4th Michigan Cavalry Regiment was a

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

fighting in the western front as part of the Army of the Cumberland. It was noted as being the regiment that captured the fleeing

President of the Confederate States of America The president of the Confederate States was the head of state and head of government of the Confederate States. The president was the chief executive of the federal government and was the commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army and the Confe ...

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

, as the Confederacy collapsed in the spring of 1865.

Service

The regiment was organized at

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, and mustered in on August 29, 1862, under the command of Colonel Robert Horatio George Minty of Jackson, Michigan, Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd Michigan Cavalry Division. Regimental staff included

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 ...

Benjamin Dudley Pritchard of

Allegan, Michigan Allegan ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 5,222 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Allegan County. It lies within Allegan Township but is administratively autonomous. History The men after whom Allegan's ...

, Major Josiah B. Park of Ovid, Major William H. Dickinson of Grand Rapids, Major Horace Gray of Grosse Ile, Surgeon George W. Fish of Flint, Assistant Surgeon John H. Bacon of Lansing, Adjutant Joseph W. Huston of Paw Paw, Quartermaster Walter C. Arthur of Detroit, Quartermaster Chauncey C. Douglass of Grand Rapids and Commissary Edwin H. Porter of Kalamazoo. Among the men who served in the 4th Michigan Cavalry was James Vernor, Sr., who after the war became a well known pharmacist and the developer of Vernor's Ginger Ale. Another early recruit was future Michigan politician Levi T. Griffin. After training and drilling, it left the state with an enrolment of 1,233 officers and men on September 26, 1862, for duty 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 ...

. It saw its first engagement at Stanford Kentucky, fighting the forces of Confederate General John Morgan, attached to the 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division,

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 ...

until November 1862. Other assignments during the war included: *1st Brigade, 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 January, 1863. *1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1863. *2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, to November, 1863. *1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, to November 1864. *1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Wilson's Cavalry Corps,

Military Division of Mississippi A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, to November 1864. *2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division of Mississippi, to July 1865. The 4th Michigan Cavalry fought alongside the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, the 4th United States Cavalry and the Chicago Board of Trade Battery as part of Colonel Minty's Sabre Brigade for much of the war. These units fought at Murfreeboro, Stones River, Shelbyville, Reed's Bridge, Chickamauga, Noonday Creek, Atlanta, Kilpatrick Raid and Selma. The 4th Michigan Cavalry was involved in the capture of

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 April 20, 1865, along with Col.

Henry Harnden Henry Harnden (March 4, 1823March 17, 1900) was an American sailor, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and led the Wisconsin cavalry regiment which was credited in the ca ...

and the

1st Wisconsin Cavalry The 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment was a volunteer cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment is most notable as one of two cavalry regiments credited with the final capture of Confederate preside ...

. Subsequently, a detachment of the regiment participated in the pursuit and capture of Jefferson Davis at

Irwinville, Georgia Irwinville is an unincorporated community in Irwin County, Georgia, United States. Irwinville was founded as "Irwinsville" in 1831 as the seat for the newly formed Irwin County. The community was named for Georgia governor Jared Irwin. It was ...

, on May 10. Among the troopers credited with playing a key role in identifying and capturing Davis were George Munger and Andrew Bee and orporal Baxter B. Bennettwho secured possession of Jeff Davis (Jefferson Davis) spurs. The spurs were kept in his possession for many years until a family member donated them to a museum in Michigan, which transferred the spurs to the Jefferson Davis collection. Also involved in the capture of Davis was

Corporal John William Bowles Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

of Company M. The 4th was assigned to routine duty at Macon and then at

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, until the end of June. The regiment mustered out on July 1, 1865.

Casualties

The initial strength of the regiment was 1,233. During its term of service the regiment gained 984 troops, for a total of 2,217 men. Of that number, 3 officers and 48 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded in battle, and 2 officers and 341 enlisted men perished from disease. George Hiscock was a member of Company B, and the oldest man to enlist at the age of 36. He died on June 23, 1864, from disease, and is buried in Chattanooga, TN.

References

*''The Life and Times of General B. D. Pritchard'' by James J. Green (Allegan: Allegan County Historical Society, 1979)
''Harper's Weekly'' (27 May 1865)''Michigan History Magazine'' (May/June 2000)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, 004th

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 ...

1862 establishments in Michigan Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

Service

Casualties

See also

References

Notes