The 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment was a

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

cavalry

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

Service

The 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment was organized at

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jan ...

, from November 30, 1861, to January 31, 1862, and was mustered in on January 28, 1862, under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge ...

William Augustus Barstow. The regiment was attached to Solomon's 1st Brigade, Herron's 1st Division,

Army of the Frontier The Army of the Frontier was a Union army that served in the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the Civil War. It fought in several minor engagements in Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Kansas. In June 1863 the Army was discontinued but many of i ...

Department of Missouri The Department of the Missouri was a command echelon of the United States Army in the 19th century and a sub division of the Military Division of the Missouri that functioned through the Indian Wars. History Background Following the successf ...

, to November 1862. Cavalry Command, Herron's Division, Army of the Frontier, to June 1863. District of the Frontier, Department of Missouri, to December 1863. 3rd Brigade, District of the Frontier, to January 1864. Unassigned, District of the Frontier, VII Corps, Department of Arkansas, to April 1864. Unassigned, Little Rock, Arkansas, VII Corps, to September 1864. 4th Brigade, Cavalry Division, VII Corps, to February 1865. Cavalry Brigade, Post of Little Rock, VII Corps, to April 1865. Unassigned, 1st Division, VII Corps, to June 1865. District of South Kansas, to September 1865. All but two companies of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry mustered out of service at

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

, on September 29, 1865. Company L mustered out on October 23, 1865, and Company L mustered out on October 27, 1865, also at Fort Leavenworth.

Detailed service

Moved to St. Louis, Mo., March 26–28, 1862, and duty at Benton Barracks, Mo., until May 23. Moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., May 23–27. Assigned to frontier and provost duty in Kansas until September 1862. Company D at Atchison; Company G at Shawnee; Company L at Aubrey; Companies B and H at Fort Leavenworth; Companies A, E, and K at Leavenworth City. Companies C, F, I, and M moved to Fort Scott, Kan., June 12–17. Company C stationed at Trading Post until August; Company I at Carthage until August. Action at Monticello August 5. Rocky Bluff August 7. Taberville August 11. Expedition to Montevallo August 14–24. Hickory Grove August 23. Regiment assembled at Fort Scott September. Expedition from Fort Leavenworth to Independence August 12–14, 1862. (Companies I and M at Fort Scott until May 1863; also Companies C and G, December 1862 to July 1863; Company G relieved and ordered to the regiment.) 1st and 3rd Battalions in Blount's Campaign in Missouri and Arkansas against Raines and Parsons September to December 1862. Cross Hollows September 27–28. Newtonia September 30. Occupation of Newtonia October 4. Cane Hill November 28. Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7. Expedition over Boston Mountains to Van Buren, Ark., December 27–29. Dripping Springs December 28. Carthage, Mo., January 13, 1863. Moved to Forsythe, thence to Springfield, Mo. Duty there and at Drywood until June. Scouting in southwest counties of Missouri and northwest Arkansas, and operating against Patty's, Livingston's and Quantrill's guerrillas, with numerous skirmishes in Barton, Jasper and Newton Counties. Action at Carrollton March 2. Yellville March 4. The Island March 30. Clapper's Saw Mill, near Crooked Creek, Indian Territory, March 31 (detachment). Jackson County April 2. Companies B, O, H, I, and M marched to Fort Blount, Cherokee Nation, as escort to train, May 14–30. Near Fort Gibson May 20 and 25, and near Fort Blount May 30. Regiment moved to Fort Blount June 20-July 5. Action at Cabin Creek July 1–2 (Company B). Honey Springs July 17 and August 22. Perryville August 26. Marias Des Cygnes August 31. At Schuyleyville, Cherokee Nation, until October· Expedition through Jackson, Cass, Johnson and Lafayette Counties September 8–23 (Companies B and L). Choctaw Nation October 2. Baxter Springs October 6 (Companies C and I). Fort Blair, Waldron, October 7. Choctaw Nation October 7. Waldron October 16. Clarksville October 28. Raid from Van Buren to Dallas November 12–22. Duty at Van Buren November 1863 to March 1864. Moved to Little Rock March 30-April 16. Veterans on furlough March 30-June 16, then moved to Little Rock via St. Louis, Memphis and Devall's Bluff June 16-July 27. Clarendon July 14 (non-veterans). Expedition from Little Rock to Little Red River August 6–16. Hickory Plains and Bull's Bayou August 7. Bull's Bayou and Jacksonport August 26. Pursuit of Shelby's forces August 28-September 7. Expedition from Little Rock to Fort Smith September 25-October 13 (detachment). Clarksville September 28 and October 19. Expedition from Lewisburg to Benton November 2–3. Duty at Little Rock until April 1865 (Companies B, E, G, H, I, K, and L). Expedition up White River to Devall's Bluff December 13–15, 1864. Regiment reorganized into 5 companies April 16, 1865. Moved to Duvall's Bluff April 21, and duty there until June 3. Moved to St. Louis, Mo., June 3, thence to Rolla and Springfield, Mo., and marched to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., July 18-August 3. Mustered out at Fort Leavenworth September 8, 1865. Companies A, C, D, F, and M served detached in District of the Border October 1863 to January 1864. In District of Kansas to September 1864. District of South Kansas to April 1865, and District of North Kansas to September 1865, serving at different posts in Missouri and Kansas, Sub-District of Fort Scott, at Forts Insley, Mo., Hamer, Mo., Curtis, Mo., McKean, Mo., Pawnee Creek, Kan., etc. Arkansas Creek near Fort Larned November 13, 1863 (detachment). Dogwood Creek May 16 (Company C). Lane's Prairie, Marian County, May 26. Actions at Montevallo, Mo., June 12, 1864 (detachment). Big North Fork Creek Mo., June 16 (Company C). Near Dogwood July 7. Osage Mission, Kan., September 26. Operations against Price in Missouri and Arkansas September to November 1864. Lexington October 19 (detachment). Near Montevallo October 19. Little Blue October 21. Big Blue and State Line October 22. Battle of Westport October 23. Engagement at the Marmiton or Battle of Chariot October 25. Mine Creek, Little Osage River, October 25. Newtonia October 28. Drywood October 29. Company A changed to Company K, Company C to Company H, Company D to Company I, and Company M to Company G, April 16, 1865. Companies F and H on expedition to explore country from Fort Riley, Kan., to Denver, Colo., Smoky Hill Route, March to July 1865.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 217 men during service; 3 officers and 61 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 6 officer and 147 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel William Augustus Barstow (November 30, 1861March 4, 1865) was assigned provost marshal general of Kansas. He was detached in August 1863 to serve as president of a court martial and never rejoined the regiment. Before the war, he had been the 3rd

