Cavalry soldiers were more than just men
on horseback, as many battles proved

The cavalries played an important role for both the North and South during the Civil War, but the term cavalry wasn’t necessarily interchangeable for anyone who rode a horse.

Cavalries were considered men on horseback who carried carbines, sabers and pistols. But only a small portion of the troops actually fit that description.

Mounted infantry rode horseback, but actually dismounted to fight. They mostly carried rifles as weapons and, during the second half of the war, most of the horse soldiers fought in this manner.

Dragoons also rode horseback, but fought on foot. Gen. Philip Sheridan’s Union troops in his raid of the Shenandoah Valley in 1864 were dragoons. The term, mostly not even recognized by the men in the units, was from the French Dragoons who fought in a manner that was pretty much a cross between infantry and light cavalry.

Another kind of cavalry unit was called irregular forces, also called partisan rangers or guerrillas. Mosby’s Rangers, Morgan’s Raiders, Quantrill’s Raiders, and Forrest’s troops fit this mode. They were all hit-and-run forces of the Confederate Cavalry who contained mounted rebels who played havoc on the federal forces.

The Cavalry’s importance was five pronged, with missions involving reconnaissance, delaying tactics, pursuit/harassment, offensive and raiding of communications and supplies. The Union had 262 cavalry regiments and Confederates had 137.

It’s believed that the federal cavalry had as many as 700,000 horses, with most of the mounts provided by the government. Their Southern counterparts brought their own horses and were reimbursed for their use. Those in the Southern cavalry also tended to be better horsemen than their enemies.

The first large cavalry battle took place at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, Va. (June 27, 1862). The largest predominantly cavalry action was at Brandy Station, Va. (June 9, 1863). The bloodiest and largest all-cavalry battle took place at Virginia’s Trevilian Station in June 1864.

At Gaines’ Mill, the army of Gen. Robert E. Lee faced Gen. George McClellan’s federal forces. The battle was a Confederate victory that saved Richmond for 1862.

The Battle of Brandy Station saw Gen. JEB Stuart’s Confederate cavalry fighting against Union Gen. Alfred Pleasanton’s forces. About 20,000 soldiers participated in what was the largest cavalry engagement in the nation’s history. Confederate losses totaled 523 while Union losses were more than 1,700.

At Trevilian Station, 9,000 men of the Union cavalry fought against Confederate horse soldiers numbering 6,700. The Overland Campaign battle of June 11-12, 1864 resulted in casualty totals of 2,000 for the Union and 813 for the Confederates. It was a Southern victory.