Frank(lin) Reese (July 1, 1843-1925) went to Camp Cameron (Cameron was named for a government official), Harrisburg and enlisted as a Private at the formation of the 9th Cavalry on October 19, 1861. The 9th Cavalry consisted of twelve companies and Frank was assigned to Company F. Frank 's service is briefly:
Oct. 19, 1861-mustered in at Harrisburg, Co. F, 9 Reg't Mtd. Vols., Lochiel Light Cavalry(in the "period____ years", it is crossed out and says "For the War"
Muster Rolls
Nov.1, 1861 -present
Dec 31, 1861 -not stated
Jan/Feb 1862-present
Mar/Apr 1862-present
May/June 1862-present, stoppage $0.48 for 1 haversack
Jul/Aug 1862-present, stoppage $0.48 for 1 haversack
Sep/Oct 1862-present, pay due from date of enlist to date of muster
Nov/Dec 1862-absent, missing at Union, Tenn. Dec 30/62. Probably taken prisoner
Jan/Feb 1863-absent, Taken prisoner at Union, East Tenn Dec. 30/1862 with horse, horse equip, sabre, pistol, carbine, spurs, canteen and haversack.(later registered presnt at Annapolis Md for these months)
Mar/Apr 1863- absent, Taken prisoner at Union, East Tenn Dec 30/62
Apr 10, 1863-absent, Taken prisoner at Union, East Tenn Dec 30/62
May/Jun 1863-present, pay due from date of enlistment
Jul/Aug 1863-present, pay due from date of enlist to date of muster 5 days
Sep/Oct 1863-present, pay due from date of enlist to date of muster 5 days
Nov/Dec 1863-present, To be stopped 1 pr spurs $0.53
Mar 29, 1864 deatchment muster-out roll Cleveland, Tenn, Muster out date Dec 31 1863, Last paid to Dec 31, 1863, Clothing Account- Last settled Aug 31, 1862, Am't. for clothing in kind or money adv'd $46.64, Bounty Paid-none, due $100.00, Remarks: Pay due from June 30, 63 to Oct 31, 63 Discharged by virtue of Reenlisting as Vet Vol under provisions of G.O. No. 19 Series of 1863 from W.D.
Memorandum From Prisoner Of War Records
Frank (Franklin) Reese, 9 PA Cav Co F
Records:
mis. Vol 37, P 249
orix? Vol 5
CC Roll Vol 19, p?) 75
CC Roll Vol 209 (p?) 7
mis Roll Vol 198 &233
Captured at Eastville Dec 28, 1862 confined at Richmond Jany 27, 1863
Paroled at (City?) Point Va Feb 3, 1863; reported at Camp Parole Md Feby 5, 1863, (Ins?) not given; reported at Camp Chase Mar 13 to 22/63, present there Apr 10&30/63 sent to Army of Cumberland June 2/63
Volunteer Enlistment
State of Tenneseee
Town of Mossy Creek
I, Franklin Reese born in Lancaster County in the State of Pennsylvania aged Twenty years and by occupation a Farmer Do Hereby Acknowledge to have volunteered this First day of January 1864 to serve as a Veteran Soldier in the Army of the United States of America, for the period of THREE YEARS, unless sooner discharged by proper authority:Do also agree to accept such bounty, pay, rations, and clothing, as are, or may be, established by law for volunteers. And I, Franklin Reese do solemnly swear, that I will bear true faith allegiance to the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, and that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies or opposers whomsoever; and that I will observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the Rules and Articles of War.
Sworn and subscribed to, at Mossy Creek
this First day of January 1864
Before E.G. Savage, Maj 9th Pa Cav & Recruiting Officer
Franlin Rees
I CERTIFY ON HONOR, That I have careful;ly examined the above-named Volunteer, agreeably to the General Regulations of the Army, and that, in my opinion, he is free from all bodily defects and mental infirmity, which would in any way disqualify him from performing the duties of a soldier
S.C. Walker, Asst Surgeon
I CERTIFY, ON HONOR, That I have minutely inspected the Veteran Volunteer, F. Reese previously to his enlistment, and that he was entirely sober when enlisted; that, to the best of my judgment and belief, he is of lawful age; and that, in accepting him as duly qualified to perform the duties of an able-bodied soldier, I have strictly observed the Regulations which govern the recruiting service. The soldier has Blue eyes, Dark hair, Light complexion, is Five feet Seven inches high.
E.G. Savage, Maj 9th Pa Cav & Recruiting Officer
Mustered into the service of the United States, for three years or during the war from date of enlistment in Company "F" Ninth Regiment of Pa Cavalry Volunteers, on the 29th day of March, 1864 at Cleveland Tenn
Sam J. Dick, (?) 15th U.S. (?)
A.C.M. Pa Cav Div. D.C.
Muster Rolls
Jan/Feb 1864-present, to be stopped 1 pr spurs $0.52. Reenlisted as veteran Jan 1 64
Muster and Descriptive Rolls of Vet. Vols.
of the organization named above. Roll dated Cleveland Tenn Mch 29 1864. Where born Lancaster County, Pa, Age 21 y'rs; occupation Laborer; When enlisted Jan 1 1864. Where enlisted Mossy Creek Tenn. For what period enlisted 3 years. Eyes blue; hair dark; Complexion Light; height 5ft 7 in. When mustered in Mach 29, 1864. Muster-in to date Jan 1 1864. Where mustered in Cleveland Tenn. Bounty paid $60.00; due $340.00
Muster Rolls
Mar/Apr-present
May/Jun 1864-present, to be stopped one months pay by sentence of court-martial.
