United States Regiments & Batteries > New York > Cavalry
“Harris Light Cavalry”
The 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment lost 9 officers and 112 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 235 enlisted men to disease in the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.
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1861
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| August 9 – October 8 |
Organized by order of the War Department |
| October 26 | The regiment was designated the 7th United States Cavalry. This being in excess of the number provided for by Act of Congress, the regiment was redesignated the 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry or “Harris Light Cavalry.” |
| September 18 | Left New York for Washington, D.C. under Colonel J. Mansfield Davies, Lieutenant Colonel Judson Kilpatrick, and Majors Henry Davies, Alfred Duffie and Otto Harhaus. |
| September-March | Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D. C. Attached to McDowell’s Division, Army of the Potomac |
| December 6 | Colonel Davies was discharged, and Lieutenant Colonel Kilpatrick was promoted to colonel. |
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1862
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| March | Assigned to King’s 3rd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| March 1 | Captain Otto Harhaus of Company G was promoted to major. |
| March 10-16 | Advance on Manassas, Va. |
| April 3-18 | Advance on Falmouth, Va. King’s Division was redesignated 3rd Division, Department of the Rappahannock |
| April 17 and 19 | Falmouth |
| May 5 | Near Fredericksburg |
| May 11 | Bowling Green Road |
| June | Assigned to Bayard’s Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Corps, Army of Virginia |
| July 4 | Flipper’s Orchard |
| July 19-20 | Expedition from Fredericksburg to Hanover Junction |
| July 20 | Beaver Dam Station |
| July 22-24 | Reconnaissance to James City |
| July 23 | Mt. Camel Church |
| August 5-8 | Expedition to Frederick’s Hall Station |
| August 5 | Thornburg or Massaponax Church |
| August 8 | Orange Court House |
| August 9 | Battle of Cedar Mountain |
| August 16- September 2 |
Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia |
| August 18 | Near Rapidan Station |
| August 20 | Brandy Station |
| August 21-23 | Fords of the Rappahannock |
| August 21 | Kelly’s Ford |
| August 22 | Catlett’s Station |
| August 23 | Culpeper and Waterloo Bridge |
| August 24 | Sulphur Springs |
| August 26 | Manassas Junction |
| August 28 | Thoroughfare Gap |
| August 29 | Groveton |
| August 30 |
Second Battle of Bull Run |
| August 31 | Germantown, Centreville and Chantilly |
| September 1 | Little River Turnpike |
| September | Attached to Bayard’s Cavalry Brigade, Army of the Potomac Companies A, B, I and K with 3rd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac until October |
| September 14 | South Mountain, Md. |
| September 17 | Goose Creek. Six Companies in action at Leesburg. |
| September 16-19 | Reconnaissance to Leesburg |
| September 29 | Warrenton |
| October 5 | Dumfries |
| October | Hazel River |
| October 31 | Aldie and Mountsville |
| November 3 | Sudley Church |
| November 4 | New Baltimore, Salem, Warrenton and Upperville |
| November 8-9 | Rappahannock Station |
| November 25 | Aldie |
| December 7 | Stafford Court House |
| December 12-15 |
Battle of Fredericksburg |
| December 15 | Assigned to Gregg’s Cavalry Brigade, Army of the Potomac |
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1863
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| February 11 | Assigned to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| April 14 | Rappahannock Station |
| April 16 | Warrenton |
| April 19 | Rappahannock Station |
| April 27-May 8 | Stoneman’s Raid |
| May 2 | Louisa Court House |
| May 3 | Ashland and Hanover Station |
| May 4 | Glen Allen |
| May 5 | Aylett’s |
| May | King and Queen Court House |
| May 6 | Centreville |
| May 10 | Morrisville |
| May 19-20 | Expedition from Gloucester into Matthews County (Detachment) |
| June 1 | Falmouth |
| June 3 | Brandy Station |
| June 9 |
Battle of Brandy StationThe regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry E. Davies, Jr. while Colonel Kilpatrick commanded the brigade. |
| June 13 | Colonel Kilpatrick was promoted to brigadier general. Lieutenant Colonel Henry E. Davies was promoted to colonel and Major Harhaus to lieutenant colonel. |
| June 14 | The main part of the regiment was assigned to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac.
