The 3rd New York Cavalry Regiment ("Van Alen 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 ...

that served in 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 ...

Service

The 3rd New York Cavalry was organized by companies beginning in July 1861 and mustered in September 9, 1861 at

Meridian Hill Meridian Hill is a small urban Neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in Northwest (Washington, D.C.), Northwest D.C. Meridian Hill is often considered to be a part of the larger neighborhoods of Adams Morgan ...

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 ...

under the command of

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 ...

James H. Van Alen. The regiment was attached to Banks' Division,

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 ...

(5 companies), and Stone's Division, Army of the Potomac (6 companies), to December 1861. Stone's Corps of Observation to March 1862. Defenses of Washington, D.C., to April 1862. Unattached,

Department of North Carolina Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

, to December 1862. Unattached, XVIII Corps, Department of North Carolina, to May 1863. Cavalry Brigade, XVIII Corps, to July 1863. Defenses of New Bern, North Carolina,

Department of Virginia and North Carolina The Department of Virginia and North Carolina was a United States Military department encompassing Union-occupied territory in the Confederate States during the Civil War. In 1863, it was formed by the merging of two previously existing departm ...

, to October 1863. Heckman's Command, Newport News, Virginia, Department of Virginia and North Carolina, to December 1863. Heckman's Command, Portsmouth, Virginia, Department of Virginia and North Carolina, to April 1864. 1st Brigade,

August Kautz August Valentine Kautz (January 5, 1828 – September 4, 1895) was a German-American officer. He served in the Rogue River Wars and Puget Sound War. He served as a general in the Union cavalry during the American Civil War. He was the author of s ...

's Cavalry Division,

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

, Department of Virginia and North Carolina, to December 1864. Norfolk, Virginia, to January 1865. Portsmouth, Virginia, to March 1865. Suffolk, Virginia, to June 1865. Norfolk, Virginia, to July 1865. The 3rd New York Cavalry ceased to exist on July 21, 1865 when it was consolidated with the 1st New York Mounted Rifles to form the 4th New York Provisional Cavalry.

