompson will leave for St. Louis as soon as proper escort can be secured to accompany her.
Very respectfully,
John A. Hulse, A.A. Surgeon, U.S.A.”

Major General Winfield Hancock, commanding the department, requested and received authority from the War Department to provide transportation and escort for the bereaved family.

There were several tributes written of him after his death, of which I have excerpted three:

“He was universally beloved by his fellow officers and the men under his command. He was very happy in his domestic relations, having one of the sweetest of women for a wife, and two beautiful children.”

“He was scholarly, soldierly, and gentlemanly, with the love of his men, the respect of his fellow officers, and the confidence of his superiors.”

“He devoted the best energies of a noble manhood to his country’s service, and closed an honorable career with that sublimest of offerings, a hero’s life.”

I give you Major John A. Thompson, a gallant cavalryman whose career was tragically cut short.

Sources:

Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1903. Page 639.
National Archives, Record Group 94, Letters Received by the Office of the Adjutant General, 1861-1870.
National Archives, Record Group 94, Letters Received by the Commission Branch, 1863-1870.
National Archives, Record Group 94, U.S. Army Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914
National Archives, Record Group 94, U.S. Returns from Regular Army Non-infantry Regiments, 1821-1916: 4th U.S. Cavalry.
Wise, Jennings C. The Military History of the Virginia Military Institute from 1839 to 1865. Lynchburg: J.P. Bell Company, Inc., 1915. Pages 501-504.
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/wy-forts.html#Fort H.W. Halleck
http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/NationalRegister/Site.aspx?ID=84

The Court Martial of Charles Bates

23 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by dccaughey in 1862, 4th U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, Charles Bates, Civil War, courts martial, edward fitzgerald, J.B. McIntyre

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4th U.S. Cavalry, Charles Bates, courts martial, Edward Fitzgerald, J.B. McIntyre

I first started posting the exploits of Charles E. Bates of the 4th U.S. Cavalry here back in 2007. He initially enlisted in 1858 at the age of 14 without the consent of his parents and somehow managed not to be discharged. Unlike many who fled home to join the army, however, Bates was a relatively steady correspondent to his family about his exploits. Given that I have already posted several of his letters as well as biographical sketches of both his first sergeant and commander on the blog, when I learned of the existence of this court martial record I couldn’t resist adding this. Special thanks to Bob O’Neill, who was kind enough to retrieve the record from the National Archives.

Camp Lincoln, Va
18 June 1862, Day 4 9 A.M.

The Court then proceeded to the trial of Corporal Charles E. Bates of Company “E” 4th U.S. Cavalry, who being called into court and having heard the order convening the court read, was asked if he had any objections to any of the members named therein, to which he replied in the negative.
The Court was then duly sworn by the Judge Advocate, and the Judge Advocate was duly sworn by the presiding officer of the court, in the presence of the accused, and Corporal Charles E. Bates of Company “E” 4th U.S. Cavalry was arraigned of the following charge and specifications, viz.:
Charge: Violation of the 9th Article of War
Specification: In this that Corporal Charles E. Bates of Company “E” 4th U.S. Cavalry did positively refuse to take care of a horse belonging to Company “E” 4th Cavalry, when ordered to do so by 1st Sergeant Edward Fitzgerald of Company “E” 4th Cavalry, (the Sergeant Fitzgerald being in the execution of his office at the time) saying I will not take care of the horse, or words to that effect. This in camp near New Bridge Va on or about the 30th of May 1862.

(signed) J.B. McIntyre
Capt 4th Cavalry
To which charge and specification the prisoner pleaded as follows,
Not Guilty, to the Specification
Not Guilty, to the Charge
Sergeant Edward Fitzgerald of Company “E” 4th Cavalry, a witness on the part of the prosecution was duly sworn.
Question by Judge Advocate. What do you know of the prisoner, Corporal Bates, having refused to obey an order?

Answer. I am 1st Sergeant Edward Fitzgerald of Company “E” 4th Cavalry and on or about the evening of the 30th of May 1862 I ordered Corporal Bates to take care of a horse, he said he would not take care of the horse that I had mentioned, it was a horse that he had been recently riding that I had reference to.

Question by Judge Advocate. Were you both on duty at the time, and at what camp did this happen?

Answer. At camp near New Bridge to the best of my knowledge, and we were both on duty at the time.

Question by Prisoner. Is it not customary for surplus horses in the cavalry to be taken care of by the squads to which they belong?

Answer. According to the routine of duty I believe it is, and an enlisted man who rides a government horse is supposed to take care of him.

Question by Prisoner. Was the horse properly assigned to me and was I responsible for him?

Answer. He was not properly assigned to him to my knowledge, but it is my opinion he was responsible for grooming and feeding him as long as he used him.

Question by Prisoner. Would using a horse a week make a man obliged to clean him for the remainder of his enlistment?

Answer. According to circumstances or until he got another horse assigned to him.

Question by Prisoner. Did you not order me to see that somebody took care of that horse?

Answer. Yes I ordered him to see that somebody took care of the horse, and I afterwards ordered him to take care of the horse himself.

Question by Judge Advocate (note: miswritten, actually by prisoner): Did I not reply before he ordered me to take care of him, “the horse does not belong to my squad”?

Answer. I do not recollect about it.

Question by Prisoner. Did I use the horse on that day or not?

Answer. I do not know, I don’t recollect whether he used the horse on that day or not.

Question by Prisoner. Did I not express a desire to go and see the Captain before obeying your order?

Answer. I cannot recollect of having heard him say so.

Captain J.B. McIntyre 4th Cavalry a witness for the defense was duly sworn.

Question by Prisoner. What is my general character as a soldier in the company since you have been with it?

Answer. I am a captain in the 4th Regiment of Cavalry, Company “E” of which the prisoner is a corporal. I joined the company last August. Corporal Bates has been on duty with the company every day since. And up to this difficulty, no better soldier was in the company. The former captain of the company when I relieved him of the command of it gave his character the same as I have stated it. It is on record with the War department that he was the first man to pull down the secession flag in Arkansas.

The prisoner having no further testimony to offer made the following statement in his defense.