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscon ...

. * Lt. Colonel Elias A. Calkins (August 1863February 14, 1865) was acting commander when Barstow was detached from the regiment. **

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

Edward R. Stevens commanded a detachment of the regiment at the Battle of Honey Springs ** Captain Robert Carpenter commanded a detachment at the Battle of Westport ** 1st Lieutenant James B. Pond commanded a detachment at the Battle of Mine Creek. * Colonel Thomas Derry (March 9, 1865September 8, 1865) was commander of the reorganized regiment. Earlier, he had been captain of Co. L and major of the 1st battalion.

Notable members

* Leonard C. Church was a private in Co. L. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator. *

Theodore Conkey Theodore Conkey (December 11, 1819March 17, 1880) was a Wisconsin pioneer, Union Army officer, and businessman. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Conkey was born in Canton, New York, so ...

was captain of Co. I and later captain of Co. G after the regiment was reorganized. He was designated for promotion to lieutenant colonel but was never mustered at that rank. Before the war he had served as a Wisconsin state senator. * Asa W. Farr was quartermaster of the regiment. He was murdered in the massacre at Baxter Springs. Before the war he had served as a Wisconsin state legislator. * Fernando C. Kizer was 1st lieutenant in Co. D. He was designated for promotion to captain in August 1864 but was never mustered at that rank. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator. *

George F. Pond George F. Pond (October 5, 1844 – June 21, 1911) served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor. Pond was born on October 5, 1844, in Libertyville, Illinois, although his official residence was lis ...

was a private in Co. C. He received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

for action at Drywood, Kansas. * James B. Pond was 2nd lieutenant and later captain of Co. C, and was captain of Co. H after the regiment was reorganized. He received the

for action at the Battle of Mine Creek. *

Christopher Raesser Christopher S. Raesser (February 20, 1842 or 1843 – 1927) was a commission merchant and a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Milwaukee. Straesser was born in Rochester, New York, but came to Wisconsin in 1846. He recei ...

was a private in Co. M. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator. * Benoni Reynolds was surgeon of the regiment. After the war he became a Wisconsin state senator. *

Samuel Ryan, Jr. Samuel Ryan, Jr., (March 13, 1824March 26, 1907) was an American newspaper publisher, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the founder of the ''Appleton Crescent'' (now ''The Post-Crescent''), served eight years as county judge o ...

, was quartermaster sergeant for the 2nd battalion. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator and county judge. * William H. Thomas was a private in Co. D, then adjutant of the 1st battalion, and finally captain of Co. H. Before the war he had served as a Wisconsin state legislator. *

David Vittum David Sands Vittum (October 30, 1820 – April 10, 1880) was an American soldier, lawyer, politician, and businessman. Born in Sandwich, New Hampshire Sandwich is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 1, ...

was captain of Co. F and later lieutenant colonel of the reorganized regiment. Before the war he had served as a Wisconsin state senator.

References

* Adams, Darwin and Glenn Trybom. ''Escaping Quantrill's Trap: How an Oneida Soldier Survived the Baxter Springs Massacre'' (Marinette, WI: Darwin Adams), 2007. * Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * Mallery, James P. ''Found No Bushwhackers: The 1864 Diary of Sgt. James P. Mallery, Company A, Third Wisconsin Cavalry, Stationed at Balltown, Mo.'' (Nevada, MO: Vernon County Historical Society), 1988. * Porter, Charles W. and Patrick Brophy. ''In the Devil's Dominions: A Union Soldier's Adventures in "Bushwhacker Country"'' (Nevada, MO: Bushwhacker Museum), 1998. ;Attribution * {{CWR

External links

Rosters and history of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry

Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Wisconsin 1861 establishments in Wisconsin