The 16th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was created in early 1863 when Milton Ferguson's Battalion of Cavalry was combined with Otis Caldwell's Battalion of Cavalry in

Salem, Virginia Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combin ...

. Milton Ferguson was elected colonel of the regiment. The men were primarily recruited from the West Virginia counties of Wayne, Putnam,

Cabell Cabell is both a surname and a given name. The Cabell family has "been prominent in Virginia since the American Revolution." Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Charles P. Cabell (1903–1971), United States Air Force, CIA * Earle Cab ...

, Kanawha and the Virginia counties of

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia *Russell, Australian Capital Territory *Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **Ru ...

, Tazewell, and Roanoke. It was present at Gettysburg and was part of General Jenkins' Brigade that itself was part of General

Jeb Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...

's Cavalry Division of the

Confederate Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America 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 oft ...

. The 16th Virginia Cavalry is considered the Confederate unit that caused the first Union casualty on Union soil - Corporal William Rihl. Following the Confederate army's return to Virginia after Gettysburg, the 16th Virginia Cavalry moved into West Virginia and participated in the

Battle of Droop Mountain The Battle of Droop Mountain occurred in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, on November 6, 1863, during the American Civil War. A Union brigade commanded by Brigadier General William W. Averell defeated a smaller Confederate force commanded by ...

. The 16th Virginia Cavalry suffered its biggest defeat in the Battle of Murder Hollow in Wayne County, West Virginia, which happened to be the county where Ferguson's Battalion originated. Fifty men of the regiment along with Colonel Ferguson were camped in the hollow and were attacked by more than four hundred Federal troops under Colonel George Gallup of Louisa, Kentucky. Thirty-eight men of the 16th were captured and five were killed. An additional eleven died in prison. William Graham served as colonel of the regiment until Ferguson was exchanged later that year. The regiment disbanded at Lynchburg after Lee surrendered at Appomattox.Dickinson, Jack L. The 16th Virginia Cavalry.

References

Borough History
* Dickinson, Jack L. The 16th Virginia Cavalry. * Dickinson, Jack L. Wayne County, West Virginia in the Civil War. 2003. Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia 1863 establishments in Virginia Military units and formations established in 1863 1865 disestablishments in Virginia Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub

See also

References