The 22nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

History

The regiment was formed in February 1864, at

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Franklin County, in the South Central Pennsylvania, South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Gre ...

, by the consolidation of two battalions, the Ringgold Cavalry and a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

raised during the Gettysburg Campaign. The seven companies were mostly raised in Washington County. Jacob C. Higgins was selected to serve as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, A. J. Greenfield as lieutenant colonel, and George T. Work, Elias S. Troxell, and Henry A. Myers as

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

s. The 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry was sent to Maryland for training, after which it was assigned to the Department of West Virginia. The dismounted men were assigned to the Reserve Division, while the mounted portion of the unit became part of the 2nd Brigade, First Cavalry Division. A detachment of the regiment, under the command of Major George T. Work, fought in the Battle of Moorefield on August 7, 1864. The regiment fought in several skirmishes during the Lynchburg Campaign and Early's Raid on Washington. In August, it was assigned to the Army of the Shenandoah as part of the 3rd Brigade, Cavalry Corps. It fought in several battles of Sheridan's campaign, such as at the

Battle of Opequon The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confede ...

and the

Battle of Cedar Creek The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, was fought on October 19, 1864, during the American Civil War. The fighting took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, near Cedar Creek, Middletown, and the Valley Pike. D ...

. In December, it was sent back to the Department of West Virginia, where it spent the remainder of the war chasing down

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

. On June 24, 1865, it was consolidated with the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry to form the 3rd Pennsylvania Provisional Cavalry.
Pennsylvania in the Civil War website

Casualties

* Killed and mortally wounded: 0 officers, 33 enlisted men * Wounded: ? officers, ? enlisted men * Captured or missing: ? officers, ? enlisted men * Died of disease: 1 officer, 96 enlisted men * Total: ? officers, ? enlisted men

References

External links

* {{Internet Archive, 00952168.3295.emory.edu, Elwood's stories of the old Ringgold Cavalry, 1847-1865: the first three year cavalry of the Civil War : with introduction by the Rev. H.H. Ryland (1914) Units and formations of the Union army from Pennsylvania History of Washington County, Pennsylvania 1864 establishments in Pennsylvania Military units and formations established in 1864 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

History

Casualties

See also

References

External links