The 2nd West Virginia Cavalry Regiment served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized in Parkersburg, Virginia (now West Virginia) during September 1861. Most of the original members of this regiment were from southeastern Ohio, and planners thought that this regiment would become the 4th Ohio Cavalry. Their application was rejected by the governor of Ohio, so the unit became the 2nd Regiment of Loyal Virginia Volunteer Cavalry. The "Loyal Virginia" part of the name was replaced with "West Virginia" after the state of West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union in 1863. Today, the National Park Service lists them as 2nd Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry under a heading of Union West Virginia Volunteers.
The regiment's first full–fledged war experience happened in early January 1862 in northeastern Kentucky, where they assisted the command of Colonel James A. Garfield. For the next two years, most of the regiment's fighting was in the mountainous backwoods of what later became the southern portion of West Virginia, especially the Kanawha River Valley. During the Kanawha Campaign in September 1862, the 2nd Regiment of Loyal Virginia Volunteer Cavalry cleared away Confederate cavalry that intended to prevent a retreating Union Army from reaching the safety of Ohio. By 1864, the regiment was part of the Army of West Virginia, and spent much of its time fighting in the western portion of today's state of Virginia. It participated in General David Hunter's unsuccessful raid on Lynchburg and Union General Philip Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, playing an important part in the Third Battle of Winchester.
On November 28, 1864, about 240 members of the regiment completed their three-year enlistment and mustered out. The regiment was reorganized into five companies. By the end of 1864, the regiment was part of General George Armstrong Custer's 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps—which, along with another division, remained under the command of General Sheridan. Sheridan's two cavalry divisions continued to fight in the Shenandoah Valley and were responsible for eliminating Confederate General Jubal Early's Army of the Valley from the war. During March 1865, Sheridan moved his two divisions eastward toward Petersburg, Virginia. The regiment, as part of Capehart's Fighting Brigade in Custer's division, was part of a crucial cavalry charge in the Union victory at the Battle of Sailor's Creek. The regiment was also present during the Appomattox Campaign and the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. After the war, the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry participated in the Grand Review of the Armies, and was mustered out on June 30, 1865. Four men from the regiment received the United States of America's highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
Formation and organization
Recruiting for the 2nd Regiment of Loyal Virginia Volunteer Cavalry began in September 1861 after an appeal by President Abraham Lincoln in July. The rebellion in the southern states, which began earlier in the year, had lasted longer than expected—and many of the war's original recruits had been asked to commit to only three months of service. Most of the recruits for this new cavalry regiment were from southeastern Ohio, including the counties of Lawrence, Meigs, and Washington—all counties located along the Ohio River border with Virginia. The nearby counties of Jackson, Vinton, and Morgan were also major sources for recruits. Additional recruits were from Putnam and Monroe counties. CompanyI was organized in Mason City, (West) Virginia, which is located along the Ohio River. Volunteers for the new cavalry regiment committed to serve for three years. One company of recruits already had military experience. CompanyH consisted mostly of men who had completed their 3-month commitment at the beginning of the war as part of 18th Ohio Infantry.
Organizers originally planned for the regiment to be the 4th Ohio Cavalry. However, Ohio's governor William Dennison refused to accept the unit's application, stating that he had instructions to recruit no more cavalry. After being rejected in Ohio, the organizers sought acceptance from an alternative government for the state of Virginia that was composed of western Virginia counties that refused to accept Virginia's succession from the United States. This restored government of Virginia was located in Wheeling, and had a provisional governor. The provisional governor, Francis Harrison Pierpont, accepted the regiment's application with approval from the United States Secretary of War. The ten original companies of the unit reported at Parkersburg, Virginia (now West Virginia) in mid-September, 1861. The regiment was originally named 2nd Regiment of Loyal Virginia Volunteer Cavalry. Its first commander was Colonel William M. Bolles, and deputy commander was Lieutenant Colonel John C. Paxton. John J. Hoffman was one of the regiment's two majors. Among the other original officers, William H. Powell was captain of BCompany, and David Dove was captain of HCompany.
The regiment was armed by December 15, 1861. Most of the regiment was equipped with horse pistols, a poor weaponry choice for a cavalry unit. Horse pistols were 58-caliber hand guns that fired a single shot. They were typically carried in pairs—one in each holster on the sides of the horse. They had a long barrel for a hand gun—nearly long. Horse pistols were accurate up to about . A portion of the regiment received shortened muzzle-loading Enfield rifles. This British import fired a .577-caliber projectile, and was popular with both sides at the beginning of the war. Like the horse pistol, it needed to be reloaded after firing a single shot. Both weapons were difficult for a rider to reload while mounted and had significant recoils. The men were also issued sabers, which were good quality, but not always useful in the mountainous terrain of western Virginia.
After receiving their weapons, the regiment was ordered to Guyandotte in (West) Virginia's Cabell County. This small Ohio River community is located close to Virginia's border with Ohio and Kentucky, and is now part of Huntington, West Virginia. At Guyandotte, the regiment received its horses and conducted more drills.