It was not my intention to disobey any order at all. When I was first ordered to see the horse taken care of I thought that the 1st Sergeant had made a mistake, by supposing that the horse belonged to my squad. He then ordered me to take care of him. I was taking care of another horse at the time. I expressed it as my intention to see the Captain before taking care of him, as I did not consider it my duty to take care of a horse until he was assigned to me.

The court was then closed for deliberation on the testimony adduced.

After mature deliberation the court finds the prisoner Corporal Charles E. Bates of Company “E” 4th Cavalry as follows.

Of the specification, Guilty.
Of the charge, Guilty.

And the court does therefore sentence him Corporal Charles E. Bates of Company “E” 4th Cavalry, to be reduced to the ranks, and to forfeit ten dollars of his pay per month for twelve months.

(signed)
Alfred G. Smith                                  W.H. Wood
1st Lt 8th Inf                                     Major 17th Inf
Judge Advocate                                Presdt G.C. Martial

The court adjourned at half past two o’clock P.M. to meet again at 9 o’clock A.M. on Thursday June 19th 1862.

Alfred G. Smith
1st Lt 8th Inf
Judge Advocate

The character of Bates’ service to date did influence the members of the court, it simply didn’t change the fact that he had, by his own admission, violated the 9th Article of War. The following was on the next page of the court martial file:

We the undersigned members of the General Court Martial in view of the good character given to Corporal Charles E. Bates of Company “E” 4th Cav by his company commander, beg to recommend that his sentence be remitted.

(signed by all)
W.H. Wood
Maj 17th Infty

J.B. McIntyre
Capt 4th Cav

James H. Forsyth
Captain 18th Infantry

R.T. Frank
Capt 8 Infy

C. Ford Trowbridge
1st Lt 16th Infty

While this seems like a pretty trivial matter to go to a court martial over, Bates at the time of this court martial was just barely 18 years of age, and firmly convinced that he was in the right. See here for his letter to his parents about the court martial after his sentencing.

For more information on Edward Fitzgerald, see here. For more information on John McIntyre, simply scroll back a few posts.

Fiddler’s Green: Thomas Hood McCormick

03 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by dccaughey in 1st/ 4th Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, Fiddler's Green, officers

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4th U.S. Cavalry, battle of Franklin, Civil War cavalry, George H. Thomas, James H. Wilson, James McIntyre, Neil McCafferty, Thomas McCormick, U.S. Grant

It’s ironic that this Fiddler’s Green entry follows the last one of James McIntyre. These two officers were virtually inseparable throughout their cavalry service during the war, though their careers ended rather differently. Contrary to appearances from the frequent mention of McCaffertys, McCormicks and McIntyres, there were a number of non-Irish officers in the 4th U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War.

Thomas Hood McCormick was born on February 24, 1836 at Mill Hall, Clinton County, Pennsylvania to Saul and Catharine Hood McCormick. He graduated Lafayette College with a law degree in 1855, and according to census information was living with his mother and family and working as an attorney in Lock Haven in 1860.

He was appointed second lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Cavalry on March 27, 1861. As one of the early appointees he was quickly promoted as resignations thinned the regiment’s officer ranks, achieving first lieutenant less than a month and a half later on May 7, 1861.

Lieutenant McCormick quickly completed his initial training as a cavalry officer at Carlisle Barracks over the summer, and was assigned to the squadron of the regiment in Washington, D.C. Although only a first lieutenant, he assumed command of Company A, 1st U.S. Cavalry, which was redesignated the 4th U.S. Cavalry in August. The commander of Company E and the squadron of the 4th U.S. Cavalry as a whole was Captain James McIntyre. In addition to his other duties, McCormick also served as an acting assistant quartermaster for the squadron, as the remainder of the regiment was serving in the western theater.

He requested additional recruits to bring his company to full strength in September, and appears to have served well over the winter in the defenses of Washington. As the Army of the Potomac prepared to embark on the Peninsula Campaign, the squadron was assigned as Major General McClellan’s escort. It served in this position throughout this campaign, assigned to the army headquarters. The squadron’s men saw little action other than the odd artillery shelling when the general moved too close to the action. McCormick was promoted to captain and retained command of Company A on August 7, 1862.

The day after the battle of Antietam he recommended his first sergeant, Neil J. McCafferty, for a commission in the regiment. The two had been together since McCormick joined the company, first McCafferty was the quartermaster sergeant, then he was promoted to company first sergeant in October 1861. Captain McCormick wrote in his recommendation, “The highest compliment I can pay to the excellence of his character and his soldierly qualities is to request that if he should receive a commission he may be attached to my company.” Captain McIntyre, still commanding the squadron, endorsed the request, and McCafferty was commissioned a short time later.

The squadron finally rejoined the rest of the regiment during the winter of 1863-1864, and the following spring saw its first active campaigning of the war. Captain McCormick apparently had no issues with the adjustment. He was commended for his actions during fighting at Franklin, TN on April 10, 1863. According to the report of Captain James McIntyre, who commanded the regiment during the battle, “No officer could have behaved more gallantly than Captain McCormick, who with the rear squadron repulsed the enemy who in force attempted to surround and cut off our retreat to the ford.” He served through the remaining campaigning of 1863 and 1864 without reported incident.

Captain McCormick took a leave of absence during the winter of 1864-1865. He saw a doctor while at home in Lock Haven and requested an extension of twenty days on February 24, 1865 for “congestion of the liver,” which was granted. This is the first clue in his records that something may have been wrong.

On June 18, 1865, Captain McCormick’s cavalry career came to an abrupt and unpleasant end. According to the report of acting regimental commander Captain John A. Thompson:

“I have the honor to state that at about 5 o’clock last evening Capt. Thos. H. McCormick 4th U.S. Cav was driven into this camp in an ambulance in a beastly or insensible state of intoxication – he was lying on his back on two seats with his head hanging down and totally unconscious of where he was or his condition. I believe several of the men saw him. Myself and Lieut. W.W. Webb saw him and conversed with the driver.

“The driver said he had been taken out of the cars in that condition by Col Eggleston and himself aided by others at the depot.

“His condition was such that I could not permit him to be taken out in presence of the command and ordered the driver to take him to Wilson Hospital.”
The regimental surgeon, Assistant Surgeon Merritt S. Jones, concurred with Captain Thompson’s assessment, describing McCormick’s condition as “insensible from intoxication. He was so entirely helpless that he had to be carried into the ward on a stretcher.”

