The 2nd New York Cavalry Regiment, officially known as the 2nd Regiment, New York Volunteer Cavalry, was a unit 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 ...

. It served with the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

and fought in Stoneman's 1863 raid, the

Wilson–Kautz Raid The Wilson–Kautz Raid was a cavalry operation in south central Virginia in late June 1864, during the American Civil War. Occurring early in the Siege of Petersburg, Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, the raid was conducted by Union Army, Union cava ...

, and the

Battle of Appomattox Station The Battle of Appomattox Station was fought between a Union Army (Army of the Potomac, Army of the James, Army of the Shenandoah) cavalry division under the command of Brigadier General ( Brevet Major General) George Armstrong Custer and ...

. A soldier from the Second New York Cavalry is featured in Chapter XIII of MacKinlay Kantor's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Andersonville" (1955).

History

Colonel J. Mansfield Davies was authorized by the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...

to recruit the regiment, unofficially known as the Harris Light Cavalry, on July 25, 1861. Its twelve companies were recruited as follows: * Company A at New York City,

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, and

Newton, New Jersey Newton, officially the ''Town of Newton'', is an Local government in the United States, incorporated municipality in and the county seat of Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex CountyDeckertown, New Jersey, * Companies C and D – known as the Connecticut Squadron – at Hartford, *Company E at New York City,

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

, Fort Edward, and Cambridge, New York, * Company F at

Covington, Indiana Covington is a city in, and the county seat of, Fountain County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,645 at the 2010 census. History Fountain County was formed on April 1, 1826. Later that year, the county seat was established at Covin ...

Fairfield, Vermont Fairfield is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States, chartered in 1763. The population was 2,044 at the 2020 census. President Chester A. Arthur was born in Fairfield in 1829, and lived there for the first three years of his life. ...

, Troy, and

Richfield Springs, New York Richfield Springs is a Village (New York), village located in the Richfield, New York, Town of Richfield, on the north-central border of Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,050 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from ...

, * Company G at New York City, Newburgh, and Fort Edward, * Company H at Chambersburg, Indiana, *Company I at

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( ) is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Lafayette ...

, * Company K at

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...

, Newark, and

Rockaway, New Jersey Rockaway is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,598, an increase of 160 (+2.5%) from the 2010 census count of 6,438, which in turn reflected a decl ...

, New York City, Troy, and Richfield Springs, * Company L at New York City,

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

, Troy, Fort Ann, Fort Edward and Litchfield, and * Company M at New York City, Newburgh,

Plattsburgh Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding (and separately in ...

and

Port Henry Port Henry is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet (and census-designated place) in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2010 census. Port Henry lies on the eastern side of the town of Moriah, New York, Moriah and is app ...

. The regiment was organized at

Scarsdale, New York Scarsdale is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Scarsdale is coterminous municipality, coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate ...

, where it was mustered into Federal service for a term of three years between August 9 and October 8, 1861. The War Department designated the regiment as the 7th United States Cavalry on October 26, but it was transferred to New York state service as the 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry, as Congress had not provided for a seventh

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

cavalry regiment. After leaving New York during September and October, the regiment served with McDowell's Division of the

from the latter month, on duty in the defenses of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

It was transferred to the Third Division of the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac in March 1862, and in May briefly became part of

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

's Division of the

Department of the Rappahannock The Department of the Rappahannock was a department of the Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, Eastern Theater of the American Civil War that existed from April 4, 1862 to September 12, 1862.Eicher, 2001, p. 844. On Apr ...

. The 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry formed part of the Cavalry Brigade of the Second Division of the Third Corps of the

Army of Virginia The Army of Virginia was organized as a major unit of the Union Army and operated briefly and unsuccessfully in 1862 in the American Civil War. It should not be confused with its principal opponent, the Confederate Army of ''Northern'' Virginia ...

(temporarily redesignated from the First Corps) from June. It was transferred to

Bayard Bayard may refer to: People *Bayard (given name) * Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places Antarctica * Bayard Islands, off the coast of Graham Land, Antarctica Canada * Bayard, Saskatch ...

's Cavalry Brigade of the Army of the Potomac in September, while Companies A, B, I, and K were detached to the Third Division of the First Corps during September and October. J. Mansfield Davies resigned on December 6, and was replaced as colonel by regimental Lieutenant Colonel

Judson Kilpatrick Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (January 14, 1836 – December 4, 1881) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of major general. He was later the United States Minister to Chile and an unsuccessful candidate ...

