2nd New York Cavalry Regiment
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The 2nd New York Cavalry Regiment, officially known as the 2nd Regiment, New York Volunteer Cavalry, was a unit of 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 ...
. It served with the
Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...
and fought in Stoneman's 1863 raid, the Wilson–Kautz Raid, and the
Battle of Appomattox Station The Battle of Appomattox Station was fought between a Union Army (Army of the Potomac, Army of the James, Army of the Shenandoah) cavalry division under the command of Brigadier General (Brevet Major General) George Armstrong Custer and Confe ...
. A soldier from the Second New York Cavalry is featured in Chapter XIII of MacKinlay Kantor's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Andersonville" (1955).


History

Colonel J. Mansfield Davies was authorized by the War Department to recruit the regiment, unofficially known as the Harris Light Cavalry, on July, 25, 1861. Its twelve companies were recruited as follows: * Company A at New York City,
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, and
Newton, New Jersey Newton, officially the ''Town of Newton'', is an incorporated municipality located in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is situated approximately by road northwest of New York City. As the location of the county's administrati ...
, * Company B at Newton and Deckertown, New Jersey, * Companies C and D – known as the Connecticut Squadron – at Hartford, *Company E at New York City,
Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...
, Fort Edward, and
Cambridge, New York Cambridge is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,152 at the 2000 census. The town of Cambridge contains part of a village, also called Camb ...
, * Company F at Covington, Indiana, Fairfield, Vermont, Troy, and Richfield Springs, New York, * Company G at New York City, Newburgh, and Fort Edward, * Company H at
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, *Company I at Lafayette, Indiana, * Company K at Scranton, Pennsylvania, Hampton,
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, and Rockaway, New Jersey, New York City, Troy, and Richfield Springs, * Company L at New York City,
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, Troy, Fort Ann, Fort Edward and Litchfield, and * Company M at New York City, Newburgh,
Plattsburgh Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...
and
Port Henry Port Henry is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2010 census. Port Henry lies on the eastern side of the town of Moriah and is approximately one hour's drive (52 miles ...
. The regiment was organized at Scarsdale, New York, where it was mustered into Federal service for a term of three years between August 9 and October 8, 1861. The War Department designated the regiment as the 7th United States Cavalry on October 26, but it was transferred to New York state service as the 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry, as Congress had not provided for a seventh Regular Army cavalry regiment. After leaving New York during September and October, the regiment served with McDowell's Division of the
Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...
from the latter month, on duty in the defenses of
Washington, D.C ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
. It was transferred to the Third Division of the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac in March 1862, and in May briefly became part of
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
's Division of the
Department of the Rappahannock {{unreferenced, date=October 2018 The Department of the Rappahannock was a department of the Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War that existed from April 4 to June 26, 1862. On April 4, 1862, President Lincoln created t ...
. The 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry formed part of the Cavalry Brigade of the Second Division of the Third Corps of the Army of Virginia (temporarily redesignated from the First Corps) from June. It was transferred to
Bayard Bayard may refer to: People * Bayard (given name) *Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places * Bayard, Delaware, an unincorporated community *Bayard (Jacksonville), Florida, a neighborhood *Bayard, ...
's Cavalry Brigade of the Army of the Potomac in September, while Companies A, B, I, and K were detached to the Third Division of the First Corps during September and October. J. Mansfield Davies resigned on December 6, and was replaced as colonel by regimental Lieutenant Colonel Judson Kilpatrick. After Bayard's death, the brigade that included the regiment came under the command of Brigadier General
David McMurtrie Gregg David McMurtrie Gregg (April 10, 1833 – August 7, 1916) was an American farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War. Early life and career Gregg was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was the first cousin of futu ...
on December 15. The 2nd New York was assigned to the First Brigade of the Third Division of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac on February 11, 1863, detaching a battalion to the First Brigade of the First Division of the Fourth Corps for service on the