Jul/Aug 1864-present
Sep/Oct 1864-present, to be stopt 1 Tompion $0.02, 1 Sabre Knot $0.31 Link(?) Cav $0.30 Total $0.63
Nov/Dec 1864-present
Dec 24 1864 (Co. Muster-Out Roll) Kingsbridge, Ga, Last paid to Jun 30 1864 Clothing account last settled Dec 31, 1863. Discharged by virtue of orders No. 191 W.D. series of 1863. M.O. to date from dec 31, 1863
Jan/Feb 1865-present, To be stopped 1 Tompion $0.02, 1 Sabre Knot $0.31 Link(?) Cav $0.30
Apr 30 1865-present, To be stopped 1 Tompion $0.02, 1 Sabre Knot $0.31 Link(?) Cav $0.30
May/Jun 1865-present, To be stopped 1 Tompion $0.02, 1 Sabre Knot $0.31 Link(?) Cav $0.30
Jul 18 1865 (Co. Muster-Out Roll) Lexington, NC Discharged Dec 31, 63 by virtue of GO 191 WD also
Muster out date July 18, 1865
Last paid to June 30, 1864
Clothing account last settled Dec 31, 1863 drawn since $55.45
Due U.S. for arms, equipments etc. $1.16. Bounty paid $110.00; due $290.00. To be stopped for Ordnance Stores lost $0.64 Stop 1 pr spurs & straps $0.52 Total $1.16
Frank's older brother Ed signed up with Co. F, 9th Cavalry on August 18, 1864 and served until May 29, 1865.
(Frank and Ed Reese had two other brothers who served as paid substitutes; Martin who served with the 88th Infantry and Witmer who was assigned to the 53rd Infantry.)
1861
After George McClellan took command of the Union Army late in August 1861, policy was quickly reversed. McClellan named George Stoneman chief of cavalry, and by year's end eighty-two Union volunteer cavalry regiments were in the process of enrollment and outfitting. Most of them were short of proper weapons, trained riders, and good mounts.
One might suppose that McClellan, who wrote the Army's cavalry regulations and developed a saddle that was standard equipment for half a century, would have handled his horsed soldiers with dash and imagination. Instead, he attached them to infantry divisions, scattering them throughout the Army where they were too often misused by assignment to escort and messenger service. Not until the summer of 1863, when a vast cavalry depot was established at Giesboro Point, did the Union Army have the horse power to challenge the Confederacy's mounted units. Located within the District of Columbia across the eastern branch of the Potomac (Anacostia River), Giesboro was the energy source for the great Union cavalry operations of the last two years of war.
Until that time, however, Confederate cavalry was dominant-a dashing, disruptive, and disconcerting force that kept many a Union commander off balance during the early months of war. In the first major battle, at Bull Run on July 21,1861, the pattern for Southern cavalry leaders was set by James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart. During the early afternoon of that day, as General Irvin McDowell's advancing Union Army was being brought to a halt by General Thomas Jackson "standing like a stone wall," Stuart led his 1st Virginia Cavalry into the fight. When a column of New York Zouaves tried to stop the Virginians, Stuart sent his Black Horse troop charging in with flashing sabers and rattling carbines. Stuart's horsemen may not have changed the outcome that day, but they certainly added to the terror of the fleeing soldiers in blue.
A West Point graduate in 1854 and a six-year veteran of Indian fighting on the western frontier, Jeb Stuart at twenty-eight was the right man in the right place to create the perfect image of romantic cavalier. He was handsome, he was daring, and he dressed the part, wide-brimmed hat worn at an angle and decorated with an ostrich feather and a gold star, a flowing cape, scarlet-lined jacket, yellow sash around his waist, long gauntlets, golden spurs, and a rose always in his buttonhole.
Two months after Bull Run, Stuart was a brigadier general with five more regiments under his command, and he soon added a battery of horse artillery commanded by John Pelham. After a winter of relative inactivity by both armies, Stuart's cavalry brigade left Manassas junction to join in the defense of Richmond, which was threatened by McClellan's growing forces on the Virginia peninsula. Events moved rapidly for the Confederates that spring, with former cavalryman Robert E. Lee replacing the wounded Joe Johnston as commander of the armies in northern Virginia.
1862
After guard duty for awhile in Kentucky, on March 5th the unit moved into Tennessee, where the third battalion engaged the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry C.S.A. commanded by Capt. John Morgan (Morgan's Raiders) at Lebanon. Helped by the 7th Pennsylvania and 3rd.Kentucky Cavalry they defeated the Raiders capturing 293 men including Lt. Col.Wood, Morgans second in command. Morgan escaped on his fleet horse "Black Bess", however she had broken her bridle causing Morgan to lose control over the spirited mount and Morgan was forced to leave her and board a small ferry, just before the oncoming Union cavalry reached the river. On May14, 1862 the 3rd. Battalion was again after Morgan and came upon his rear guard at Spring Creek, after a spirited fight the guard was captured. The Ninth chased Morgan into the Cumberland Mountains where at Sparta the Rebels divided into small bands and headed for Chattanooga by different routes.
The Ninth then marched to Tompkinsville, Kentucky where on June 6th. Capt. Hugh McCullough and I company defeated a Rebel force. Capt. McCullogh was shot in the stomach and killed during the battle. On July 9th Morgan with a large number of troops advanced toward Tompkinsville. The Ninth Pennsylvania had divided their regiment into smaller units and had a detachment of only 230 men commanded by Major Jordan to counter the rebels. After two hours of fighting the Ninth withdrew to Burksville. Major Jordan's horse was shot out from under him and Jordan was taken prisoner.