Correspondence then followed fast and furiously on the subject of McCormick’s dismissal. Brevet Major General James H. Wilson recommended immediate dismissal for habitual drunkenness. “This is no new thing in his conduct,” he wrote. “His public disgrace by drunkenness is a matter of notoriety in service tho’ hitherto he has managed to escape punishment. A Court Martial cannot well be convened to try him, and the credit of the public service, as well as its discipline and good order demands his summary dismissal.” Major General George H. Thomas concurred and forwarded the recommendation. It was approved by Lieutenant General U.S. Grant on July 12th, and by the Secretary of War on July 21st. McCormick was dismissed on July 25, 1865, and returned home to Lock Haven.

Thomas Hood McCormick died in Lock Haven on March 30, 1866. He is buried in Highland Cemetery, Lock Haven, PA.

A thorough examination of McCormick’s personnel records revealed no clues as to what may have happened other than the surgeon’s certificate on his request to extend his leave. While it was far from infrequent for there to be issues with alcohol for officers on the frontier following the war, examples such as this during the war were pretty infrequent and seldom drew such high-ranked ire. General Wilson’s evident disgust may have been the result of extended service by the regiment as his escort during that spring’s campaigns.

I give you Thomas Hood McCormick, gallant in battle, but all too human in the end.

Sources:
Coffin, Selden Jennings. Record of the Men of Lafayette. Easton, PA: Skinner & Finch, Printers, 1879.
Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1903. Page 430.
National Archives, Record Group 94, Letters Received by the Office of the Adjutant General, 1861-1870.
National Archives, Record Group 94, Letters Received by the Commission Branch, 1863-1870.
National Archives, Record Group 94, U.S. Returns from Regular Army Non-infantry Regiments, 1821-1916: 4th U.S. Cavalry.

Fiddler’s Green: James B. McIntyre

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by dccaughey in 4th U.S. Cavalry, Fiddler's Green, officers

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4th U.S. Cavalry, Fort Larned, George H. Thomas, Horace Randal, J.E.B. Stuart, James B. McIntyre, United States Military Academy, West Point

James B. McIntyre was born in Tennessee on August 14, 1833. His family moved to Texas during his childhood, near the town of Brenham in Washington County. In 1849, he and Horace Randal became the first two appointees to the United States Military Academy from the state of Texas. Randal was later a cavalry officer and brigadier general in the Confederate Army. James graduated the academy on July 1, 1853, near the bottom of a class that included future cavalrymen Philip Sheridan, John Chambliss and Nelson Sweitzer. He received an appointment as a brevet second lieutenant in the 7th Infantry, as there were no open second lieutenant vacancies.

Upon joining the regiment at Fort Brown, Texas, he was initially assigned to Company A. His commander was Robert S. Garnett, later the first general officer killed during the Civil War and cousin of the general killed at Gettysburg. The first lieutenant of the company was Edmund Kirby Smith. Although only a brevet officer, he performed well, and served in command of Company I within a year of graduation from the academy.
On October 17, 1854, James McIntyre married Jane A. Selkirk in Austin, Texas. They had three children over the next four years: Hugh on October 9, 1855, Mary Bell on October 1, 1857 and William James D. in October 1859.

On March 3, 1855, McIntyre finally received his appointment as a second lieutenant, but in a different service. He received an original appointment to the newly authorized 1st U.S. Cavalry, and joined his new regiment at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He spent the next several years on frontier duty skirmishing with the Cheyenne, Sioux and Comanche Indians. He was promoted to first lieutenant in the regiment on January 16, 1857. He was one of four lieutenants present when J.E.B. Stuart was wounded in an action at Solomon’s Fork of the Kansas River on July 29, 1857. The other two were Lunsford Lomax and David S. Stanley.

McIntyre served as the regimental quartermaster from April 15, 1858 to April 30, 1860. He was part of the force under Major John Sedgwick dispatched toward Utah in May 1858. They marched as far as the Colorado Territory before a peace settlement was reached, and they returned to Fort Leavenworth. He assisted with the construction of Fort Wise (later Fort Lyon), Colorado, and served there and at Fort Riley, Kansas until 1860.
McIntyre was on a leave of absence with his family when the war broke out. He was promoted to captain and command of Company E on May 3, 1861, and soon joined his company at Washington, D.C. As the senior officer present, he commanded the only squadron of the 4th U.S. Cavalry in the eastern theater for the next year and a half.

Although kept very busy, the squadron saw little combat, serving as escort for Major General McClellan through the Peninsula, Antietam and Fredericksburg campaigns. After a brief period of detached service in Washington, D.C. from December 1862 to March 1863, he rejoined his company in Tennessee. He commanded the company during operations in Tennessee and Alabama during the spring of 1863. Captain McIntyre received a brevet promotion to major for gallant and meritorious service during the battle of Franklin, Tennessee on May 10, 1863, and assumed command of the regiment the following month.

Captain McIntyre commanded the regiment for the rest of the year. He earned a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel for gallant and meritorious conduct in his leadership of the regiment in the battle of Chickamauga on September 25, 1863. After a brief leave of absence during the winter, he resumed command of the regiment in March and led it through all of the campaigns of 1864 as well.

In his report on Kilpatrick’s Raid during August 1864, Captain McIntyre made the following statement on his regiment’s performance near Lovejoy’s Station:

“But it was in the charge, when cavalry fought in the legitimate way, the cool, dismounted lieutenant, sergeants and soldiers became the cavalryman, and where all were heroes it would be invidious to make distinction.”

After another brief leave of absence during the winter of 1864, McIntyre again commanded the regiment at Gravelly Spring, Alabama from January to March 1865. Ironically, after commanding the regiment for nearly two years, he missed its last major action of the war, Wilson’s Raid and the battle of Selma. He was detached from the regiment for recruiting duty at Baltimore, Maryland on March 1, 1865 and served there for the remainder of the year.

On November 15, 1865, his wife Jane died, and their three children went to live with his father, Hugh, in Brenham, Texas. His father later received his pension.

