The 5th West Virginia 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 5th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment was organized from the
2nd West Virginia Infantry Regiment on January 26, 1864. The regiment was consolidated into a single battalion at
Charles Town, West Virginia, in September 1864 and was absorbed by the
6th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment
The 6th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Service
The 6th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment was organized from the 3rd West Virginia Infantry Regiment on January 26, 1 ...
on December 14, 1864.
Casualties
The 5th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment suffered 3 officers and 68 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in battle and 118 enlisted men dead from disease for a total of 189 fatalities.
Commanding officers
*Colonel
George R. Latham
George Robert Latham (March 9, 1832 – December 16, 1917) was a 19th-century Virginia farmer, lawyer and politician who helped found the state of West Virginia during the American Civil War, during which he served as a colonel in the Union ...
[Lang, Theodore F., ''Loyal West Virginia from 1861 to 1865'', p. 207]
See also
*
West Virginia Units in the Civil War
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
*
West Virginia in the Civil War
References
External links
5th Regiment, West Virginia CavalryNational Park Service entry
Units and formations of the Union Army from West Virginia
1864 establishments in West Virginia
Military units and formations established in 1864
Military units and formations disestablished in 1864
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