The 2nd Michigan Cavalry Regiment was a 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 conscript ...

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 states ...

Service

The 2nd Michigan Cavalry was organized at Grand Rapids,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, on October 2, 1861. It numbered 1,163 officers and enlisted men upon completion of recruitment. The 2nd Michigan Cavalry was initially placed in St. Louis at the

Benton Barracks Benton Barracks (or Camp Benton) was a Union Army military encampment, established during the American Civil War, in St. Louis, Missouri, at the present site of the St. Louis Fairground Park. Before the Civil War, the site was owned and used by th ...

with the

2nd Iowa Cavalry The 2nd Iowa Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 2nd Iowa Cavalry was recruited in the following counties and organized at Davenport, Iowa they mustered in at Camp Joe Ho ...

. The regiment trained and drilled at the Benton Barracks under the newly promoted Colonel Gordon Granger. The 2nd Michigan Cavalry joined a newly formed cavalry brigade in John Pope's

Army of the Mississippi Army of the Mississippi was the name given to two Union armies that operated around the Mississippi River, both with short existences, during the American Civil War. History 1862 The first army was created on February 23, 1862, with Maj. Gen ...

. At the Battle of Island Number Ten, Ltc. Seldon H. Gorham was acting as head of the regiment as Col.

Gordon Granger Gordon Granger (November 6, 1821 – January 10, 1876) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga. Granger is best remembered for his part in the ...

was elevated to lead the brigade. The brigade consisted of two regiments, the 2nd Michigan and 3rd Michigan Cavalry. "Granger's 2nd Michigan Cavalry helped capture Point Pleasant, 12 miles southwest of New Madrid where the river could be blocked to prevent Confederate reinforcements coming up." The regiment was mustered out of service on August 17, 1865.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 4 officers and 70 enlisted men killed in action or mortally wounded and 2 officers and 266 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 342 fatalities.

Commanders

* Col. Gordon Granger * Col. Philip H. Sheridan * Col. Archibald P. Campbell

Notes

References

The Civil War Archive

External links