6th Virginia Cavalry Regiment

6th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
6th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
	Flag of Virginia, 1861
Active	November 1861 – April 1865
Disbanded	April 1865
Country	Confederate States of America
Allegiance	Virginia
Branch	Confederate States Army
Role	Cavalry
Engagements	Jackson's Valley Campaign ; Seven Days' Battles ; Second Battle of Bull Run ; Battle of Antietam ; Battle of Fredericksburg ; Battle of Chancellorsville ; Battle of Brandy Station ; Battle of Gettysburg ; Bristoe Campaign ; Overland Campaign ; Siege of Petersburg ; Valley Campaigns of 1864 ; Appomattox Campaign ; Battle of Five Forks
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Colonel Charles W. Field ; Colonel Thomas S. Flournoy ; Colonel John S. Green ; Colonel Julien Harrison

Last updated January 27, 2025

The 6th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

On September 11, 1861, Kentucky-born West Point graduate Col. Charles William Field, who had commanded the Cavalry Camp of Instruction in Ashland, Virginia with the assistance of Capt. Lunsford L. Lomax beginning in late June 1861, was appointed Colonel of the new 6th Regiment of Virginia Volunteer Cavalry. Initially, his Lt.Col. was Williams C. Wickham, and J. Grattan Cabell of Richmond, named the unit's Major. Col. Field initially divided the unit into seven companies, but the Governor's Guard and Henrico Light Dragoons never arrived (instead becoming Company I of the 4th Virginia Cavalry and 10th Virginia Cavalry, respectively), so the Clarke Cavalry and Rockingham Cavalry were substituted. Wickham also was reassigned before arrival, so Julian Harrison (a major planter and slaveholder from Columbia, Goochland County, Virginia) became the unit's initial Lt. Col. Some of the named companies had already seen action; others were newly formed.

Col. Field completed organizing Virginia's 6th Cavalry by November, 1861, at Manassas, Virginia. The Georgia Hussars arrived despite Georgia Governor Joseph E. Brown's objection to their having accepted state funds to arm, but following a skirmish near Burke's Station in Fairfax County, Virginia were assigned to the Jefferson Davis Legion of Mississippi Cavalry in December. As shown below, men of this unit were raised in Loudoun, Rappahannock, Clarke, Rockingham, Fairfax, Halifax, Pittsylvania, Jefferson, Frederick, Wise and Orange counties.^[1]

Sortable table
Company	Nickname	Recruited at	First Commanding Officer
A	Loudoun Cavalry (a/k/a/ Dulany Troop)	Loudoun County	Richard S. Dulany 2nd Lt. George E. Plaster
B	Rappahannock Cavalry	Rappahannock County	Col. Richard S. Ewell Sgt. Daniel Grimsley
C	Rockingham Cavalry (a/k/a River Rangers)	Rockingham County	Edward S. Yancey
D	Clarke Cavalry	Clarke County Jefferson County Frederick County	Capt. Hugh M. Nelson Capt. E.P.C. Lewis
E	Georgia Hussars Pittsylvania Dragoons	Savannah, Georgia Pittsylvania County	Capt. Cabell Flournoy
F	Fairfax Cavalry (a/k/a Washington's Home Guard)	Fairfax	Capt. Edward B. Powell
G	Halifax Cavalry (a/k/a Flournoy Troop)	Halifax County	Thomas S. Flournoy
H	Wise Dragoons	Fauquier County
I	Orange Rangers	Orange County	Gustavus J. Browning
K	Loudoun Cavalry	Loudoun County	Capt. Daniel T. Shreve Capt. William W. Mead

When Col. Field was promoted to brigadier general of infantry, the unit was reorganized and the Pittsylvania Dragoons, led by Capt. Thomas Stanhope Flournoy's son, added. On April 15, 1862, Julian Harrison was named colonel of the 6th Virginia Cavalry, Dr. J. Grattan Cabell was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and Thomas S. Flournoy became the company's major. Flournoy, a prominent Virginia Whig had been a United States Congressman as well as an unsuccessful candidate for Virginia governor from the anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant Know Nothing Party in 1855. However, by month's end the reorganization changed pursuant to new legislation passed by the Confederate Congress which not only authorized conscription, but also promoted reorganization through election of officers, so 20 lieutenants and captains in the 6th Virginia cavalry failed to win their troop's confidence lost their commissions. The second reorganization that month promoted Flournoy to lieutenant colonel, and John ("Shac") Shackelford Green (despite being voted out as captain) became the unit's major. At this time, the 6th Cavalry and 2nd Virginia Cavalry were also assigned to Ewell's Division under Col. Thomas T. Munford's command to reinforce Gen. Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley.^[2]

The unit later served in Robertson's, “Grumble” Jones', Lomax's, and Payne's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. It fought in Jackson's Valley Campaign and in the conflicts at Second Bull Run, Brandy Station, Upperville, Fairfield, Bristoe, Mine Run, The Wilderness, Todd's Tavern, Spotsylvania, Haw's Shop, and Cold Harbor. The regiment went on to take part in Early's Shenandoah Valley operations and the Appomattox Campaign.