Detailed service

Duty in the defenses of Washington, D.C., and on the Upper Potomac until April 1862. Operations on the Potomac October 21–24, 1861. Near Goose Creek and on Leesburg Road October 21. Ball's Bluff October 21. Near Edward's Ferry October 22. Bunker Hill, Va., March 5, 1862. Winchester March 10. Ordered to the Department of North Carolina April 6. Haughton's Mills April 27. Near Burnt Church May 7. Reconnaissance toward Trenton May 15–16. Trenton Bridge May 15. Young's Cross Roads and Pollocksville May 15–16. Tranter's Creek May 30 (Company I). Greenville Road May 81. Tranter's Creek June 2, 5, and 24 (Company I). Swift Creek Bridge June 28 (detachment). Tranter's Creek July 10. Expedition to Trenton and Pollocksville July 24–28. Trenton and Pollocksville July 25. Mill Creek July 26 (Company K). Pollocksville July 26 (Company K). Reconnaissance to Young's Cross Roads July 26–29 (detachments). Near Young's Cross Roads July 27. Trenton and Kinston Road August 6. Reconnaissance to Swansboro August 14–15. Washington, N.C., September 6 (Companies D, G, H, I, and L). Tranter's Creek September 9. Washington October 5 Pingo Creek October 29. Expedition from New Bern October 30-November 12. Rawle's Mills November 2. Near Tarboro November 5. Demonstration on New Bern November 11. Core Creek November 18. Foster's Expedition to Goldsborough December 11–20. Kinston Road December 11–12. Southwest Creek December 13–14. Kinston December 14. Whitehall Bridge December 15. Olive Station, Goshen Swamp, and Whitehall December 16. Dudley Station, Thompson's Bridge, and Goldsborough December 17. Core Creek January 8, 1863. Reconnaissance to Pollocksville, Tranter's, Young's Cross Roads, and Onslow January 17–21. Pollocksville and Northeast River January 17. Near Tranter's January 18. Young's Cross Roads January 18–19. White Oak Creek January 19. Near Jacksonville January 20. Sandy Ridge and near Washington February 13. Near New Bern February 27. Expedition to Swann's Quarter March 1–6 (Company F). Near Fairfield March 3 (Company F). Skeet March 3. Near Fairfield and Swann's Quarter March 3–4 (Company F). Demonstration on Kinston March 6–8 (Companies A, E, and H). Core Creek March 7 (Companies A, E, and H). Dover March 7 (Company H). Expedition to Mattamuskeet Lake March 7–14 (Company F). Deep Gully New Bern, March 13–14 (detachment). Siege of Washington March 30-April 20 (1 company). White Forks April 3. Gum Swamp April 4. Swann's Quarter April 4. Rodman's Point April 4–5 (1 company). Near Dover, Core Creek, and Young's Cross Roads April 7. Little Swift Creek April 8. Blount's and Swift Creek April 9. Expedition to Swift Creek Village April 13–21 (detachment). Trent Road April 13–14. Near New Bern April 15. Peletier's Mills April 16. Expedition toward Kinston April 16–21 (Company H). Expedition to Little Washington April 17–19 (detachment). Railroad Crossing, Core Creek, April 17–18. Big Swift Creek April 19. Sandy Ridge April 20 (Company H). Expedition toward Kinston April 27-May 1 (detachment). Wise's Cross Roads and Dover Road April 28. Near Core Creek April 29. Core Creek April 30. Evans' Mills May 5. Peletter's Mills May 5 (4 companies). Stony Creek May 7 (4 companies). Demonstration on Kinston May 20–23 (4 companies). Gum Swamp May 22 (4 companies). Bachelor's Creek May 23. Washington May 24. Tranter's Creek, Jacksonville. May 31-June 2. Plymouth June 16. Scout to ? Creek June 17–18. Raid on Wilmington & Weldon Railroad July 3–7 (detachment). Trenton July 8. Hallsville July 4. Warsaw and Kenensville July 5. Tar River Expedition July 18–24. Swift Creek July 18. Near Greenville July 19. Tarboro and Rocky Mount Station July 20. Sparta July 20. Hookerstown July 21. Swift Creek and Street's Ferry July 22. Scupperton July 22. Pollocksville July 26. Near New Bern October 7. Camden Court House and Dismal Swamp November 3. Operations about New Bern against Whiting January 18-February 4, 1864. Wistar's Expedition toward Richmond February 6–8, 1864. Bettom's Bridge and Baltimore Cross Roads February 7. Kautz's Raid against Petersburg & Weldon Railroad May 5–11. Wall's Bridge May 5. Stony Creek Station, Weldon Railroad, May 7. Nottaway Railroad Bridge May 8. White's Bridge, Nottaway River, May 8–9. Kautz's Raid on Richmond & Danville Railroad May 12–17. Flat Creek Bridge, near Chula Depot, May 14. Belcher's Mills May 16. Bermuda Hundred May 17–30. Near Hatcher's Run June 2. Near Petersburg June 9. Baylor's Farm June 15. Assaults on Petersburg June 15–18. Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond June 16-December 1, 1864. Wilson's Raid on South Side & Danville Railroad June 22–30. Roanoke Bridge June 25. Sappony Church or Stony Creek June 28. Ream's Station June 29. Deep Bottom July 27–29. Malvern Hill August 1. Yellow Tavern August 19–21. Ream's Station August 23–25. Lee's Mills August 31. Reconnaissance to Sycamore Church September 5–6. Prince George Court House September 15. Jerusalem Plank Road and Sycamore Church September 16. Prince George Court House September 22. Chaffin's Farm September 28–30. Charles City Cross Roads October 1. Derbytown Road October 7 and 13. Johnson's Farm and New Market Road October 7. Chaffin's Farm October 8. Charles City Cross Roads October 20. Fair Oaks October 27–28. Charles City Cross Roads November 1. Darbytown Road November 15. Moved to Norfolk, Va., December, and duty there until January 1865. Operations about Broadwater Ferry, Chowan River, December 11–19. Duty at Suffolk, Portsmouth and Norfolk until July. Scout to South Quay January 2, 1865 (Companies A, B, C, H, and L). Expedition to Murfree's Depot, N.C., March 10–11. South Quay March 11.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 199 men during service; 3 officers and 45 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 150 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

James H. Van Alen - promoted * Colonel Simon H. Mix - mortally wounded * Colonel George W. Lewis

Notable members

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 ...

George W. Cole George W. Cole (March 26, 1827 – December 9, 1875) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. His wartime commands included the 2nd United States Colored Cavalry Regiment, and he attained the rank of major general by br ...

- commissioned colonel of the

2nd United States Colored Cavalry Regiment The 2nd United States Colored Cavalry Regiment was an Military history of African Americans in the American Civil War, African-American military unit that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 2nd Colored Cavalry fought in Vi ...

and attained rank of brevet major general. *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

George Edward Gouraud -

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient for action at Honey Hill, November 30, 1864

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * Stahler, Enoch. ''Enoch Stahler, Miller and Soldier: First Lieutenant Third New York Cavalry, Member of the Loyal Legion'' (Washington, DC: Hayworth Pub. House), 1909. ;Attribution * {{CWR

External links

Regimental flag of the 3rd New York Cavalry
Military units and formations established in 1861 1861 establishments in New York (state) Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Cavalry 003