Brought before Morgan, Jordan refused to sign a Parole and accused the Kentuckians of being marauders, as regular confederate soldiers would not be operating so far behind enemy lines! Jordan was sent to Georgia and put on a train to Richmond. Charges were brought against him for insulting the women of Sparta, but he denied them saying he only demanded meals cooked for his men. Jordan was a Lawyer in civilian life and appeared to be an honorable man, so he was exchanged and reported back to Louisville to rejoin his troops.
Jordan in his "Reminiscences" records that he was sent to Knoxville and then Castle Thunder in Richmond where he was exchanged in December.
Early in June 1862, Lee sent Stuart on a reconnaissance mission that turned into a spectacular ride around the entire invading army of McClellan. With 1,200 of his finest horsemen, Stuart reached the South Anna River on the first day, then turned to the southeast along the Federal flank. After two small skirmishes Stuart made a daring decision to circle the rear of McClellan's army. To cross the Chickahominy, his men had to rebuild a bridge before they could start their return along McClellan's left flank. All the while they were, busily capturing and burning supply trains, wrecking railroads, and destroying communications. Ironically, Stuart's opposite cavalry commander in McClellan's army was his father-in-law, Philip St. George Cooke, and at one point the two men were in firing distance of each other.
On June 14 Stuart transferred command to Fitzhugh Lee and dashed on ahead to Richmond to inform his commander of weaknesses in McClellan's defenses. Using this information, General Lee ordered Stonewall Jackson to attack the Union Army's rear and flank, as part of the Seven Days Battles, after which McClellan abandoned his long-planned assault on Richmond and withdrew to Harrison's Landing on the James River.
In the West, meanwhile, an entirely different breed of Confederate cavalry leader was attracting much attention. When the war began, Nathan Bedford Forrest, a forty-year-old cotton planter and livestock trader, enlisted as a private at Memphis, Tennessee. In a matter of days his superiors authorized Forrest to raise a battalion of cavalry, and by August 1861 he was in command of several companies of volunteers, many of whom he armed and mounted with his own resources. In a way, Forrest was as theatrical in appearance as Stuart--tall, lithe, finely cut features, swarthy complexion, iron-gray hair, and piercing eyes. Although he lacked the cultured background and military training of Stuart, he was not the illiterate country bumpkin he was sometimes depicted, and his language was the common usage of most Westerners of his time. As for his military prowess, Sherman called him "that devil Forrest," and Grant considered him "about the ablest general in the South."
In November 1861 Forrest was raiding as far north as Kentucky. In February 1862 he was at Fort Donelson when the Confederate commanders there decided to surrender to Grant, but instead of surrendering with them, Forrest galloped his men out in a flight to Nashville. In the general retreat from that city, Forrest's cavalry formed a protective rear guard. By early summer he was raiding northward again, capturing Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and its Federal garrison. On October 20 he suffered one of his rare repulses in a skirmish along the Gallatin Pike near Nashville, but later that year he was cutting Grant's communications and harassing his supply lines in western Tennessee.
Also in 1862 another Southern cavalryman began operations in the West. John Hunt Morgan was the cavalier type, a product of the Kentucky Bluegrass, soft-spoken, handsome, a devotee of horses and racing. Long before the war he organized a fashionable militia company, the Lexington Rifles, and around this company late in 1861 he organized the famed 2d Kentucky Cavalry Regiment. Among his recruits was an accomplished telegrapher, George Ellsworth, whose intercepted and faked telegrams became a specialty of Morgan's many cavalry raids. After the fall of Fort Donelson, the Kentuckians withdrew to a Tennessee base, using it for frequent strikes into their home state.
Morgan chose July 4, 1862, to start his first Kentucky raid in force, riding a thousand miles in three weeks, skirmishing, capturing supplies, and recruiting men and horses. Three months later he returned to Kentucky again, this time with Braxton Bragg's army, easily capturing his hometown of Lexington and its Union garrison. Morgan never forgave Bragg for retreating after the Battle of Perryville and abandoning Kentucky to the Federals. On December 21 Morgan left his winter base in Tennessee for a Christmas raid, his most significant accomplishment being the destruction of a vital railroad bridge at Muldraugh's Hill, Kentucky, an act that halted shipments of supplies to Union forces to the south.
While Bragg's army was retreating from Kentucky, another rising Confederate cavalryman, Joe Wheeler, began appearing in official dispatches. Wheeler was only five feet four and in his mid twenties, but he was a West Pointer. Although he lacked the color and e1an of his rivals, Wheeler soon won the nickname "Fighting Joe" and the rank of major general.
Back in the East late in 1862, Jeb Stuart led about 1,800 of his horsemen in a wild three day dash north into Pennsylvania, wrecking railroads and seizing horses and military equipment. On his return he completed another circuit of McClellan's army, which was still positioned along the upper Potomac after the Battle of Antietam.
During that battle a Union cavalry leader provided some evidence of the forthcoming power of Northern cavalry. He was Alfred Pleasonton, late of the 2d Dragoons, who at the outbreak of war had traveled by horseback from Utah to Washington to offer his services to the Union. Soon he would be in command of a reorganized Federal cavalry corps.
On November 20th the secretary of war ordered the Ninth moved by train to Pittsburgh, and then by boat to Louisville Kentucky. The Ninth camped across the Ohio River, at Jeffersonville Indiana where mounted drill commenced . Troopers were issued obsolete Belgian rifles but did have Colt Revolvers in good condition, and Sabers. Confederate cavalry did not use the Saber until later in the war when they obtained Chicopee Sabers from captured Union cavalrymen. By Jan.10, 1862 the troopers had learned to use these arms and were ordered to the front lines.
