The 4th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment 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 ...

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

The 4th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment was organized at the state fairgrounds in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, on December 24, 1861, and mustered in for a three-year enlistment at

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

, on January 6, 1862. It was mustered in under the command of

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 ...

Jesse Bayles. The regiment was with the unattached cavalry,

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. Do ...

, to September 1862. 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army of the Ohio, to October 1862. District of Louisville, Kentucky,

Department of the Ohio The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River. 1st Department 1861–1862 Genera ...

, to November 1862. District of Western Kentucky, Department of the Ohio, to January 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division,

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

, to July 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to November 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi, to January 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi, to August 1865. The 4th Kentucky Cavalry mustered out of service at

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

, on August 21, 1865.

Detailed service

Moved to Bardstown, Kentucky, January 6, 1862, and duty there until March. Moved from Bardstown to Nashville, Tennessee, March 26, 1862, then to Wartrace, Tennessee, April 8, and duty in that vicinity until July. Action at Lebanon May 5. Readyville June 7. Rankin's Ferry near Jasper June 18. Shell Mountain June 21. Battle Creek June 21 and July 5. Murfreesboro July 13 (4 companies). Moved to Tullahoma July 13, and duty there until August. Sparta August 4 (detachment). Raid on Louisville & Nashville Railroad August 19–21 (detachment). March to Louisville, Kentucky, in pursuit of Bragg August 22-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–22. Near Perryville October 6–7. Near Mountain Gap October 14 and 16. Duty on southern border of Kentucky until February 1863. Ordered to Nashville, Tennessee, February 9, then to Murfreesboro and Franklin, Tenn. Expedition to Spring Hill March 4–5. Franklin March 4. Thompson's Station, Spring Hill, March 5. Expedition from Franklin to Columbia March 8–12. Thompson's Station March 9. Rutherford Creek March 10–11. Spring Hill March 19. Near Thompson's Station March 23. Little Harpeth March 25. Near Franklin March 31. Thompson's Station May 2. Franklin June 4. Triune June 9. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Uniontown and Rover June 23. Middleton June 24. Fosterville, Guy's Gap and Shelbyville June 27. Expedition to Huntsville July 13–22. Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22. Maysville, Alabama, August 21 and 28. Reconnaissance from Alpine, Georgia, toward Summerville September 10. Skirmishes at Summerville September 10 and 15. Battle of Chickamauga September 19–21. Moved to Bellefonte, Alabama, September 25–30. Operations against Wheeler and Roddy September 30-October 2. Moved to Caperton's Ferry October 2, and duty there until December 2. Moved to Rossville, Georgia, December 2–5, and duty there until January 6, 1864. Scout toward Dalton December 12, 1863. Skirmish at Lafayette December 12. Scout to Lafayette December 21–23. Veterans on furlough January to March 1864. Near Chattanooga until May. Atlanta Campaign May to September. Duty in rear of army covering and protecting railroad at Wauhatchie, Lafayette, Calhoun, Dalton, and Resaca. At Wauhatchie May 5 to June 18. (A detachment at Lexington, Kentucky, June 10, 1864.) At Lafayette until August 4. Actions at Lafayette June 24 and 30. At Calhoun August 4 to October 12. Pine Log Creek and near Fairmount August 14. Resaca October 12–13. Near Summerville October 18. Little River, Alabama, October 20. Leesburg October 21. Ladiga, Terrapin Creek, October 28. Moved to Louisville, Kentucky, November 3–9. Operations against Lyon in Kentucky December 6–28. Hopkinsville, Kentucky, December 16. At Nashville, Tennessee, until January 9, 1865. Moved to Gravelly Springs, Alabama, and duty there until March. Wilson's Raid from Chickasaw, Alabama, to Macon, Georgia, March 22-May 1. Six-Mile Creek March 31. Selma April 2. Montgomery April 12. Wetumpka April 13. Fort Tyler, West Point, April 16. Capture of Macon April 20. Duty at Macon and in the Department of Georgia until August.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 180 men during service; 1 officer and 30 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 148 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel Jesse Bayles * Colonel Wickliffe Cooper * Colonel V. Clay Smith

Notable members

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 ...

John F. Weston -

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient for action near

Wetumpka, Alabama Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century Elmore County became one of the f ...

, April 13, 1865

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. ;Attribution *

External links

Alphabetical roster of the 4th Kentucky Cavalry taken from Thomas Speed's ''Union Regiments of Kentucky''
{{Kentucky in the Civil War Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Kentucky 1861 establishments in Kentucky