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 with swords and firearms from horseback. While their use goes back to the late 16th century, dragoon regiments were established in most European armies during the 17th and early 18th centuries; they provided greater mobility than regular infantry but were far less expensive than cavalry.
John Buford Jr. was a United States Army cavalry officer. He fought for the Union during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of brigadier general. Buford is best known for his actions in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, by identifying Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge as good High Ground, and by placing vedettes to the west and north that delayed the enemy long enough for the Union Army to arrive.
William Gamble was a civil engineer and a United States Army cavalry officer. He served during the Second Seminole War, and fought for the Union during the American Civil War. He commanded one of two brigades in Brigadier General John Buford's Division of Cavalry, in which he played an important role in defending Union positions during the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, also known as the Second Dragoons, is an active Stryker infantry and cavalry regiment of the United States Army. The Second Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army Europe and Africa, with its garrison at the Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany. It can trace its lineage back to the early part of the 19th century.
David McMurtrie Gregg was an American farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War.
Samuel Davis Sturgis was a senior officer of the United States Army. A veteran of the Mexican War, Civil War, and Indian Wars, he attained the rank of brevet major general.
The 1st Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army regiment that has its antecedents in the early 19th century in the formation of the United States Regiment of Dragoons. To this day, the unit's special designation is "First Regiment of Dragoons". While they were the First Regiment of Dragoons, another unit designated the 1st Cavalry Regiment was formed in 1855 and in 1861 was re-designated the 4th Cavalry Regiment. The First Dragoons became the 1st Cavalry Regiment, since they were the oldest mounted regiment.
The 8th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater in a number of campaigns and battles, but perhaps is most noted for its actions in helping repulse Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg.
In the Battle of Wertingen Imperial French forces led by Marshals Joachim Murat and Jean Lannes attacked a small Austrian corps commanded by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Franz Xaver von Auffenberg. This action, the first battle of the Ulm Campaign, resulted in a clear French victory. Wertingen lies 28 kilometres (17 mi) northwest of Augsburg. The combat was fought during the War of the Third Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars.
The 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment served the duration of the war, and was the only Illinois cavalry regiment to serve the entire war in the Army of the Potomac. They also aided in the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and served as President Lincoln's honor guard while he lay in state under the rotunda. Lincoln gave them the nickname of "Farnsworth's Abolitionist Regiment" when he watched them march past the White House.
Benjamin Franklin "Grimes" Davis was an American military officer who served in Indian wars, and then led Union cavalry in the American Civil War before dying in combat. He led a daring escape from the Confederate-encircled Union garrison at Harpers Ferry.
Étienne-Marie-Antoine Champion, comte de Nansouty was a French cavalry commander during the French Revolutionary Wars who rose to the rank of General of Division in 1803 and subsequently held important military commands during the Napoleonic Wars.
The state of Illinois raised a number of short-lived Independent Cavalry Companies which served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Most of these units were quickly amalgamated with larger formations.
André Joseph Boussart or André Joseph Boussard was a French soldier and general. He enlisted in the army of Habsburg Austria as a youth. A Belgian by birth, he joined the Brabant Revolution against Austria and fled to France when the rebellion collapsed. He soon found himself fighting for France during the French Revolutionary Wars. Promoted to general officer during the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria, he returned to France where he held several non-combat posts.
For the 8th Dragoons in the British Army, see 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars.
Baron Samuel-François Lhéritier de Chézelles was a French soldier who rose through the ranks during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, eventually gaining promotion to the military rank of Général de Division.
Andrew Barclay Spurling was an officer in the Union Army. Serving in the American Civil War, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Arno Voss was a German American military commander, lawyer, and politician. After studying law in Ohio, Voss came to Chicago, Illinois to edit a newspaper. He later established a law practice there. In 1862, he was named colonel of the 12th Illinois Cavalry, leading the brigade until 1864. After the war, Voss re-opened his practice and served one term in the Illinois House of Representatives.
Irving W. Carson,, a captain in the U.S. Army, served as a scout during the American Civil War under the direction of General Ulysses S. Grant, and as a sideline was a journalist for the Civil War. He was in the Battle of Shiloh at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, Tennessee, USA and was killed there by artillery, which made him the first journalist to be killed during the war.
Andrew Thomas McReynolds (1808-1898) was an American colonel and lawyer of Irish origin who commanded the 1st New York Cavalry Regiment during the American Civil War as well as Prosecuting Attorney of Muskegon County in 1874.