"Cavaliers or Outlaws"
John Hunt Morgan the Alabama born leader of the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry C.S.A. considered himself a gentleman and true Knight of the South. Most northerners considered Morgan's band as raiders and outlaws. Morgan's 2nd Cavalry, created from the Lexington Rifles was the farthest ranging Confederate unit of the war, fighting in ten States. The 2nd Kentucky was camped in Sparta on July 7th when they heard the story that angered John Morgan and his men. According to the townsfolk it was reported back in May that a certain Major Thomas Jordan of the Ninth Pennsylvania, had made an order on the ladies of the town to cook for his men within one hour or he would not be responsible for what might happen to them. The womenfolk understood this a threat of rape and complied with the order. Through civilian informants Morgan learned that the Ninth Pennsylvania was based at Thompkinsville and the 2nd Kentucky had detoured to Thompkinsville to settle accounts. The rebels considered it their duty as true Knights, to seek out the offenders and do battle with the scoundrels.
Later in the war Morgan was killed by Union cavalry troops, who had breached the sentry line at Greenville on September 4th. One of the Federal troops shouted, " I've killed the damn horse-thief" and Private Andrew Campbell of the 13th Tennessee Union cavalry then threw the corpse across his horse and paraded back to show Morgan's body to his officers. There was no proof that Campbell killed Morgan and General Gillem denounced Campbell for his treatment of the dead. He had Morgan's body placed on a caisson and sent back to Greenville to be given a decent funeral. (Brown, Morgan's Raiders)
Rear Guard Action
With the rebels invading Kentucky in force, the Ninth was united again under the command of Col. Williams, at Lebanon, Kentucky. The Ninth Pennsylvania cavalry along with the Ninth Kentucky was beaten soundly at Richmond, Kentucky and on July 30th. The saddle weary troops then fought a rear guard action covering the retreat of Gen. Nelson to Louisville. The Ninth was attacked daily by the "Louisiana Tigers" (1st. Louisiana Cavalry). The Tigers were expert horsemen who skirmished with the "Yankee Boys" at every opportunity. The Louisiana cavalry "Tigers" had hoisted the confederate flag at Frankfort on September 3rd after Federal forces evacuated the Capitol. Then they marched toward Shelbyville and on September 4th after burning bridges, they attacked the Ninth Pennsylvania. The Ninth repulsed the Rebels killing 27 and capturing 44 during this skirmish.
The Ninth Cavalry reached Louisville on September 5th where Gen. Buell and the 2nd. Michigan reinforced the troops. Captain Ebenezer Gay, a regular army officer, was placed in command of a small brigade of cavalry, consisting of the Ninth with 650 men and the 2nd Michigan with 350 men. These were the only two regiments that he could depend on as the 6th7th9th and 11th Kentucky were raw recruits as was the 4th Indiana. The Ninth Pennsylvania took the point and advanced to Perryville, where the Ninth was under intense enemy fire until it was relived by McCooks corps. The 2nd Michigan was well armed with 5 shot Colt carbines an early repeating rifle. Meanwhile most of the Pennsylvanians were armed only with Sabers and Revolvers. There is some indication that they borrowed carbines from the 9th Kentucky! At Perryville the Ninth formed on the right of the line and repelled every attempt by the Rebel Cavalry to turn its flank. The Ninth had 10 killed, and 27 wounded in this battle. Gen.Buell stated: "The Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry behaved most bravely, being at one time compelled to stand for almost three quarters of an hour under concentrated fire from three batteries of enemy artillery, and only retiring when ordered to do so.
The Ninth had endured some hard fighting and needed fresh horses.
(The Union Army used over 825,000 horses in the Civil War paying an average price of $150.00 per head. Sometimes high-class horses were found at purchasing depots but more often the reverse was true. Men of the highest integrity lost all sense of fair play when it came to selling or swapping horses to the Government.) So about half of the troopers were dismounted and they headed back to Louisville for fresh horses and equipment. After receiving the supplies the Ninth along with the 2nd. Michigan prepared for raids into eastern Tennessee and the railroads linking the rebel Capital. On December 22nd the men were issued 100 rounds of ammunition and army rations. Tthe horse soldiers then started a long trek over the mountains, following deer and Indian trails. The cavalry continued day and night, fording creeks and swimming across both the Cumberland and Clinch Rivers (Bates). On the same day (December 22nd) two brigades of Confederate Raiders left Alexandria, Tennessee under command of Morgan. The raiders had about 3900 men and two light batteries of artillery consisting of seven guns. The artillery was double-teamed but the raiders had no supply wagons to slow them down. Their object was to destroy the Louisville and Nashville railroad. Over 400 men served as horse-holders until such time as arms could be captured for them. Morgan's young troopers had no Sabers but the veterans carried one or two Colt pistols and cavalry carbines. Some men carried double- barreled shotguns but the majority used rifles, the Enfield being very prevalent.