Virginia Peninsula The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the ''Lower Peninsula'' to distinguish it from two other peninsulas to the ...
between May and July. During Stoneman's 1863 raid, the regiment was sent against Richmond and the Chickahominy railroad bridges. After Kilpatrick was promoted to brigadier general on June 13, Lieutenant Colonel Henry E. Davies was promoted to colonel in his stead three days later. The regiment was transferred to the Second Brigade of the Second Division of the cavalry of the Army of the Potomac on June 14. It again returned to the First Brigade of the Third Division of the Cavalry Corps on August 12. Davies was promoted to brigadier general on September 16, leaving regimental Lieutenant Colonel Otto Harhaus, promoted to colonel on April 1, 1864, in command. During the Wilson–Kautz Raid, on June 23, 1864, the regiment tore up tracks on the South Side Railroad at Ford's Depot. When the regimental term of service expired, those who had served out their terms were discharged and on August 29, the recruits and reenlisted veterans of the 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry was consolidated into a four-company battalion including Companies A, B, C, and D that continued in service. Eight new companies, recruited for a one year term of service, expanded the 2nd New York Cavalry to a regiment again by their addition in September and October. The eight new companies were recruited as follows: *Company E – known as the Ticonderoga Cavalry Company – at Plattsburgh and Ticonderoga, *Company F at Elmira and
Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...
, *Companies G and H at
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, Rochester,
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,
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, Syracuse,
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,
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, DeWitt, Chenango, Spafford, Lafayette, Albany, Salina, Skaneateles and Geddes, *Company I at Hart's Island,
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, Poughkeepsie,
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, Tarrytown and Albany, *Company K at Mount Morris, Goshen, Farmington, Poughkeepsie, Avon, Hopewell and Elmira, and *Companies L and M at New York City and
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. Harhaus was mustered out on September 10, leaving regimental Major Walter Clark Hull in command. Hull was promoted to colonel on November 1, but was killed in a skirmish at Cedar Creek on November 12. After the death of Hull, Lieutenant Colonel Mortimer B. Birdseye was temporarily in command of the regiment from December 1. Colonel Alanson M. Randol took command of the regiment on December 23, which he led for the rest of the war. The 2nd New York remained with the Cavalry Corps until being transferred to serve with the cavalry of the Army of the Shenandoah in October 1864, before returning to the Army of the Potomac in March 1865. At the
Battle of Appomattox Station The Battle of Appomattox Station was fought between a Union Army (Army of the Potomac, Army of the James, Army of the Shenandoah) cavalry division under the command of Brigadier General (Brevet Major General) George Armstrong Custer and Confe ...
on April 8, the regiment, advancing at the head of Pennington's Brigade, captured three Confederate railroad trains loaded with supplies at the station. To secure the trains from nearby Confederate cavalry, Randol ordered the trains crewed with soldiers who were former railwaymen, who drove the trains toward
Edward Ord Edward Otho Cresap Ord (October 18, 1818 – July 22, 1883) was an American engineer and United States Army officer who saw action in the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the American Civil War. He commanded an army during the final days of th ...
's column. Randol and the eight companies recruited in 1864 mustered out on June 5 at Alexandria, Virginia, followed by the remaining four companies on June 23. During its service, seven officers and 67 enlisted men were killed in action, two officers and 47 enlisted men died of wounds, and three officers and 246 enlisted men died of disease and other causes for total deaths of twelve officers and 360 enlisted men. Of these, one officer and 106 enlisted men died while in Confederate prisons.


See also

*
List of New York Civil War units The following units served the Union Army during the American Civil War. Infantry Militia infantry Cavalry Artillery 1st New York Light Artillery *Battery A, 1st New York Light Artillery *Battery B, 1st New York Light ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

* – Contains ''Register of Officers Commissioned in Volunteer Regiments from the state of New York, 1861–1865.'' * * * * * ** ** *{{Cite book, url=https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/research/DigBooks/Phisterer_NYWarOfTheRebellion/Phisterer_NewYorkInTheWarOfTheRebellion_V1.pdf, title=New York in the War of the Rebellion, last=Phisterer, first=Frederick, publisher=J. B. Lyon Company, year=1912, edition=3rd, volume=1, location=Albany


External links


2nd New York Cavalry Regiment page at New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs Unit History Project

Song of the Harris Light Cavalry, 1863 at Library of Congress
Cavalry 002 1861 establishments in New York (state) Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865