The 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment also known as Ashby's Cavalry was a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

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 ...

raised in the spring of 1861 by

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 ...

Angus William McDonald Angus William McDonald (February 14, 1799 – December 1, 1864) was a 19th-century American Officer (armed forces), military officer and lawyer in the U.S. state of Virginia. He also served as a Colonel (United States), colonel in command of th ...

The regiment was composed primarily of men from the counties of the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

as well as from the counties of Fauquier and

Loudoun Loudoun () is a parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland and lies between five and ten miles east of Kilmarnock. The parish roughly encompasses the northern half of the Upper-Irvine Valley and borders Galston parish, Galston Parish (which encompasses ...

. Two companies contained men from the border counties of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

History

The regiment was initially assigned to guarding the upper Potomac and was attached to the command of

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

in the Valley. In the spring of 1862 the regiment took part in Jackson's Valley Campaign, where the exploits of the unit and its commander,

Turner Ashby Turner Ashby Jr. (October 23, 1828 – June 6, 1862) was a Confederate States Army, Confederate cavalry commander in the American Civil War. In his youth, he organized an informal cavalry company known as the Mountain Rangers, which became p ...

, became famous on both sides of the war. Near the conclusion of the campaign, Ashby was mortally wounded and Col.

Richard Henry Dulany Colonel Richard Henry Dulany (August 10, 1820 – October 31, 1906) was an American equestrian. Early life Richard Henry Dulany was born on August 10, 1820, in Unison, Loudoun County, Virginia. He was the son of John Peyton Dulany and Mary Ann D ...

took command of the regiment, which had swelled to 29 companies. The regiment was reorganized at the end of the campaign, with the original 10 companies remaining and the excess 19 forming the 12th Regiment and 17th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry. Together with these two regiments, the 7th would become the nucleus of the famed

Laurel Brigade Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (m ...

. As part of the brigade, the 7th saw major action during the Gettysburg Campaign in 1863 and was at the famed cavalry

Battle of Brandy Station The Battle of Brandy Station, also called the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, was the largest predominantly cavalry engagement of the American Civil War, as well as the largest ever to take place on American soil. It was fought on June 9, 1863, around ...

that same year. They took part in

Jubal A. Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician and military officer who served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, ...

's ill-fated Valley Campaigns of 1864 and were at Appomattox Courthouse, though much of the unit escaped through federal lines and returned home to disband rather than taking parole with the rest of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

Companies

* A – Fauquier Mountain Rangers (Fauquier Co.) * B - ** (1st) Howard Dragoons (Howard Co., Md.) ** (2nd) Letcher Brock's Gap Rifles (Rockingham Co.) * C – Shenandoah Rangers (Shenandoah Co.) * D – Jordan's Company (Page Co.) * E – Bowen's Mounted Rangers (Warren Co.) * F – Hampshire Rifleman (Hampshire Co.) * G – Mason Rangers (Maryland and Loudoun Co.) * H - ** (1st) Brock's Gap Sharpshooters (Rockingham Co.) ** (2nd) Shoup's Co. (Rockingham Co.) * I – Shand's Company (Rockingham Co.) * K – Miller's Company (Shenandoah Co.)

Notes/References

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

7th Virginia Cavalry: A Brief History of the Regiment
{{Loudoun County in the American Civil War Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia Loudoun County, Virginia, in the American Civil War Fauquier County, Virginia, in the American Civil War The Laurel Brigade Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War 1861 establishments in Virginia Military units and formations established in 1861 1865 disestablishments in Virginia Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

History

Companies

See also

Notes/References

Bibliography

External links