1863
On Jan.1, 1863 the Ninth Pennsylvania reached the Virginia and Tennessee railroad at the Watauga Bridge, where about 100 men defended the position. The Ninth dismounted and assaulted the Rebels on foot. The Ninth fought a short battle forcing the defenders to surrender and then burned the bridge and *paroled all captured prisoners. The Pennsylvanians then rode about 11 miles down the railroad to the Holston River where two hundred and fifty men behind stockades and entrenchment's defended the position. The Ninth attacked this force and captured the rebels, six men of the regiment were killed and 25 wounded. Sergeant Ellis Hamersly was one of the wounded and he and the other wounded men were left with the paroled enemy, the regiment having no ambulances. Hamersly refused to stay behind, and managed to stay on his horse until they reached Kentucky. After destroying nearly a mile of railroad trestle they headed for Kentucky and by rapid maneuvering, eluded rebel cavalry commanded by Marshall, and crossed the mountains to safety. The success of the Ninth angered the Rebel Command and Marshall was relieved of duty. The exhausted men of the Ninth reached Nicholasville on Jan.13 with two thirds of the men dismounted, their horses had not been fed for over 100 miles! * Early in the war the opposing armies would parole a prisoner and he was then free to go home after signing under oath, that he would not fight again until exchanged for a prisoner from the opposing side. This quaint procedure changed during the war and men were later sent to Prison camps.
Then came springtime of 1863, midpoint of the Civil War, the year of fullest flowering for the soldiers on horseback, the year of maturation for Union cavalry. By this time both sides had found through experience what weapons and accoutrements best suited them, the methods of fighting that were most successful. The Southerners learned to travel light and live off the country; indeed, the Confederate Congress authorized ranger units that were encouraged to roam independently, raiding Union bases and supply trains for loot to sustain themselves. In northern Virginia, John S. Mosby was the most notable of the ranger leaders. In the West, M. Jeff Thompson was typical of the irregulars who fought in the border states. Thompson sometimes moved his troops on horseback, sometimes in dugout canoes.
Although most cavalrymen favored sabers at the beginning of the war, their use declined in favor of the carbine and the pistol. Records show that fewer than a thousand saber wounds were treated in Federal hospitals during four years of combat. Cavalry commanders also quickly learned to use their horses for swift mobility rather than for direct attacks, bringing their men close to the enemy and dismounting them for combat, with one man in each set of four acting as horse holder.
By 1863 several models of breech-loading carbines were available in quantity for Federal cavalrymen, although opinions differed as to the qualities of the different models. With the new Blakeslee cartridge box known as the Quickloader, a trooper could fire a dozen aimed shots a minute. Yet there were many Southerners, such as Basil Duke of Morgan's cavalry, who were arguing until long after the war in favor of their old-fashioned Enfields and Springfields, which they claimed were more accurate and of longer range than the newer Spencer or Sharp's carbines.
Among the extraordinary feats of cavalrymen on both sides during 1863 was Forrest's interception and capture of Colonel Abel Streight's entire regiment, John Morgan's great raid across the Ohio River into Indiana and Ohio, and Stuart's controversial raid just before Gettysburg, when he inflicted considerable damage upon his enemy but failed to inform Lee of his actions. On the Federal side, in the West Benjamin Grierson, a former music teacher, demonstrated that Yankee cavalry could raid as daringly and as deep behind the lines as Confederates. In a seventeen-day march through the heart of Mississippi, Grierson also demonstrated the value of cavalry in attacking vital supply lines and in drawing off enemy forces from the main battle area, in his case Vicksburg.
Soon after Major General Joseph Hooker took command of the Army of the Potomac early in 1863, he consolidated his forty cavalry regiments into three divisions. For the first time the Union Army had a mobile strike force that could out number the Confederates. A new breed of young, aggressive leaders was also coming to the fore with the cavalry corps-notably Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, John Buford, and George Custer.
Col. Jordan commanded the right wing of the army of the Cumberland, confronting forces at Liberty on the left, Shelbyville & Tullhoma* at the center and Franklin on the right. At Spring Hill fourteen miles from Franklin was the enemy's left wing under command of General Van Dorn with General Wheeler and the formidable Forrest each commanding a Division.
The joke among Confederates was that in Ancient Greek "Tulla" meant mud and "homa" meant more mud. Many wagons got stuck in the driving rainstorms of that winter meanwhile the Ninth Pennsylvania aided by 300 men of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry confronted the rebel force and made daily attacks upon the advance positions for 18 successive days in order to hide their inferior strength of numbers. The strategy worked until March 4th when General Van Dorn attacked in force. A Division of infantry commanded by Col. John Coburn from Indiana had reached Franklin during the night and joined up with the Union cavalry, the combined force then engaged the enemy four miles from Franklin. The ensuing battle lasted from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. when the rebel force was finally forced back to Thompson's Station.
Col. Colburn pursued the retreating rebels with the Ninth Pennsylvania engaging the enemy at the hills in front of the station. The rebels were forced back until the infantry advanced. Unfortunately Col. Coburn and over 3000 troops were captured when Brig. Gen. "Red" Jackson's dismounted 2nd. Division made a frontal attack as Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest swung to the rear. After three attempts Jackson's troops carried the Union hilltop position. Gen. Forrest had meanwhile captured Coburn's wagon train. Surrounded and out of ammunition, Coburn surrendered. The detachment of Pennsylvania cavalry fought their way out, then joined up with the rest of the Ninth and retreated to Franklin. The Ninth was able to bring back the artillery and many wounded soldiers, along with over 200 prisoners.
A preview of what was in store for the free-roaming Confederate horsemen occurred on March 17 when Brigadier General William W. Averell challenged Fitzhugh Lee's Confederate brigade at Kelly's Ford on the Rappahannock. What formerly would have been an easy skirmish for the Virginia horsemen turned into a fierce engagement. Averell's men retired from the field, but not until they inflicted double the casualties they received. Among the dead was the Confederate hero of Fredericksburg, "the gallant John Pelham."