. After Bayard's death, the brigade that included the regiment came under the command of Brigadier General

David McMurtrie Gregg David McMurtrie Gregg (April 10, 1833 – August 7, 1916) was an American farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War. Early life and career Gregg was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was the first cousin of fu ...

on December 15. 2nd-NY-Cav-Monument

The 2nd New York was assigned to the First Brigade of the Third Division of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac on February 11, 1863, detaching a battalion to the First Brigade of the First Division of the Fourth Corps for service on the

Virginia Peninsula The Virginia Peninsula is the natural landform located in southeast Virginia outlined by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the ''Lower Peninsula'' to distinguish it from two other penins ...

between May and July. During Stoneman's 1863 raid, the regiment was sent against Richmond and the Chickahominy railroad bridges. After Kilpatrick was promoted to brigadier general on June 13, Lieutenant Colonel Henry E. Davies was promoted to colonel in his stead three days later. The regiment was transferred to the Second Brigade of the Second Division of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac on June 14. It again returned to the First Brigade of the Third Division of the Cavalry Corps on August 12. Davies was promoted to brigadier general on September 16, leaving regimental Lieutenant Colonel Otto Harhaus, promoted to colonel on April 1, 1864, in command. During the

, on June 23, 1864, the regiment tore up tracks on the South Side Railroad at Ford's Depot. When the regimental term of service expired, those who had served out their terms were discharged and on August 29, the recruits and reenlisted veterans of the 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry was consolidated into a four-company battalion including Companies A, B, C, and D that continued in service. Eight new companies, recruited for a one year term of service, expanded the 2nd New York Cavalry to a regiment again by their addition in September and October. The eight new companies were recruited as follows: *Company E – known as the Ticonderoga Cavalry Company – at Plattsburgh and Ticonderoga, *Company F at Elmira and

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, *Companies G and H at Manlius, Rochester, Elbridge,

Onondaga Onondaga may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Onondaga people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois League * Onondaga (village), Onondaga settlement and traditional Iroquois capit ...

, Syracuse,

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

, DeWitt, Chenango, Spafford, Lafayette, Albany, Salina, Skaneateles and Geddes, *Company I at Hart's Island,

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Town of Poughkeepsie, New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson River Valley region, midway between the core of the New ...

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Tarrytown Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on th ...

and Albany, *Company K at Mount Morris, Goshen, Farmington, Poughkeepsie, Avon, Hopewell and Elmira, and *Companies L and M at New York City and

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. Harhaus was mustered out on September 10, leaving regimental Major Walter Clark Hull in command. Hull was promoted to colonel on November 1, but was killed in a skirmish at Cedar Creek on November 12. After the death of Hull, Lieutenant Colonel Mortimer B. Birdseye was temporarily in command of the regiment from December 1. Colonel Alanson M. Randol took command of the regiment on December 23, which he led for the rest of the war. The 2nd New York remained with the Cavalry Corps until being transferred to serve with the cavalry of the Army of the Shenandoah in October 1864, before returning to the Army of the Potomac in March 1865. At the

on April 8, the regiment, advancing at the head of Pennington's Brigade, captured three Confederate railroad trains loaded with supplies at the station. To secure the trains from nearby Confederate cavalry, Randol ordered the trains crewed with soldiers who were former railwaymen, who drove the trains toward

Edward Ord Edward Otho Cresap Ord (October 18, 1818 – July 22, 1883), frequently referred to as E. O. C. Ord, was an American engineer and United States Army officer who saw action in the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the American Civil War. He comma ...

's column. Randol and the eight companies recruited in 1864 mustered out on June 5 at

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, followed by the remaining four companies on June 23. During its service, seven officers and 67 enlisted men were killed in action, two officers and 47 enlisted men died of wounds, and three officers and 246 enlisted men died of disease and other causes for total deaths of twelve officers and 360 enlisted men. Of these, one officer and 106 enlisted men died while in Confederate prisons.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* – Contains ''Register of Officers Commissioned in Volunteer Regiments from the state of New York, 1861–1865.'' * * * * * ** ** *{{Cite book, url=https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/research/DigBooks/Phisterer_NYWarOfTheRebellion/Phisterer_NewYorkInTheWarOfTheRebellion_V1.pdf, title=New York in the War of the Rebellion, last=Phisterer, first=Frederick, publisher=J. B. Lyon Company, year=1912, edition=3rd, volume=1, location=Albany

External links

2nd New York Cavalry Regiment page at New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs Unit History Project

Song of the Harris Light Cavalry, 1863 at Library of Congress
Cavalry 002 1861 establishments in New York (state) Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

History

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links