In 1866, former Army of the Cumberland commander major General George H. Thomas recommended McIntyre for a brevet to full colonel for his services during the war. In his recommendation, General Thomas noted, “Capt. McIntyre has been an industrious and zealous officer and has performed the duties of every position he has held with ability, and with great credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his commanding officers.”

Following the war, he returned to the frontier with his regiment, once again in command of his Company E in Texas. He commanded Fort Brown, his first assignment as a brevet second lieutenant in 1853, from May 1866 to January 1867. He then moved with his company to Fort Riley, Kansas. Although he was promoted to major in the 3rd U.S. Cavalry on July 28, 1866, the news took months to reach him, and he never joined his new regiment.

Major McIntyre set out from Fort Riley on April 16, 1867. He had been ill with consumption since January with symptoms of consumption and “also suffering from excessive indulgence in alcoholic liquors,” according to the post surgeon. He arrived at Fort Larned on May 1st, but his condition had worsened, and he was too sick to continue his journey.

James B. McIntyre died of consumption at Fort Larned, Kansas on May 10, 1867, but his story doesn’t end there. He was buried in grave #9 in the post cemetery. A very popular officer while he commanded the post, the garrison constructed a brown obelisk in his honor that still stands today. Though weathered and difficult to read, one can still make out the inscription:

“J.B. MacIntyre, Col. USA Died at Fort Larned Kansas, May 9 1867. Was one of the officers, of Extra Duty, Maintained the Honor of his Country Gallantly during the Days of the Recent Rebellion.”

When the post was closed in 1888, the cemetery contents were moved to the cemetery at Fort Leavenworth. In an oversight, the contents of the cemetery were not cataloged. They were interred in new graves in their own section of the Fort Leavenworth cemetery, surrounded by a short wooden fence. Captain John McIntyre rests with 62 of his comrades from Fort Larned, in a grave marked “Unknown US Soldier.”

Sources:
Cullum, George W. Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, Volume II. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1891. Pages 569-570.
Fort Larned NHP website (http://www.nps.gov/fols/planyourvisit/upload/Cemetery.pdf) accessed December 8, 2014.
Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1903. Page 437.
National Archives, Record Group 94, Letters Received by the Office of the Adjutant General, 1861-1870.
National Archives, Record Group 94, Letters Received by the Commission Branch, 1863-1870.
National Archives, Record Group 94, U.S. Returns from Regular Army Non-infantry Regiments, 1821-1916: 4th U.S. Cavalry.
Tom Jones, “Randal, Horace,” Handbook of texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fm28) accessed December 8, 2014.
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Carlisle Barracks and the Mounted Recruiting Service, part 4

27 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by dccaughey in 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1st U.S. Cavalry, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, 3rd U.S. Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, 6th U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, officers, recruiting

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1st U.S. Cavalry, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, 3rd U.S. Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, 6th U.S. Cavalry, Carlisle Barracks, cavalry, Civil War, recruiting

In all, the Mounted Recruiting Service operated recruiting stations in nineteen cities during the war. Although it was not required, in most cases the officers recruited soldiers for their parent regiments. This meant that at various points during the war, some cities provided soldiers to multiple regular cavalry regiments.

Boston, Massachusetts. This was the first war-time station established. Lieutenant Napoleon B. McLaughlin of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry opened the station on July 5, 1861. He was promoted to captain before he was ordered to report to his regiment over a year later on October 1, 1862. He was relieved by Captain Abraham K. Arnold of the 5^th U.S. Cavalry, who was ordered to close the station at the end of the following month. The station did not reopen until June 10, 1863, when Lieutenant Copley Amory of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry assumed command. He operated the station until he resigned in December, and it was not reopened again during the war.

Cincinnati, Ohio. Lieutenant Edward M. McCook of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry opened this station on July 24, 1861. In September, he was placed on leave to take service in the state forces of Indiana. He earned five brevet promotions for gallantry in action as a volunteer officer during the war, the last to major general of volunteers. The station was vacant for two months until McCook was relieved by Lieutenant Robert S. Smith of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry on November 6, 1861. A native of Ohio, Smith as previously mentioned spent over three years in Cincinnati before he was relieved by Captain David S. Gordon, also of his regiment, on September 5, 1864. Gordon was transferred back to his regiment in December, and replaced by Lieutenant Robert S. Sweatman of the 5^th U.S. Cavalry. Lieutenant Sweatman served only two months before being transferred back to his regiment in February 1865, and Captain Isaac R. Dunkelberger, of the same regiment, finished the war in charge of the station, making it one of the few stations continuously manned throughout the war.

New York, New York. Lieutenant William W. Webb of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry opened the recruiting station in New York City on October 3, 1861. He wasn’t relieved to join his regiment until February 7, 1863. His replacement was Captain Arnold of the 5^th U.S. Cavalry, only three months after finishing his recruiting duties in Boston. Arnold finally returned to his regiment in September, and was replaced by Lieutenant John B. Johnson of the 6^th U.S. Cavalry. Lieutenant Johnson was transferred back to Carlisle Barracks on August 22, 1864, and Lieutenant Stanwood of the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry commanded the station for a mere two weeks. Former prisoner of war Lieutenant Tattnall Paulding of the 6^th U.S. Cavalry relieved him on September 4, 1864, and stayed there for the remainder of the war.

Wheeling, Virginia. Captain Milton T. Carr of the 1^st U.S. Cavalry opened this station on August 22, 1862. Lieutenant Judson Haycock was sent to assist him on September 8^th, and relieved him on December 7, 1862 so he could return to his company. Lieutenant Haycock closed the station on March 4, 1863. Lieutenant William Webb of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry briefly served in the town as a mustering officer for volunteer regiments from June 6 to September 23, 1863, but the recruiting station did not reopen during the war.

Buffalo, New York. Lieutenant Charles McKnight Leoser of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry opened this station on July 13, 1862 to assist in recruiting troopers for Companies A, B and D of his regiment. He closed the station when ordered back to his regiment on April 8, 1863, and it did not reopen.

Norristown, Pennsylvania. A native Pennsylvanian and former first sergeant of John Buford’s Company B, Lieutenant Thomas Bull Dewees of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry was the sole operator of this recruiting station from July 13 to November 17, 1862.