The real test came at Brandy Station on June 9. As customary, Jeb Stuart's cavalry was to serve as a screen for Lee's army, which was preparing to invade the North, a march that would culminate in the Battle of Gettysburg. The Confederate cavalry was at its peak, five brigades led by such tested veterans as William E. "Grumble" Jones, Fitzhugh Lee, William H. "Rooney" Lee, and a rising brigadier from South Carolina, Wade Hampton. While waiting for General Lee to move out of Culpeper, Stuart decided to put on a grand review. The various squadrons performed at their glittering best before an audience of beautiful women, various civilian and military officials, as well as a number of distant watchers from Alfred Pleasonton's Union cavalry corps.
General Hooker's balloon observers had reported unusual activity along the Rappahannock, and Pleasonton was ordered to investigate. Among his officers were Buford, Kilpatrick, David McMurtrie Gregg, Alfred Duffie, and George Custer, who was then a captain.
After a careful reconnaissance, Pleasonton decided to attack Stuart by crossing one column at Beverly Ford and another at Kelly's Ford. In numbers the opponents were about equal, 10,000 horsemen in blue and 10,000 in gray. The lead units of blue columns crossed the Rappahannock at four o'clock in the morning and caught most of the Confederate camps by surprise. Some Confederates hastily retreated, some formed defense lines, some charged their attackers half-dressed and riding bareback. At Fleetwood, just east of Brandy Station, Stuart was finally able to concentrate his forces, and it was here that the greatest cavalry battle of the war was fought. By this time, delays and communication failures had collapsed command organization on both sides so that regiments, battalions, squadrons, and individuals charged and countercharged in clouds of smoke and dust. As this was cavalry against cavalry at close quarters, many a long-unused saber came into play. After three hours of combat, both sides were completely exhausted, and many men were unhorsed from the wild fighting. With the arrival of Confederate infantry, the Union regiments began withdrawing across the Rappahannock. Estimates vary as to the number of casualties, but it is safe to say that about 500 men on each side were out of combat at the end of the battle.
Brandy Station was not only the greatest cavalry battle of the war; it was the turning point for Federal cavalry. "Up to that time confessedly inferior to the Southern horsemen, they gained on this day that confidence in themselves and in their commanders which enabled them to contest so fiercely the subsequent battlefields." The man who said that was not a Union cavalryman but one of Jeb Stuart's own adjutants.
During this time the Ninth Pennsylvania cavalry was under the command of Major General Stanley as part of the First brigade, First division, Army of the Cumberland, Cavalry.
General Van Dorn had set up residence at the home of Dr. Peters, after the fighting. He evidently had an affair with the doctor's wife, while the doctor was away making his calls, so Doctor Peters walked into Van Dorns headquarters and killed him with a pistol shot to the head. The Doctor then rode to the Union lines and went to Nashville until the war ended. Jordan wrote: "Thus perished General Earl Van Dorn, a graduate of West Point who was a Major in the old second cavalry before the war. He deserted his regiment, took office in the Confederate army and died the death due a rebel to the flag of his country that had educated him and given him position. He was a serpent in a virtuous family and a profligate who knew not what it was to have an honorable sentiment or exalted feeling. With all his talents he groveled in the slime of licentiousness and met the fate due his crimes".
Chickamauga
Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, a harsh disciplinarian, disliked by his own troops, was about to meet the Pennsylvania Cavalry. The Ninth was now combined into the 1st Division of Cavalry, commanded by General Stanley. They fought skirmishes at Rover, Middletown and Shelbyville. At Shelbyville the Ninth charged the enemy left flank while the Seventh Pennsylvania attacked the center. Closing fast on the flank the cavalry was suddenly in the midst of confederate troops and in hand-to-hand combat. After a determined effort the Ninth captured about 1000 of the enemy and their artillery battery but Capt. Gilbert Waters was killed in the fight. The Ninth then fought battles at Elk River and Cowan were they captured 200 of Bragg's rear guard. Shortly before the battle at Chickamauga the cavalry had ridden all the way to Lafayette, Georgia (about 35 miles south of Chattanooga) capturing an advance guard of Gen. Longstreet's who were marching from Lee's army in Virginia to reinforce Bragg.
At Chickamauga the Ninth held the right side of the union line and after the defeat of McCooks corps they moved to the right of Gen. Thomas and defended the flank. This obstinate stand by two brigades of Union cavalry against the confederate infantry gave time for formation of union lines. Col. Jordan and the Ninth Pennsylvania were again complimented for their gallantry.
["The Rock of Chickamauga," Gen. Thomas was a Virginian who chose to fight for the Union. "Pap" Thomas was a large man who was well liked by his troops, a fearless and unassuming leader, cool under fire. "Pap" Thomas would not be defeated and his troops stood fast at Chickamauga. Indian warriors were killed in ancient battles, long before the Blue and Gray armies made the river again run red with blood. Chickamauga was the fiercest battle of the war in the western campaign and both armies suffered horrific losses. One of the devastated units was a Georgia regiment of adventurous young men that had "Gone to see the Elephant" on May 11th of 1861. The boys had only enlisted for a year, the last regiment taken for such a short term.
