The 7th Kentucky 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 7th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment was organized at large and mustered in for three years at

Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. Paris is the seat of its county and forms part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As ...

, on August 16, 1862, under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Leonidas Metcalfe. Company F was consolidated with Company M. In January 1864,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

George T. Stacey recruited a company for the 2nd Regiment Kentucky Heavy Artillery, but it was never organized. Instead, the recruits were assigned to Company F, and at the muster out of the regiment they were transferred to Company H, 6th Kentucky Veteran Volunteer Cavalry. Company I was consolidated with Company B. In March 1864, a reenlisted a company from the 49th Kentucky Mounted Infantry was assigned as Company I, and at the muster out of the regiment was transferred to Company B, 6th Kentucky Veteran Volunteer Cavalry. The regiment was attached to the

Army of Kentucky The Army of Kentucky was the name of two Union army formations. Both were small and short-lived, serving in Kentucky in 1862 and 1863. Army of August 1862 On August 25, 1862 Major General William "Bull" Nelson assumed command of the forces stat ...

, unassigned,

Department of the Ohio The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River. 1st Department 1861–1862 Gener ...

, to November 1862. District of Central Kentucky, Department of the Ohio, to March 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps,

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 July 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to November 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi, to January 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi, to July 1865. The 7th Kentucky Cavalry mustered out of service 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 ...

, on July 10, 1865.

Detailed service

Before muster participated in operations against Morgan July 4–28, 1862. Cynthiana, Kentucky, July 17 (detachment). Paris July 19. Big Hill, Madison County, August 23. Richmond August 30. Moved to Tennessee December, 1862. Hartsville December 7. Scouting at Castalian Springs until March 1863. Moved to Franklin, Tennessee. Expedition from Franklin to Columbia March 8–12. Thompson's Station March 9. Rutherford Creek March 10–11. Spring Hill March 18–19. Columbia Pike April 1. Thompson's Station May 2. Moved to Triune June 2–4. Franklin June 4. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Expedition to Huntsville July 13–22. Detached at Bridgeport, Caperton's Ferry and Nashville until December. Operations about Mossy Creek and Dandridge, Tennessee, December 24–28. Mossy Creek Station December 24. Peck's House, near New Market, December 24. Mossy Creek December 26. Talbot's Station December 26–28. Mossy Creek December 29. Moved to Morristown. Kimbrough Cross Roads and bend of Chucky River January 16, 1864. Operations about Dandridge January 16–17. Dandridge January 17. Pigeon River, near Fair Garden, January 27. Swann's Bridge, Paris Ford. January 28. At Cleveland, Tennessee, until May. Atlanta Campaign May to September. Guarding railroad in rear of army, at Wauhatchie, Tennessee, May 5 to June 18. At Lee and Gordon's Mills and Lafayette until August 4. Action at Lafayette June 24. Actions at Lost Mountain July 1–2. At Calhoun and Dalton until October 12. Pine Log Creek and near Fairmount August 14. Dalton August 14–15 (Company B). Rousseau's pursuit of Wheeler September 1–8. Resaca October 12–13. Surrender of Dalton October 13 (Company B). Near Summerville October 18. Little River, Alabama, October 20. Leesburg October 21. Ladiga, Terrapin Creek, October 28 (detachment). Moved to Louisville, Kentucky, November 3–9. McCook's pursuit of Lyon December 6–28. Hopkinsville, Kentucky, December 16. At Nashville, Tennessee, until January 9, 1865. Moved to Gravelly Springs, Alabama, and duty there and at Waterloo until March. Wilson's Raid from Chickasaw, Alabama, to Macon, Georgia, March 22-April 24. Selma April 2. Montgomery April 12. Columbus Road, near Tuskegee, April 14. Fort Tyler, West Point, April 16. Capture of Macon April 20. Duty at Macon until June and at Nashville, Tennessee, until July.

Arms

The 7th Kentucky Cavalry was initially armed with Wesson carbines, 500 having been received prior to July 29, 1862. The quarterly official ordnance returns show the possession of major arms of the Civil War, but not arms such as the Wesson rifle. In December 1863, the records show the 7th armed with 120 .54 caliber Burnside's breech-loading carbines and 59 .54 caliber Sharps' rifled breech-loading carbines. They also carried Colt's Army revolvers (caliber .44) and cavalry and light cavalry sabres. Only two companies reported their stores of ammunition for carbines, and reported having cartridges for Sharps' carbines and Burnsides.National Archives, Summary Statement of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on hand in the Cavalry Regiments in the Service of the United States during the Fourth quarter ending December 31st, 1863, M1281 Roll 3, pp. 61, 63

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 147 men during service; 2 officers and 22 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 5 officers and 118 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel Leonidas Metcalfe * Colonel John K. Faulkner

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. ;Attribution *

External links

Alphabetical roster of the 7th Kentucky Cavalry taken from Thomas Speed's ''Union Regiments of Kentucky''
{{Kentucky in the Civil War Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Kentucky 1862 establishments in Kentucky