Cleveland, Ohio. Lieutenant William Blanchard of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry opened a recruiting station in Cleveland on August 7, 1862. He was relieved by Captain Robert E. Clary of the same regiment on October 4^th, who closed the station when transferred back to his regiment on December 7, 1862. Captain Thomas Drummond of the 5^th U.S. Cavalry reopened the recruiting station on October 15, 1863 and conducted recruiting there until transferred back to his regiment on December 21, 1864. Interestingly, Drummond left command of his regiment in the field for recruiting duty, and resumed command when he returned. Lieutenant John Mix of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry, another former prisoner of war, commanded the station from January 4, 1865 through the end of the war.

Indianapolis, Indiana. Lieutenant Edward T. Benton of the 1^st U.S. Cavalry opened a station in Indianapolis on August 22, 1862. Captain Charles W. Canfield of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry took charge of the station on January 15, 1863, and Lieutenant Benton was transferred back to his regiment on February 6^th. Captain Canfield was in turn ordered to close the station and return to his regiment to take command of his company just three weeks later, on February 26, 1863.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lieutenant Theophilus F. Rodenbough of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry opened this station on September 4, 1862. It was probably established in the same National Hotel that the 6^th U.S. Cavalry used during recruiting the previous year. Rodenbough closed the station when transferred back to his regiment on December 7, 1862. Captain Clarence Mauck of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry opened a new station in December 1864. He was relieved on March 1, 1865 by Lieutenant John B. Johnson of the 6^th U.S. Cavalry, but returned to the station before the end of the month.

Baltimore, Maryland. This station was also opened on September 4, 1862, by Lieutenant Anson O. Doolittle of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry. He was ordered back to Carlisle Barracks on November 29, 1862, and recruiting was not resumed here until Captain John B. McIntyre opened another station on April 6, 1865.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This station opened and closed three different times during the war, odd for one of the largest cities in the nation. Lieutenant Charles H. Gibson of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry, a native Pennsylvanian, was ordered to open a station here in October, 1862. It may well have been the same location at the Girard House on Chestnut Street used by the 6^th U.S. Cavalry until that February. He was transferred back to his regiment on September 13, 1863. Lieutenant John H. Nichols of the 1^st U.S. Cavalry operated a station here for two weeks in April 1864 before returning to his regiment for the spring campaign. He was killed in action just two months later at the battle of Trevillian Station. Captain T.F. Rodenbough of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry opened the station for the final time during the war on November 18, 1864, less than two months after losing his arm at the battle of the Opequon, or Third Winchester. He turned the station over to Captain William Hawley of the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry when ordered to rejoin his regiment on April 25, 1865.

Chicago, Illinois. The records concerning this station are curious. Captain John Feilner of the 1^st U.S. Cavalry was ordered to open a station in Chicago on October 4, 1862. However, Feilner was dropped from Carlisle’s post return at the end of the month, which would normally mean he had completed his duties and been sent back to his regiment. I also have not yet come across a single soldier recruited by Captain Feilner in Chicago, which leads me to believe the order was countermanded before the station could be opened.

Detroit, Michigan. Lieutenant and former first sergeant Thomas McGregor of the 1^st U.S. Cavalry was the sole operator of this recruiting station from October 16, 1862 to January 20, 1863. This was his first assignment after receiving his commission. He later received a brevet promotion for gallantry at the battle of Todd’s Tavern.

Elmira, New York. Captain William McLean of the 5^th U.S. Cavalry was the sole operator of this recruiting station from November 1, 1862 to February 19, 1863. Severely wounded and captured during the Peninsula campaign, he opened the station once paroled and left it to take command of his newly organized Company M. Unfortunately, he died of fever just two months later, on April 23, 1863, in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. Captain Samuel H. Starr of the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry recruited many men for his regiment here in October 1862 after resigning his volunteer commission, many of them prior volunteers from his New Jersey brigade. Interestingly, I found no record of him being assigned to the Mounted Recruiting Service, though he definitely served this duty. Lieutenant Elisha W. Tarlton of the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry operated the only official recruiting station in the city from November 1, 1862 to March 1, 1863, when he was transferred to his regiment. A native of Kentucky, he later earned a brevet promotion for gallantry in action at Tuscumbia, Alabama.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Captain Marcus A. Reno of the 1^st U.S. Cavalry was ordered to open a recruiting station in Harrisburg while recovering from injuries sustained at the battle of Kelly’s Ford on March 17, 1863. Other than a brief absence serving with Pennsylvania troops during the Gettysburg campaign, he operated the station until September 23, 1863, when he was relieved by Lieutenant John McDonald of his regiment. Lieutenants Reuben Bernard and William Pennock, also of the 1^st U.S. Cavalry, were assigned here as mustering officer in July and August of 1862, and probably operated from the same office. Lieutenant McDonald, another former first sergeant, was transferred back to his regiment on November 26, 1864, and the station remained closed until opened by Lieutenant (and yet another former first sergeant) Dean Monahan of the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry on March 12, 1865.

Madison, Wisconsin. Lieutenant Anson O. Doolittle of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry, assigned again to recruiting duty, was the sole operator of this station from January 8 to May 1, 1864, when he was ordered to report to the adjutant general. The assignment is understandable, as Doolittle was appointed to the Army from Wisconsin, and briefly served as a lieutenant in the 2^nd Wisconsin Infantry prior to receiving his regular army commission.

Rochester, New York. Lieutenant Thomas Simson of the 6^th U.S. Cavalry opened this station on May 12, 1864. Badly injured at Franklin, Tennessee, he had finally reported to his regiment the preceding month, but was not yet fit for field duty. Lieutenant Frank Stanwood of the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry relieved him on December 21^st, when he was transferred back to his regiment. Lieutenant and former sergeant major Tullius C. Tupper of the 6^th U.S. Cavalry relieved Stanwood in turn on February 7, 1865.

St. Louis, Missouri. Captain John A. Thompson of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry was the sole operator of this station from August 13 to November 1, 1864, when he closed it and returned to his regiment. He had received a brevet promotion for gallant and meritorious service at Hoover’s Gap, Tennessee the previous year.

References:

Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register of the United States Army, volume 1. Washington, D.C.: The National Tribune, 1890.

Henry, Guy V. Military Record of Civilian Appointments in the United States Army, volume 1. New York: George W. Carleton, 1869.