Only 3 men surrendered on April 9, 1865, as most of the cavalry cut through the Federal lines and later disbanded. The field officers were Colonels Charles W. Field, Thomas Flournoy, John S. Green, and Julien Harrison; Lieutenant Colonels J. Grattan Cabell and Daniel T. Richards; and Majors Cabell E. Flournoy and Daniel A. Grimsley.

Field officers

Colonel Charles W. Field
Colonel Thomas S. Flourney, Commanding Officer on the Sharpsburg Campaign^[3]
Colonel John S. Green
Colonel Julien Harrison
Lieutenant Colonel J. Grattan Cabell
Lieutenant Colonel Daniel T. Richards
Major Cabell E. Flournoy
Major Daniel A. Grimsley

Related Research Articles

The Third Battle of Winchester, also known as the Battle of Opequon or Battle of Opequon Creek, was an American Civil War battle fought near Winchester, Virginia, on September 19, 1864. Union Army Major General Philip Sheridan defeated Confederate Army Lieutenant General Jubal Early in one of the largest, bloodiest, and most important battles in the Shenandoah Valley. Among the 5,000 Union casualties were one general killed and three wounded. The casualty rate for the Confederates was high: about 4,000 of 15,500. Two Confederate generals were killed and four were wounded. Participants in the battle included two future presidents of the United States, two future governors of Virginia, a former vice president of the United States, and a colonel whose grandson, George S. Patton, became a famous general in World War II.

The Army of the Shenandoah was a field army of the Confederate States Army active during the American Civil War. It was created to defend the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from Union Army attacks during the early months of the war. The army was transferred to reinforce the Confederate Army of the Potomac at the First Battle of Bull Run, which was the only major engagement of the war it participated in. After the battle, the army was merged into the Army of the Potomac.

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, in which it became the only modern state to have declared its independence from the Confederacy. In the summer of 1861, Union troops, which included a number of newly formed Western Virginia regiments, under General George McClellan drove off Confederate troops under General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Philippi in Barbour County. This essentially freed Unionists in the northwestern counties of Virginia to form a functioning government of their own as a result of the Wheeling Convention. Before the admission of West Virginia as a state, the government in Wheeling formally claimed jurisdiction over all of Virginia, although from its creation it was firmly committed to the formation of a separate state.

The 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment also known as Ashby's Cavalry was a Confederate cavalry regiment raised in the spring of 1861 by Colonel Angus William McDonald The regiment was composed primarily of men from the counties of the Shenandoah Valley as well as from the counties of Fauquier and Loudoun. Two companies contained men from the border counties of Maryland.

The 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry was a Union Army cavalry regiment that served in the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the Shenandoah during the American Civil War. It was formed in 1861 as the Philadelphia Light Cavalry and the 70th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers by Richard H. Rush who also served as colonel from 1861 to 1862. At the request of Major General George B. McClellan, the regiment was equipped with lances which prompted the unit to be known as "Rush's Lancers." The lances proved ineffective in battle and the regiment was issued carbine rifles in 1863. The regiment served in many of the key battles in the Eastern theater of the American Civil War and were mustered out in August 1865.

The Thirteenth Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, Kane's Rifles, or simply the "Bucktails," was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was a part of the famed Pennsylvania Reserve division in the Army of the Potomac for much of the early and middle parts of the war, and served in the Eastern Theater in a number of important battles, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg.

The 10th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 38th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the War Between the States. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 50th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia and in Tennessee.

The 1st Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 2nd Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 3rd Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Tidewater and Southside Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Initially assigned to defend the Hampton Roads area, it fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. As shown by the company table below, members were raised in eight counties: Mecklenburg, Elizabeth City, New Kent, Halifax, Nottoway, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, and Prince Edward Counties.

The 4th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 5th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 8th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly as part of the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 11th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 15th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia.

The 23rd Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was recruited primarily in the counties of Hampshire, Hardy, Morgan, Berkeley, Frederick, Clarke, Shenandoah, Warren, Rockingham, Augusta, Allegheny and Henrico. It fought in the Shenandoah Valley.

The 25th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly in western Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.

References

↑ Musick, Michael A. (1990). 6th Virginia Cavalry, The Virginia Regimental History Series. Petersburg, VA: H. E. Howard Inc. pp. 2–7.
↑ Musick pp. 9-11
↑ Antietam: 6th Virginia Cavalry

This article incorporates public domain material from Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. National Park Service.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Musick, Michael A. (1990). 6th Virginia Cavalry, The Virginia Regimental History Series. Petersburg, VA: H. E. Howard Inc. pp. 2–7.

[2] Musick pp. 9-11

[3] Antietam: 6th Virginia Cavalry

[1]

[2]

[3]

6th Virginia Cavalry Regiment

Contents

Field officers

See also

Related Research Articles

References