United States 2nd Cavalry (Union)

LieutenantCharles E. Farrand

ColonelFranz Sigel

Wilson's Creek

In the summer of 1861, the Union and the Confederacy struggled for control of Missouri. Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon Army of the West was camped at Springfield, Missouri, with Confederate troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch and Maj. Gen. Sterling Price approaching.READ MORE

LieutenantJames Powell

ColonelRichard J. Oglesby

Brigadier GeneralJohn A. McClernand

Fort Donelson

Early in the war, Union commanders realized control of the major rivers would be the key to success in the Western Theater.READ MORE

Brigadier GeneralW.H.L. Wallace

ColonelJames M. Tuttle

Brigadier GeneralW.H.L. Wallace

Shiloh

On the morning of April 6, 1862, 40,000 Confederate soldiers under the command of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston poured out of the nearby woods and struck the encamped divisions of Union soldiers occupying ground near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River.READ MORE

MajorGranville O. Haller

Seven Pines

Gen. Joseph E. Johnston withdrew his army from the Virginia Peninsula toward the Confederate capital of Richmond as Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's army pursued him. By the end of May, Johnston held a defensive position seven miles east of the city on the Richmond and York River Railroad. McClellan's army facing Johnston straddled the Chickahominy River and stretched south. Capturing the initiative from his Union foe, Johnston attempted to overwhelm two Federal corps isolated south of the river. The Confed…READ MORE

MajorCharles J. Whiting

Brigadier GeneralJohn Buford

Chancellorsville

On April 27, 1863, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker launched a turning movement designed to pry Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia out of its lines at Fredericksburg.READ MORE

CaptainWesley Merritt

MajorCharles J. Whiting

Brandy Station

> *As we emerged from the woods into an open space or field where our mounted skirmishers were deployed, it was clearly discovered that our troops were confronted with a heavy line of infantry, who, with weapons of a longer range than that of our carbines, were dismounting our men at a fearful rate, whilst they were unable to inflict any punishment upon the enemy. As Colonel Devin approached the skirmish line, he at once became the target for the Rebel sharp shooters and, the way the minnie balls were whiz…READ MORE

CaptainTheophilus F. Rodenbough

Brigadier GeneralWesley Merritt

Brigadier GeneralJohn Buford

Gettysburg

In the summer of 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee launched his second invasion of the Northern states. Lee sought to capitalize on recent Confederate victories and defeat the Union army on Northern soil, which he hoped would force the Lincoln administration to negotiate for peace. Lee also sought to take the war out of the ravaged Virginia farmland and gather supplies for his Army of Northern Virginia. Using the Shenandoah Valley as cover for his army, Lee was pursued first by Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Ho…READ MORE

CaptainCharles McJ. Loeser Cpt Daniel S. Gordon

CaptainTheophilus F. Rodenbough

Brigadier GeneralAlfred T. A. Torbert

CaptainTheophilus F. Rodenbough

CaptainCharles McJ. Loeser Cpt Daniel S. Gordon

Trevilian Station

In June of 1864, hoping to draw attention away from Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's movement south, destroy supply lines, and join up with Brig. Gen. David Hunter in Charlottesville, Union cavalry commander Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan embarked on a cavalry raid. Near Trevilian Station, Virginia, he clashed with Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gens. Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee. On June 11th, while Hampton's men struggled against Union forces on one road, Lee's men advancing on a parallel road fell back, allow…READ MORE

CaptainRobert S. Smith

CaptainTheophilus F. Rodenbough

ColonelCharles Russell Lowell

Brigadier GeneralWesley Merritt

CaptainTheophilus F. Rodenbough

Third Winchester

To clear the Shenandoah River valley of Confederates, Maj. Gen. Phil Sheridan moved on Winchester in mid-September 1864. Sheridan's force of over 39,000 men was more than twice the size of Maj. Gen. Jubal Early's Confederate army defending the valley. After Brig. Gen. Joseph Kershaw's division left Winchester to rejoin Robert E. Lee's army at Petersburg, Early renewed his raids on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Martinsburg in the lower valley, dispersing his four remaining infantry divisions. On Septem…READ MORE

CaptainRobert S. Smith

ColonelCharles Russell Lowell

Lieutenant ColonelCaspar Crowninshield

ColonelCharles Russell Lowell

Cedar Creek

Also known as: Cedar Creek, Belle GroveREAD MORE