NARA, M617, Returns from Military Posts, 1806-1916 (accessed online, 2013)

Price, George F. Across the Continent with the Fifth U.S. Cavalry. New York: Antiquarian Press Limited, 1959.

Rodenbough, Theophilus F. From Everglade to Canyon with the Second United States Cavalry. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000.

Tousey, Lt. Col. Thomas G. Military History of Carlisle and Carlisle Barracks. Richmond: The Dietz Press, 1939.

Carlisle Barracks and the Mounted Recruiting Service, part 3

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by dccaughey in 1864, 1st U.S. Cavalry, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, 3rd U.S. Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th U.S. Cavalry, 6th U.S. Cavalry, cavalry, cavalry depots, officers, recruiting, resignations

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Carlisle Barracks, cavalry, Civil War, david H. Hastings, recruiting, William B. Royall

As 1864 opened, the only four operating recruiting stations were Cincinnati, Cleveland, Harrisburg and New York. Lieutenant Anson Doolittle of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry added a fifth in Madison, Wisconsin on January 8^th.

In April, the growing controversy surrounding repairs to the post reached a head. There were a number of issues concerning the contracts and materials needed to repair the post after July’s attack, and then-Captain Hastings wrote on several occasions for guidance and clarification from the Quartermaster General concerning the repairs. Naturally enough, those who did not receive contracts or orders for material were disgruntled. As post commander, Hastings was of course at the center of the storm. Unfortunately for him, he had unwisely pursued repairs without the specific approval of the Quartermaster General, and found himself in a great deal of trouble as a result.

Hastings, who had been promoted to major in the 5^th U.S. Cavalry in September, was relieved of command on April 21, 1864. Charges were subsequently preferred, which led to a conviction by a General Court Martial. The sentence was initially very severe, but was later commuted to six months suspension of pay and benefits, causing a Congressional investigation. In December, Major Hastings was permitted to retire “for incapacity resulting from injuries received, or from exposure in the line of duty, in conformity with an Act of Congress, of August, 1861.” Lieutenant Hancock T. McLean of the 6^th U.S. Cavalry, assigned to the post the month before, briefly assumed command of the post. Thomas Tousey, in his book Military History of Carlisle Barracks and Carlisle, provides a thorough discussion of the issues surrounding Hastings’ dismissal.

On May 19, 1864, Major William B. Royall of the 5^th U.S. Cavalry assumed command of the post. Like the two officers who had preceded him, Royall was another very experienced cavalryman. He initially entered service as a volunteer officer at the beginning of the Mexican War, and had been assigned to the 5^th (then 2^nd) U.S. Cavalry when it was formed in 1855. He was severely wounded during fighting at Old Church, Virginia on June 13, 1862. He received six saber wounds in hand to hand combat, including “two sabre-contusions on the right side of the head; a cut two inches long on the forehead; a long cut on the left cheek which bled profusely; a cut on the right wrist, dividing a tendon; and an incised fracture, four inches long, of the left parietal bone.” He received a well-deserved brevet promotion for his conduct in the battle, but recovering from his many wounds took many months. He came to Carlisle after serving two months at the Cavalry Bureau in Washington.

As spring turned to summer, activity increased around the depot. The Madison recruiting station closed, and a new one opened in Rochester, New York. Since the regiments were involved in active campaigning, officers from Carlisle were ordered to conduct parties of recruits to their new regiments. If annotated on maps or in reports, these detachments were labeled with the regiment of the officer leading them. A detachment of recruits bound for the 1^st U.S. Cavalry led by an officer of the 3^rd, for example, would be noted as a detachment of the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry.

Lieutenant Hancock McLean of the 6^th U.S. Cavalry conducted a detachment of recruits to the 5^th Cavalry in late May. Lieutenant Frank Stanwood of the 3^rd Cavalry led a detachment of recruits to the 5^th & 6^th U.S. Cavalry in late June. During Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early’s advance on Washington the following month, Lt. Stanwood was ordered by the commander of the Department of the Susquehanna to scout south toward the Potomac. This seemingly errant band of regulars of the “3^rd U.S. Cavalry,” which never served in the eastern theater during the war, has caused confusion among researchers, including this author.

The remainder of the summer and fall passed unremarkably. Captain Thompson of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry opened a recruiting station in St Louis in August. Lieutenant Stanwood conducted another party of 155 recruits to the 5^th U.S. Cavalry in October. An additional 135 recruits were transferred in November, and 142 more in December. Captain Thompson closed the recruiting station in St Louis in November, while stations reopened in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as the year’s campaigning drew to a close.

During the early months of 1865, the depot continued to forward recruits to the field: 129 in January, 134 in February, 123 in March and 94 in April. It is doubtful this last group reached its destination before the cessation of hostilities. At the end of the war, recruiting stations were still operating in Cincinnati, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Rochester.

The careers of several officers other the commanders were significantly affected by recruiting duty. Copley Amory of the 4^th U.S. Cavalry was appointed a second lieutenant from Massachusetts on August 5, 1861. He returned to Carlisle from May to December 1862, when he was returned to his regiment. He was again assigned to the depot in June 1863, this time forwarded to the recruiting station in Boston. After six more months of recruiting duty, he resigned in December 1863.

Irish-born John McDonald enlisted as a private in Company K, 1^st U.S. Dragoons in 1857, and was promoted to first sergeant prior to his appointment as a lieutenant in the same regiment. He was assigned to the depot in October 1862, remaining until ordered to rejoin his regiment on February 6, 1863. On June 15, 1863, he was ordered back to the depot, and remained on recruiting service the rest of the war.

Next is the oft-mentioned Frank Stanwood of the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry. He joined at Carlisle as a new second lieutenant on September 27, 1861. He remained until transferred to his regiment as a first lieutenant on August 21, 1862. He served as the regimental quartermaster from his arrival until January 15, 1863. In April, he was ordered back to the mounted recruiting service, where he remained until February 1865. In all, Stanwood served only twelve months with his regiment during the war. Ironically, he received a brevet promotion to captain on March 13, 1865 “for coolness, energy and skill in battle.” He also received brevets to major and lieutenant colonel the same day for what was probably a more accurate description of “faithful and meritorious service during the war.”