The 5th Georgia Regiment was one of the Rebel units that fought against the Ninth at Chickamauga. The 5th Georgia was torn to shreds at Chickamauga on September 19th and 20th 1863, with the killed and wounded approaching 54% of the regiment. The 5th was made up in part by the "Clinch Rifles" from Augusta, Georgia. The 10 companies that composed the "Clinch Rifles" were all from cities and towns and wore nice Confederate uniforms of varying styles. Originally they had garrisoned Pensacola, Florida where General Braxton Bragg drilled them and called them the "Pound Cake Regiment" because of their unique uniforms. The 5th had also lost heavily at Murfreesboro and would be bloodied at Missionary Ridge and Atlanta when they stood against Sherman. Few regiments in history have suffered such devastating losses and continued to fight. The 5th continued in combat against the Ninth Pennsylvania through the Savannah campaign and into the Carolinas, where the brave Americans from the South finally surrendered on April 20th 1865.]
1864
In early April the Ninth Cavalry re-enlisted, and many of the soldiers returned to their homes in Pennsylvania for a 30-day leave. At the end of May they reported back to Louisville, along with newly recruited men and the Ninth now reached it's full regimental strength of 1200 troops.
While the Ninth was at Louisville waiting for horses and weapons, General Morgan made his last raid into Kentucky and headed for Frankfort, where he crossed the Kentucky River and overpowered the troops scattered along the Louisville and Nashville railroad. Morgan then broke up track and burned bridges, disrupting the supply lines going to Gen. Sherman, then on the march to Atlanta. The Ninth Cavalry, armed with muskets (some Cavalry troops, both North and South were at times armed with Spencer repeating rifles and other breech loading rifles. The Henry rifle could fire 15 shots without re-loading and was a prototype of the famous Winchester used by cowboys in the west ) rode all night, covering 54 miles to relieve the Capital. The Ninth Cavalry forced Morgan to fall back to Pound Gap, where a Union Cavalry division under Gen. Burbridge defeated the Rebels.
As springtime of 1864 approached, with the war seemingly sunk into stalemate, Union cavalry leaders planned a daring raid into Richmond. It was a three-pronged affair, with Kilpatrick leading one column, Custer leading a diversionary attack on Stuart's camp near Charlottesville, and twenty-one-year-old Ulric Dahlgren (who had lost a leg at Gettysburg) supporting Kilpatrick with a third force. Because of bad timing, the main assault failed. Dahlgren lost his life, Kilpatrick retreated with considerable losses, and only Custer came off well by surprising Stuart's winter bivouac and destroying supplies and capturing horses.
In March Lincoln brought U. S. Grant east to command all Union armies. In early April Grant exiled Pleasonton to the West after informing Lincoln that he was bringing "the very best man in the army" to head the Union cavalry. He was Philip Henry Sheridan, and his arrival signaled the end for Confederate cavalry power in Virginia.
A further blow to the Confederacy's mounted forces occurred on May 11 when Sheridan brought 10,000 of his troopers within a few miles of Richmond, threatening the capital and destroying large quantities of Lee's already dwindling supplies. In an effort to save Richmond, Jeb Stuart attacked with his 4,500 horsemen. A charge led by Custer drove the Confederates back, and while rallying his men, Stuart was mortally wounded.
In the West, however, the indomitable Forrest with his new command continued an unceasing harassment of the Federals. He led a month-long expedition through Tennessee and Kentucky, capturing Union City, Tennessee, on March 24. On April 12 he captured Fort Pillow, Tennessee, an action that is still controversial, some charging that his men massacred black and white soldiers after they surrendered. At Brice's Cross Roads, Mississippi, on June 10, outnumbered more than two to one, Forrest defeated General Samuel Sturgis and sent the Federal column in a panic retreat to Memphis. In August Forrest came close to capturing the Union commanders in Memphis with a daring Sunday morning raid that caught them by surprise. "Old Bedford" closed out the year by assembling a navy of sorts. After capturing two gunboats and two transports, he combined the naval armament with his, shore artillery and shelled everything in sight along the Tennessee River.
Confederate cavalrymen seemed to have a talent for attacking gunboats from their saddles. During Fighting Joe Wheeler's January raid in 1863, his cavalrymen captured a gunboat and three transports on the Cumberland River. On June 24, 1864, Brigadier General Jo Shelby and his audacious Missourians fought three United States steamers on the White River in Arkansas, capturing and destroying the USS Queen City.
The Ninth rode through Nashville and arrived at Chattanooga on Sept. 2nd Meanwhile General "Fighting Joe" Wheeler and his Rebel forces were crossing into Tennessee. The Ninth arrived at Murfreesboro on September 5th and a day later twelve miles from Murfreesboro, the Ninth Pennsylvania defeated General Dibrell's brigade and took 294 prisoners, many of who were wounded with Saber cuts from the close encounter. Some Yankee horse soldiers were also wounded by confederate sabers.
The next day a telegram placed all Cavalry in Tennessee under command of Col. Jordan, and directed him to pursue the Rebel army. That same afternoon the Ninth defeated part of rebel General Williams division under the command of Col. Anderson.
Numerous bands of Independent Confederate Cavalry had had their own way for two years, under fierce and enterprising leaders like General Forrest and John Morgan. Now seasoned by many battles against the confederates the Ninth were a match for any Rebel unit and the Pennsylvania Cavalry again pursued the rebels to Sparta, and into the mountains. Gen. Wheeler placed confederate Gen. Williams under arrest for refusing to fight, and he was not released until the end of the war. The Ninth Pennsylvania, which constituted about two thirds of the Union force was issued complimentary orders by headquarters.(Bates)
In the late autumn of that year Shelby joined Major General Sterling Price's expedition into Missouri, the final futile effort to recover that state for the Confederacy. At Westport they felt the sting of Federal cavalry led by none other than the recently deposed commander from Virginia, Alfred Pleasonton. When Price ordered a withdrawal, Pleasonton pursued, but after two heavy engagements the Union commander pulled his troopers away, allowing the beaten Confederates to escape.
