DK - The American Civil War

CAVALRY IN THE CIVIL WAR

After the Civil War the cavalry became,

for a time, the most prestigious and most

numerous branch of the U.S. Army.

PLAINS INDIAN WARS

After the war, attention turned to subduing

Native American tribes on the Plains of the

Western frontier. Congress authorized the U.S.

Army to raise ten cavalry units, two of which

were African-American regiments—nicknamed

“buffalo soldiers.” Despite the disaster suffered by

Custer’s 7th Cavalry at Little Big Horn, the U.S.

cavalry finally defeated the Indians. By 1877, the

regular army contained 10,970 cavalry,

compared with fewer than 10,000 infantry.

FINAL FLOURISH

The last major cavalry operation was in 1916

when General Pershing pursued Pancho Villa’s

irregulars into Mexico. By World War II, all cavalry

divisions were abandoning horses to become

armored or mechanized formations—later

extended to the introduction of airborne

cavalry relying on helicopters for mobility.

weapon of the cavalryman, but in the
Civil War sabers were rarely more than
decorative; Southern cavalry often did
not carry them at all. Pistols, such as
Colt or Remington revolvers, were the
standard weapons. Union troopers were
issued carbines—typically the Sharps
model—and later in the war sometimes
with the repeater Spencer rifle.
Southern units could not match this
level of weaponry, often equipping
themselves with infantry rifled muskets
or even shotguns.

Roles of the cavalry
The Confederates were the first to
create cavalry units that operated
independently, while the Union initially
tended to distribute horsemen among
infantry formations, where they
performed mundane duties as scouts,
camp pickets, and guards for railroads.
Jeb Stuart’s spectacular ride around

the Union army during the Peninsula

Campaign in June 1862 pointed the way

to the use of cavalry for reconnaissance

and raids into enemy-held territory.

Few efforts were made to introduce

the traditional European-style cavalry

charge against infantry and artillery;

the firepower present on the field

would have made this move effectively

suicidal. Cavalrymen did play a key role

in battles, usually by dismounting and

fighting on foot ahead of their line in

the style of skirmishing infantry. On

foot, Union cavalry with carbines were

formidable opponents in a firefight.

Destructive raids

It was the long-distance raid behind

enemy lines where a cavalry unit came

into its own. In the wide open spaces

of the West, a body of horsemen could

move undetected, striking suddenly

to destroy railroad or telegraph links,

plunder depots, and overrun isolated

garrisons. The Confederates set the

example. In 1862, General Nathan

Bedford Forrest and General John

Morgan led raids badly disrupting Union

operations in the Western Theater. In

effect fighting as guerrilla forces, the

South’s cavalry roamed across hundreds

of miles in the Union rear, tying down

troops ten times their number. Their

impact was such that, during General

William T. Sherman’s advance on

Atlanta in 1864, almost 100,000 Union

troops were engaged in the defense of

communications and pursuit of enemy

marauders. But the Union responded.

General Benjamin Grierson’s 400-mile

(640-km) sweep through Confederate-

held territory from Tennessee to

Louisiana in 1863 played a major part

in Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign.

Northern advantage

In the end, the Union’s

superior resources would

give it the advantage.

From 1864, General Philip

Sheridan’s cavalry corps

was a dominant force in

the Eastern Theater. His

pursuit of Lee’s army in

the final stage of the war

was an example of cavalry

used in a traditional role

to great effect. By the

war’s end, Union cavalry

outnumbered Confederate

horsemen by two to one.

Short of decent mounts and

fodder, the Confederate

cavalry was reduced to a

sorry condition, some of

its units little better than

bandits engaged in a

struggle for survival.

AFTER

Sergeant’s boots

These leather boots belonged to Union Sergeant Charles

Darling. Cavalrymen normally bought their own boots.

Even well-worn boots were highly desirable plunder to

be stolen from any fallen enemy.

Sheridan at the Battle of Winchester

One of the rare saber charges of the war was conducted by

two of Sheridan’s divisions at Winchester in the Shenandoah

Valley on September 19, 1864. Even at this battle, however,

Union cavalry did the most damage with their carbines.

Union cavalry skirmishing
This contemporary sketch shows troopers of the 1st
Maine Cavalry Regiment. They are fighting dismounted
in a skirmish line—the most common and often most
effective way for cavalry to engage in Civil War battles.

“There are only two arms

that cavalry should use ... the

repeating magazine gun ...

and the revolver.”

UNION CAVALRY COMMANDER JAMES H. WILSON

Roweled

spur

Built-up

sole

Spur

strap

The number of

Union cavalry

enrolled at the end of the Civil War.

In contrast, Confederate cavalry

numbered around 40,000.

80,000