Finally, Robert S. Smith was appointed a second lieutenant in the 2^nd U.S. Dragoons on May 4, 1861. He remained on recruiting service through promotions to first lieutenant and captain. Smith did not actually join his regiment until September 5, 1864, over three years after his appointment! Two weeks later he saw his first combat while leading his company at the battle of Opequon, or 3^rd Winchester on September 19th. Interestingly, his testimony of valor observed on the field in his first fight was later significant in the award of the Medal of Honor to First Sergeant Conrad Schmidt of Company K.

The concluding post of this series will discuss the recruiting stations and list the sources used to compile the article.

The 4th U.S. Cavalry at Stones River

30 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by dccaughey in 1862, 1st/ 4th Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, battle of Stones River, cavalry

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4th U.S. Cavalry, Army of the Cumberland, Civil War, Elmer Otis, Murfreesboro, Stones River, William Rosecrans

(Originally printed in the Lancaster Daily Evening Express, January 28, 1863)

The Story of a Cavalry Soldier

The Fourth Regular Cavalry at Murfreesboro – Feeling the Position of the Enemy – A Brilliant Charge – A Brigade of Rebel Cavalry Routed – A Personal Adventure – A Hazardous Reconnaissance, &c, &c

Correspondence of the Express…

Murfreesboro, Jan. 14, 1863.

Proud of the deeds of the regiment to which I belong – deeds that I will ever make memorable the battle of Murfreesboro, and that have added new luster to the name of “the Fourth Regular Cavalry,” I undertake, as best I can, to describe the battle of Murfreesboro, at least as far as the 4^th Cavalry were concerned.

The vast army under Gen. Rosecrans started from Headquarters on the 20^th ult. Our regiment marched twelve miles and encamped at six o’clock the same evening. We remained here over the 27^th, while the advance kept skirmishing with the advance guard of the rebel army. On the 28^th, we moved three miles further. On the 29^th our heart was made glad by the familiar faces of many old friends in the Seventy-ninth P.V. After a chat of an hour we moved six miles.

On the 30^th we left our teams and started on an old-fashioned jump, making six miles more in a very short time, and were soon in the front, in the presence of our commander, General Rosecrans. The hero of hard-fought battles was gazing ardently upon the surrounding scenery, and with anxious thought contemplating the chances, and so distributing his grand army to secure a glorious victory. A shell exploded on the brow of the hill, killing a member of Company K. After remaining with the general awaiting orders, he sent Companies G and I down the road to find out the position of the enemy. Off we galloped, and the first thing we knew we were right on top of them; wheeling around, we reported and were ordered to ascertain the position on the left, and also to select positions for our batteries. We returned at dark, and the occasional flash of musketry; and the rolling thunder of artillery, indicated a fierce struggle on the extreme right. On the following morning we were ordered to the front, and to us was assigned the honor and weighty task of rallying the broken ranks of Gen. Johnson’s command, which were returning in great disorder. Having checked them somewhat, we entered the woods, where we found many stragglers, who on our approach endeavored to escape. Some took courage, and the remnants of two regiments were rallied by their Colonels.

It was at this juncture that our artillery, or a good part of it, was taken. While dashing through the woods an officer reported to our Colonel the presence of the rebel cavalry in our rear, and had taken one of our hospitals and three hundred prisoners. Quickly moving round by the right in a half circle we neared an open field on the opposite side of which we beheld a brigade of Rebel Cavalry. We dared not stop to count numbers. We must fight. Our Commander gave the word, “Front, into line, charge!” And such a charge! I have been in several before upon the Indians, but the splendor of this eclipsed them all. Our column, small in number, consisting of but a few companies, closed up, and in good order we advanced. When we neared them they broke. On we came, yelling like so many savages, and scattering them like chaff. Two-thirds of our men were fresh recruits, but nobly and well did they march with the regulars. We recaptured three hundred of Johnson’s men, and brought back with us one hundred and seventy Texas Rangers and Ashby’s Cavalry. Owing to the sudden belching forth of a masked battery, they were enabled to retake their wounded. The rally was sounded, and we formed for another charge, but just then an order came for our Commander, Otis, to move his cavalry on the Murfreesboro pike, the rebels having taken the train in the rear. The Volunteer Cavalry were left in charge of the place of our first encounter, and were compelled to retire. Thus the rebels retook some of their own men and a few of ours.

The brave Captain Long was shot in the arm, but brought up his prisoners. When we came on the pike we found five hundred wagons, one battery and any amount of men, in the hands of the rebels. But when they saw the colors and guidons of the 4^th flying they broke, finding temporary shelter in the woods, and leaving all again in our possession. From this time until Sunday morning we were kept watching the rebel cavalry, our horses being under saddle ninety-six hours.

While at the hospital, several rebels endeavored to give us the slip, and your humble servant was under the necessity of putting after three. The first one overtaken proved to be a recaptured Union soldier; the next quietly submitted, but the third was about aiming his revolver and placing me in a dangerous position, which compelled me to do likewise, and, putting my pistol close to his head, I snapped it. I then expected to have my light put out, but the fellow dodged, and when he raised in his saddle found me on the other side with my pistol again at close quarters, and he wisely concluded to give up his pistol and return with me. Pardon this digression, but it shows into what close quarters soldiers are sometimes brought. My rebel acquaintances thought the regulars were thoroughly experienced, and related to me several interesting incidents illustrating the fact.

While we were watching the rebels, the Colonel ordered Sergeants Murphy and Harner to take Company G and get between the rebel pickets, so that they could not see us, and find out their position by their camp-fires. At midnight we mounted the company, while the rain was pouring down on us. Having successfully entered their lines, we were enabled to have a fine view of their camp, although under dangerous circumstances. The little expedition, after two hours’ absence, returned and were reported with honor to Gen. Rosecrans.

On Monday we drove the rebel rear guard two miles, and the fighting was severe. They had two pieces of artillery in the woods, and our skirmishers were dismounted, but kept up a brisk fire until we supported them. Several casualties occurred during this time in our company. Between a raking fire of artillery we had to stand until again supported by a battery, and a regiment of infantry, who, forming in line of battle behind our skirmishers, thrashed the rebels finely. The rebels ceased firing, and we were waiting for something to do, when who should come up but Robert Huay, with his gun upon his shoulder, having before done good service and ready to do more. We are now brigaded for the first time, and our old and faithful Captain is acting Brigadier, and will soon we hope be one.