Pleasonton's replacement in Virginia, the long-armed and short-legged Phil Sheridan, most likely would have shattered Price's cavalry. In the Shenandoah Valley he and Custer were racking up victories and devastating the Eastern Confederacy's breadbasket. On October 10 Sheridan made his famous twenty-mile ride from Winchester to turn the tide of battle against Jubal Early's infantry at Cedar Creek.
By this time other Federal cavalrymen had driven deep into the South. George Stoneman and James H. Wilson were operating in northern Georgia, and Judson Kilpatrick joined Sherman for the March from Atlanta to the sea. Kilpatrick tangled twice with Joe Wheeler's decimated command, but he had so little trouble on the march that he grew careless of security. In South Carolina, March 9, 1865, Wade Hampton's troopers almost captured him in bed, and he was forced to flee without his trousers.
In the meantime, John Morgan had been killed on September 4, 1864, in Tennessee, and on December 13 Stoneman defeated the remnants of his old command.
Marching through Georgia
The Ninth Cavalry joined up with Gen. Sherman at Marietta Georgia on Nov.14th on the "March to the Sea". Sherman was determined to make Georgia Howl! he was one of the first modern Generals that understood it was civilians that supplied the military and he made war against them also. Sherman is best remembered for his statement "War is Hell!" Meanwhile General Kilpatrick was in command of 6,000 cavalrymen, including the Ninth Pennsylvania, as part of the 3rd Cavalry Division. General Sherman considered Brigadier Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, a.k.a. "Kill Cavalry Kilpatrick" as a "hell of a damn fool". However, Sherman had personally requested the headstrong young general to command the cavalry on the campaign because of his recklessness. The troops advanced toward Macon and Milledgeville Georgia where near Atlanta they met a rebel force at Lovejoy's Station on the Macon Railroad. The rebels were well entrenched and opened fire with four Cannons. The Ninth charged and drove the enemy from their guns, taking over 300 confederates' prisoner and they used the captured cannon for the remainder of the war, as these same guns had been surrendered to the rebels in a previous battle. The brigade then pushed General Wheeler into Macon in December and fought at Griswoldville where 95 men were killed or wounded. The Ninth then started toward Millen where they hoped to free captured Union soldiers from their prison-pens. At Waynesboro Wheeler made a night attack but two times was beaten back by the Yankee Horse soldiers. They discovered that the Union prisoners had been moved, so the troops headed back to join Gen. Baird's Infantry. Wheeler attacked again at Buckhead creek, hoping to cut off the Ninth, then defending the rear of the column. The other troops had already crossed Ogeechee creek, but the Ninth fought off this attack.
The Ninth had the center with the Ohio 9th on the right, Fifth Ohio on the left with the 8th.Indiana, 3rd & 5th Kentucky in reserve. The Ninth rode into the heart of the confederate lines and forced Wheeler's men to retreat. Wheeler made another stand at Waynesboro but was again forced to withdraw. General Joe Wheeler was a born leader, and later would command American fighting men in the Spanish American War. The Union Army then headed toward historic Savannah, Georgia arriving on Dec. 21st.
1865
Many units of the once superbly mounted Southern cavalrymen were now reduced to fighting on foot. Wade Hampton and Joe Wheeler were no match for Kilpatrick's powerful cavalry in the Battle of Bentonville in mid-March, 1865- On March 29 Fitzhugh Lee was beginning his last stand in the Appomattox campaign. On April 7 Bedford Forrest fought his last skirmish with Wilson's cavalry in Alabama.
The Ninth fought on with action in South and North Carolina, and on March 8th the cavalry fought a small engagement near Fayetteville against Confederate cavalry commanded by Major General "Fighting Joe Wheeler. The First Brigade under Jordan then scouted the area and dismounted at Blue's Church to pull wagons and artillery by hand because of the muddy conditions. Way's Provisional Brigade, made up of dismounted men from the Ninth Pennsylvania, 9th Ohio and 5th Kentucky camped in front of Morganton rd. In the early morning hours the Rebels charged on horseback, firing their pistols and giving the "Rebel Yell" Union troops taken by surprise scattered into the swamps. Kilpatrick escaped in his nightclothes, leaving behind a very pretty female companion. The Union troops regrouped at the edge of the swamp and put up a sustained fire from their Spencer carbines. Under this intense volley about 20 confederates died in the first few minutes, some of these troops were young cadets from the Citadel.
And then on April 8, when the battered survivors of Lee's cavalry units prepared for one final charge near Appomattox, they found themselves facing a solid mass of blue-clad infantrymen, 24,000 strong (The 88th Infantry, Pennsylvania Volunteers were a part of the final chase of Lee during the Spring of 1865). The long war practically ended there, and significantly it was a horse soldier in blue who dashed forward under a truce flag to demand immediate and unconditional surrender. The demand was not granted. George Custer had to wait for his commander, General Grant, who on the following day accepted it from General Lee.
About April 13, 1865 the horse soldiers entered Raleigh and the city surrendered under orders from the civil authorities. After the cavalry rode through Raleigh, the enemy attacked and then withdrew about 10 miles. The Ninth was ready to attack the remnants of the confederate force when a flag of truce approached. A dispatch was delivered to General Sherman, who met with Gen. Johnson CSA and accepted the surrender of his command. The Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry fired some of the final shots in Sherman's army and after the surrender the Ninth mustered out of service, returned to Harrisburg and disbanded.
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