The 22nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry 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 ...

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 ...

of 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 ...

History

The regiment was formed in February 1864, at

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the Mas ...

, by the consolidation of two battalions, the Ringgold Cavalry and a

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 ...

raised during the Gettysburg Campaign. The seven companies were mostly raised in Washington County. Jacob C. Higgins was selected to serve as

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 of ...

, A. J. Greenfield as

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, and George T. Work, Elias S. Troxell, and Henry A. Myers as

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

s. The 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry was sent to Maryland for training, after which it was assigned to the

Department of West Virginia 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, ...

. The dismounted men were assigned to the Reserve Division, while the mounted portion of the unit became part of the 2nd Brigade, First Cavalry Division. A detachment of the regiment, under the command of Major George T. Work, fought in the

Battle of Moorefield The Battle of Moorefield was a cavalry battle in the American Civil War, which took place on August 7, 1864. The fighting occurred along the Potomac River#South Branch of the Potomac River, South Branch of the Potomac River, north of Moorefield, ...

on August 7, 1864. The regiment fought in several skirmishes during the Lynchburg Campaign and Early's Raid on Washington. In August, it was assigned to the Army of the Shenandoah as part of the 3rd Brigade, Cavalry Corps. It fought in several battles of Sheridan's campaign, such as at the

Battle of Opequon The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate ...

and the

Battle of Cedar Creek The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, was fought on October 19, 1864, during the American Civil War. The fighting took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, near Cedar Creek, Middletown, and the Valley Pike. Du ...

. In December, it was sent back to the Department of West Virginia, where it spent the remainder of the war chasing down

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics ...

. On June 24, 1865, it was consolidated with the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry to form the 3rd Pennsylvania Provisional Cavalry.
Pennsylvania in the Civil War website

Casualties

* Killed and mortally wounded: 0 officers, 33 enlisted men * Wounded: ? officers, ? enlisted men * Captured or missing: ? officers, ? enlisted men * Died of disease: 1 officer, 96 enlisted men * Total: ? officers, ? enlisted men

References

External links

* {{Internet Archive, 00952168.3295.emory.edu, Elwood's stories of the old Ringgold Cavalry, 1847-1865: the first three year cavalry of the Civil War : with introduction by the Rev. H.H. Ryland (1914) Units and formations of the Union Army from Pennsylvania History of Washington County, Pennsylvania 1864 establishments in Pennsylvania Military units and formations established in 1864 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

History

Casualties

See also

References

External links