I have this endeavored to give an account of the doings of the 4^th Cavalry, which even to-day, as it passes the line, elicits rousing cheers from the whole army of the Cumberland.

– Regular.

Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to determine the author of this article. More than likely, of course, he was from Lancaster, but he certainly was not the only member of the regiment born there. I was unable to determine anything about Robert Huay either, but I did discover some information on the two sergeants of Company G mentioned in the article.

Martin Murphy was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1832. He was working as a porter in New York City when he was enlisted into Company G, 1^st U.S. Cavalry on December 22, 1856 by Captain Gordon Granger. His enlistment documents describe him as 5’9” tall, with gray eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion. He was promoted to sergeant during his first enlistment, and was re-enlisted by Lieutenant Warner at Fort Wise, Colorado Territory on November 1, 1861. Sergeant Murphy was killed in action near Ringgold, GA on September 16, 1863 while still serving as a sergeant in Company G, 4^th Cavalry.

John Harner was born in Lancaster, PA in 1835. He was working as a carpenter in Rock Island, Illinois prior to his enlistment. Lieutenant Elmer Otis enlisted him into Company G, 1^st U.S. Cavalry on November 29, 1856. His enlistment documents describe him as 5’5” tall, with blue eyes, sandy har and a ruddy complexion. He was promoted to corporal during his first enlistment, and to sergeant sometime before December 1862. He was also re-enlisted by Lieutenant Warner at Fort Wise, but five days after Sergeant Murphy, on November 6, 1861. He also fell afoul of bad luck, as he was serving as a paroled prisoner of war at Camp Parole, Annapolis, Maryland when his enlistment expired on April 3, 1865.

The 1^st U.S. Cavalry was re-designated as the 4^th U.S. Cavalry in August 1861. The officer alternately referred to as the Colonel or Commander was actually Captain Elmer Otis, who commanded the regiment during the battle. As the author describes, the cavalry of the Army of the Cumberland, under former 4^th Cavalry officer Brigadier General David S. Stanley, was reorganized in late 1862 and early 1863. The 4^th U.S. Cavalry was ultimately assigned to the 1^st Brigade, 2^nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Colonel Robert H.G. Minty.

Birth of the Reserve Brigade, Part 1

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by dccaughey in 1st Cavalry, 2nd Cavalry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 5th Cavalry, 6th Cavalry, Reserve Brigade

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150 years ago today, the Reserve Brigade was born. In Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac General Order No.4, Brigadier General George Stoneman laid out the organization of the newly-created Cavalry Corps. He was assigned command of the corps five days before on February 7^th. The order was written by Assistant Adjutant General A. J. Alexander, on detached duty from his position as a captain in the 3^rd U.S. Cavalry. I have omitted the sections that do not apply to the Reserve Brigade.

“February 12, 1863. General Orders No. 4, Headquarters Cavalry Corps.

“II. The cavalry of the corps shall be organized as follows: … The Reserve Brigade, Brig. Gen. John Buford commanding. – First United States, Second United States, Fourth United States, Fifth United States, and Sixth United States.”

This formation wasn’t nearly as powerful as it looked on paper. Only one squadron of the 4^th Cavalry was present with the army, the remainder serving in the western theater. The remaining regiments were understrength and led by junior officers. This will be examined in a separate post.

The idea of a cavalry reserve was not a new one in the Army of the Potomac. Under McClellan, it appeared to mean simply, where to put the cavalry regiments he hadn’t given to someone else. During the previous year’s campaigning, it had consisted primarily of the regular regiments and a select few volunteer regiments. The two small brigades of the cavalry reserve had borne the brunt of the campaigning on the peninsula.

“III. The Reserve will be encamped in the vicinity of general headquarters.”

At the time the order was published, Cavalry Corps headquarters was located near White Oak Church. Its picket posts extended over twenty miles from this location, as far as Banks and United States Fords on the Rappahannock River.

“IV. A detail of one squadron will be furnished to each of the corps of this army to act as orderlies, messengers, &c. … The details for these and general headquarters will be furnished from the Reserve Brigade.”

The creation of the Cavalry Corps did not immediately ease the burden of the multitude of orderly taskings to commanders of the infantry formations. The burden of the squadron details for Cavalry Corps headquarters and headquarters, Army of the Potomac fell on the Reserve Brigade initially. Army Headquarters duty was performed by Companies A & E, 4^th U.S. Cavalry. Cavalry Corps headquarters duty rotated among the other regiments.

“V. The general commanding the corps is desirous that every legitimate means within the reach of the officers and men under his command may be made use of to fit and perfect themselves for the most vigorous and rapid movements. Requisitions have been made for pack-saddles sufficient to supply the wants of the whole command, and the general gives this timely notice to all that it is his intention to dispense with the use of wagons in all active field service of cavalry.”

This paragraph was more a statement of intention to wield the corps as an active and offensive organization than a set of instructions to subordinate units. The pack-saddle concept, though attempted during Stoneman’s Raid in May, never really came to fruition.

“VI. All horses permanently disabled, or which cannot by the means of treatment be made available within a reasonable time, will be turned over to the quartermaster’s department after proper condemnation by competent authority.”

I am really not sure why this was included in the order, unless it had become a problem. Reporting numbers of unserviceable horses per company in each regiment was a requirement in the regular regiments prior to the war, and hadn’t been discontinued.

Sources: OR, Vol. 25, pt. 2, pgs. 71-72

Frank Welcher, The Union Army, pg 516

Regular Cavalry in the Civil War

Category Archives: 4th U.S. Cavalry

Yellowstone and the Cavalry

Fiddler’s Green: William B. Royall

Fiddler’s Green: John A. Thompson

The Court Martial of Charles Bates

Fiddler’s Green: Thomas Hood McCormick

Fiddler’s Green: James B. McIntyre

Carlisle Barracks and the Mounted Recruiting Service, part 4

Carlisle Barracks and the Mounted Recruiting Service, part 3

The 4th U.S. Cavalry at Stones River

Birth of the Reserve Brigade, Part 1