The 6th Ohio 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 of the Union Army, which was raised in ten counties in northeastern and north-central Ohio for service during the American Civil War. It served primarily in the Eastern Theater in several major campaigns of the Army of the Potomac and was particularly active during the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863.

Organization and early service

The 6th Ohio Cavalry Regiment was commissioned for a three-year term. It was organized at

Camp Hutchins Camp Hutchins was a Union Army training camp located in Warren, Ohio, which trained local volunteers from October to December, 1861. Civil War and Camp Hutchins development In the spring of 1861, the U.S. War Department commissioned Ohio Senator ...

in Warren, Ohio, on October 7, 1861, and first served under Colonel William R. Lloyd. The regiment was on duty in Warren until January 1862, and was then garrisoned at Camp Chase and

Camp Dennison Camp Dennison was a military recruiting, training, and medical post for the United States Army during the American Civil War. It was located near Cincinnati, Ohio, not far from the Ohio River. The camp was named for Cincinnati native William De ...

until May 1862. The troopers were given their horses while stationed at Camp Dennison, after which the officers led the men in mounted cavalry drills. Following completion of training, the regiment moved to Wheeling, West Virginia on May 13 and then to Strasburg, Virginia to join Major General

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

's army in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

. The regiment was attached to the Mountain Department until June 1862 and participated in several engagements with the Confederates, first seeing combat at the

Battle of Woodstock The Battle of Tom's Brook was fought on October 9, 1864, in Shenandoah County, Virginia, during Philip Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign of the American Civil War. It resulted in a significant Union victory, one that was mockingly dubbed Th ...

on June 2. Other battles during this period included

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and Cedar Mountain. In late June, the regiment moved to the Virginia Peninsula and became part of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps, Pope's Army of Virginia until July 1862. The regiment saw considerable action during the Northern Virginia Campaign in the late summer, and was engaged in skirmishing during the Second Bull Run operations. As part of the Army of the Potomac, the 6th Ohio Cavalry participated in the Fredericksburg operations in November–December 1862. It subsequently went into winter quarters, guarding the Rappahannock River.

1863 and 1864

In 1863, the regiment participated in the Battle of Kelly's Ford. Later that year, it was heavily involved in the Gettysburg Campaign, fighting at the Battle of Brandy Station and in several smaller engagements during the Union operations in the Loudoun Valley of Virginia, including the battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville. They traveled into Pennsylvania with the division as part of the brigade of Col. Pennock Huey, but before the Battle of Gettysburg withdrew to Westminster, Maryland, to guard the army's supply trains. The regiment was active during the retreat of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in July. Later in the year, the regiment participated in both the Mine Run and Bristoe campaigns. After spending the winter fighting Mosby's guerillas, in the spring of 1864 the regiment joined Ulysses S. Grant's movement on

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, participating in several battles while serving in the Cavalry Corps, under Gen. Philip H. Sheridan. It was involved in the Union cavalry operations during the Overland Campaign and the Siege of Petersburg, as well as taking part in the Battle of Trevillian Station.

1865 and the end of the war

In 1865, the regiment was in the Battle of Five Forks, and during the Appomattox Campaign, in the Battle of Sayler's Creek. The 6th Ohio Cavalry marched in the Grand Review of the Armies in May 1865, and then exited service at Petersburg, Virginia, on August 7, 1865. During its term of service, the 6th Ohio Cavalry lost 5 officers and 52 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and 4 officers and 177 enlisted men by disease, for a total of 238 fatalities. More than 1700 men served in the ranks at various times, however, the field strength of the regiment rarely exceeded 500 men at any given time. A stone monument to the regiment stands along Taneytown Road on the Gettysburg Battlefield, which features a relief of a saber-wielding cavalryman mounted on his horse at full gallop.

References

External links

* Stevens, Larry
6th Ohio Cavalry
1995.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

{{Ohio in the Civil War Units and formations of the Union Army from Ohio 1861 establishments in Ohio Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

Organization and early service

1863 and 1864

1865 and the end of the war

References

Further reading

External links