The 6th 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 6th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment was organized from the
3rd West Virginia Infantry Regiment on January 26, 1864. The regiment absorbed the remaining battalion of the
5th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment on December 14, 1864.
The 6th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment mustered out at
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perman ...
, on May 22, 1866.
Casualties
The 6th West Virginia Cavalry Regiment suffered 5 officers and 28 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in battle and 2 officers and 201 enlisted men dead from disease for a total of 236 fatalitie
Commanders
*
Colonel (United States), Colonel David T. Hewes (Dismissed February 15, 1864)
* Lt. Colonel Frank W. Thompson
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
The U.S. state of West Virginia was formed out of western Virginia and added to the Union as a direct result of the American Civil War (see History of West Virginia), in which it became the only modern state to have declared its independence fr ...
References
The Civil War Archive
Further reading
*
* {{Cite book, last=McDermott, first=John D., title=Circle of Fire: The Indian War of 1865, publisher=Stackpole Books, year=2003, isbn=0-8117-0061-5, location=Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
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 1866