Kanawha Valley During 1862–1863, the 2nd Loyal Virginia Volunteer Cavalry usually camped in (or near) the Kanawha River Valley, in the southwestern portion of the present West Virginia. The regiment's first serious warfare occurred on January 8, 1862, near Louisa, Kentucky. Assisting Colonel James A. Garfield, the regiment combined with additional cavalry and infantry to drive rebels from the area. This was also the day the regiment experienced its first loss of life in combat. A few days later, the 2nd Loyal Virginia Cavalry returned to its winter quarters in Guyandotte. Garfield would eventually become the 20th President of the United States.
In April 1862, the regiment was divided into two battalions consisting of five companies each. One battalion was ordered to report to General Jacob Dolson Cox (commanding the Kanawha Division) at Flat Top Mountain. Much of its work for the next few months involved removing "bushwhackers" from Raleigh, Fayette, and Wyoming counties in the southern portion of the present West Virginia.
The other battalion joined some Ohio infantry regiments to form Cox's 3rd Brigade of the Kanawha Division, which was commanded by Colonel (later Major General) George Crook. This brigade normally operated apart from Cox. Its camp was located at Meadow Bluff, west of Lewisburg in Greenbrier County.
Crook, Heth, and Lewisburg On May 23, 1862, Colonel Crook's 3rd Brigade routed rebel infantry in a conflict where the shooting lasted for only 27 minutes. Rebel casualties were 72 men killed, over 100 wounded, and 157 men taken prisoner. They also lost four cannon, 300 small weapons, and 25 horses. Crook's brigade lost 13 killed, 50 wounded (including Crook, who was shot in the foot), and 6 missing. The feat was accomplished by taking advantage of aggressive rebel soldiers and a hostile town. Crook had learned that a large rebel infantry under the command of General Henry Heth was moving toward Lewisburg. Crook positioned his brigade at the far end of the town, and sent a small group of pickets to the opposite end where the rebels would approach. Heth's rebels raced into town after the pickets, urged on by the pro-rebel local population. The rebels were quickly ambushed in a short action that ended after a charge by Union infantry and cavalry. The 2nd Loyal Virginia Cavalry battalion had been held out of the fighting, but was used to chase the fleeing rebels. The rebels escaped by burning the Greenbrier Bridge.
On June 23, Crook's brigade searched for Heth's infantry again, but Heth withdrew to the mountains. On the same day, Colonel William M. Bolles resigned from the 2nd Loyal Virginia Cavalry. In the following months, three officers were promoted. Lieutenant Colonel Paxton was promoted to colonel during July. During August, Major Rollin L. Curtis was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and Captain William H. Powell was promoted to major. Additional promotions occurred within the companies.
Kanawha Valley Campaign
On August 14, 1862, Cox began moving his Kanawha Division toward Washington as reinforcement for Major General John Pope's Army of Virginia. Exceptions to Cox's orders were the 2nd Loyal Virginia Cavalry and two regiments of Ohio infantry, which remained in the area for defensive purposes. The three regiments moved to Kanawha Falls in what is now south central West Virginia, at the beginning of the Kanawha River—which flows to the Ohio River. They were put under the command of Colonel Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn. Thus, the two battalions of 2nd Loyal Virginia Cavalry were reunited, with Colonel John C. Paxton commanding the cavalry regiment. Confederate leaders soon learned of the force reduction, and made plans to drive the Union army out of the Kanawha Valley.
In early September 1862, Colonel Lightburn became aware of rebel cavalry led by Colonel Albert G. Jenkins, which invaded Ohio. After a brief incursion into Ohio, Jenkins positioned his cavalry at Barboursville, which blocked one of Lightburn's possible routes to the safety of the Ohio River. Jenkins also prepared to move toward the Kanawha River and Charleston—which could block all of Lightburn's retreat routes to Ohio. Lightburn also received news that the Confederate General William W. Loring was advancing from the south with a force rumored to be between 8,000 and 10,000 men. (The actual number was 5,000 plus new recruits.) Lightburn faced the possibility of confronting an army (Loring) that he thought was much larger than his while having no easy way to retreat because of Jenkins.
Lightburn responded to the threat by splitting his army into two brigades plus a few small posts. One brigade, commanded by Colonel Edward Siber, was positioned on the south side of the Kanawha River (between the river and Loring). The other brigade, commanded by Colonel Samuel A. Gilbert, was positioned on the north side of the river. Lightburn also sent six companies of the 2nd Loyal Virginia Cavalry in pursuit of Jenkins's cavalry.
The cavalry pursuing Jenkins was led by Colonel Paxton, and the advance guard consisted of CompanyB led by Major William Powell. On September 8, Powell's advance group attacked Jenkins's rebel camp outside of Barboursville. The camp was captured, and Jenkins himself barely escaped. The rebel force, which was much larger than Paxton's cavalry, was driven up (southward) the Guyandotte River. It was discovered that Jenkins planned to move his cavalry toward Charleston the next day—to intercept Lightburn if his Union Army retreated.