The 62nd Virginia Mounted Infantry Regiment, raised in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

for service in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

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 ...

, served in many capacities including the war, including as an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

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 ...

, 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 mounted infantry (

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

) unit, a

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

unit of rangers, and even as a

combined arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme vio ...

unit. It fought mostly with the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

and in western Virginia. The men were recruited primarily in the counties of Hardy,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, Barbour, Pendleton and

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and Augusta and

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

.''Mountaineers of the Blue and Gray, The Civil War and West Virginia'', George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War, Shepherd Univ., 2008, CD-Rom The 62nd Regiment Mounted Infantry completed its organization in September 1862. The unit, at times known as the 1st Regiment, Virginia Partisan Rangers, was composed of infantry and cavalry until December when the cavalry companies united with other companies to form the 18th Regiment Virginia Partisan Rangers, and at times the 62nd Partisan Rangers, the 62nd Infantry, and Imboden's Partisan Rangers. The command was mounted during the latter part of 1863 and served in Imboden's Brigade. It fought in western Virginia, was active in the Gettysburg Campaign, then participated in various conflicts in the Shenandoah Valley. The regiment took part in Early's operations and disbanded in April, 1865. Its commanders were Colonels

John D. Imboden John Daniel Imboden (; February 16, 1823August 15, 1895), American lawyer, Virginia state legislator, and a Confederate army general. During the American Civil War, he commanded an irregular cavalry force. After the war, he resumed practicing la ...

and George Hugh Smith, George H. Smith, Lieutenant Colonels Robert L. Doyle and David B. Lang, and Majors Houston Hall and George W. Imboden.

References

* Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Virginia Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War 1862 establishments in Virginia Military units and formations established in 1862 1865 disestablishments in Virginia Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub

See also

References