The 1st Nebraska Veteran Cavalry Battalion was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

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 (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

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 states th ...

Service

When the nine-month 2nd Nebraska Cavalry Regiment was mustered out of service in the fall of 1863, Governor

Alvin Saunders Alvin Saunders (July 12, 1817November 1, 1899) was a U.S. Senator from Nebraska, as well as the final and longest-serving governor of the Nebraska Territory, a tenure he served during most of the American Civil War. Education Saunders was bor ...

authorized the raising of an independent battalion of cavalry from the ranks of the 2nd Nebraska Cavalry to serve for the balance of the war. The battalion was organized in four companies at

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

between January and August, 1864 by Major George Anderson. It was then attached to the

District of Nebraska The United States District Court for the District of Nebraska (in case citations, D. Neb.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Nebraska. Court offices are in Omaha and Lincoln. Appeals from the District of Nebraska ...

and operated against Indians in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

and

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and guarded the Overland Mail routes. After the end of the Civil War the battalion was consolidated with the

1st Nebraska Cavalry Regiment The 1st Nebraska Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 1st Nebraska Cavalry Regiment was created from the 1st Nebraska Infantry on October 11, 1863. The regiment was co ...

on July 10, 1865.

Detailed service

Duty at Fort Cottonwood, Nebraska Territory, October and November, 1864. Duty at Gillman's Station until January, 1865. Duty at Cottonwood Springs until February, 1865, and at Gillman's Station until July, 1865. Company "B" at Dakota City until July, 1865. Scout from Dakota City April 12–16, 1865. Scout to Middle Bow River April 22–27. Company "C" had duty at Fort Cottonwood, until July, 1865. Scout from Cottonwood May 12–14, 1865. Company "D" had duty at Omaha until February, 1865. Moved to

Fort Kearney Fort Kearny was a historic outpost of the United States Army founded in 1848 in the western U.S. during the middle and late 19th century. The fort was named after Col. and later General Stephen Watts Kearny. The outpost was located along the Ore ...

February 25 and duty until April, and at

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading-post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers. They joined ...

until July.

Commanders

* Major George Anderson History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, supervising editors George L. Burr, O.O. Buck; compiled by Dale P. Stough, Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1921. p. 151
/ref>

Notes

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * ''History of the State of Nebraska'' (Chicago: The Western Historical Company), 1882. ;Attribution * {{CWR

External links