A battalion at Yorktown, Va., was attached to 4th Army Corps, Dept. of Virginia, to July, 1863, and then to King’s Division, 22nd Army Corps, to August, 1863. |
| June 17 | Aldie |
| June 19 | Middleburg |
| June 21 | Upperville |
| June 24-July 7 | The detached battalion took part in Dix’s Peninsula Campaign assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Army Corps, Dept. of Virginia |
| June 28 | Rockville, Md. |
| June 29 | Cooksville |
| July 1-3 |
Battle of GettysburgThe regiment was commanded during the Gettysburg campaign by Lieutenant Colonel Otto Harhaus and brought 264 men to the campaign. From the monument at Gettysburg: This Regiment was engaged in the battles and skirmishes of the Cavalry Corps until the Brigade reached Hanover Junction, June 30, 1863, when it was moved hastily to Manchester, to guard trains against rumored movements of the enemy, and picketed the surrounding country. July 4th Joined 3rd Division in pursuit of the enemy and participated in the Cavalry engagements until the enemy retreated into Virginia. |
| July 4 | Monterey Gap |
| July 5 | Smithburg, Emmettsburg |
| July 6 | Hagerstown and Williamsport |
| July 8 | Boonsborough |
| July 9 | Funkstown |
| July 10-13 | Jones’ Cross Roads |
| July 11-13 | Hagerstown |
| July 14 | Williamsport, Falling Waters |
| July 16 | Berryville |
| July 27 | Bristerburg |
| August 1 | Assigned to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps |
| August 3 | Fairfax |
| August 5 | Thoroughfare Gap |
| August 12-14 | Near Aldie |
| August 22 | U.S. Ford |
| September 1-3 | Expedition to Port Conway |
| September 1 | Lamb’s Creek |
| September 13-17 | Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan |
| September 13 | Culpeper Court House |
| September 14 | Somerville Ford |
| September 16 | Robertson’s Ford
Colonel Davies was promoted to brigadier general and Lieutenant Colonel Otto Harhaus was promoted to colonel. |
| September 17 | U.S. Ford |
| September 19 | Culpeper |
| September 21 | Madison Court House |
| September 21-22 | White’s Ford and Liberty Mills |
| September 27-28 | Scout to Hazel River |
| October 2 | Hazel Run |
| October 6 | Hazel River |
| October 7 | Culpeper |
| October 9-22 | Bristoe Campaign |
| October 10 | James City, Robertson’s River and Bethesda Church |
| October 11 | Near Culpeper |
| October 11-12 | Brandy Station |
| October 14 | Gainesville |
| October 17-18 | Groveton |
| October 19 | Haymarket, Buckland’s Mills and New Baltimore |
| November 4 | Catlett’s Station |
| November 7-8 | Advance to line of the Rappahannock |
| November 7 | Stevensburg |
| November 15 | Hartwood Church |
| November 18 | Germania Ford |
| November 26-December 2 | Mine Run Campaign |
| November 26 | Morton’s Ford |
| November 27 | New Hope Church |
| November 29 | Robertson’s Tavern |
| December 2 | Germania Ford |
| December 5 | Raccoon Ford |
| December 18 | Somerville |
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1864
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| January 12 | Kelly’s Ford |
| January 17 | Ellis Ford |
| January 19 | Stevensburg and Ely’s Ford |
| February 28- March 3 |
Kilpatrick’s Raid to Richmond |
| February 29 | Beaver Dam and Frederick’s Hall Station and South Anna Bridge |
| March 1 | Defenses of Richmond |
| March 2 | Old Church and King and Queen; Near Walkertown (Detachment. Dahlgren killed) |
| March 3 | Near Tunstall Station (Detachment) and New Kent Court House and Stevensville |
| March 11 | Carrollton’s Store |
| May-June | Rapidan Campaign |
| May 5 | Craig’s Meeting House |
| May 5-6 | Todd’s Tavern |
| May 6-7 |
Battle of the Wilderness |
| May 8 | Alsop’s Farm, Spottsylvania |
| May 9-24 | Sheridan’s Raid to James River |
| May 9-10 | North Anna River |
| May 11 | Ground Squirrel Church and Yellow Tavern |
| May 12 | Brooks’ Church or fortifications of Richmond and Strawberry Hill |
| May 23 | Polecat Station |
| May 26 | Demonstration on Little River |
| May 28-31 | Totopotomoy |
| May 29-30 |
Hanover Court HouseCaptain Walter C. Hull of Company L was wounded |
| May 31 | Mechump’s Creek |
| June 1-12 | Cold Harbor |
| June 2 | Totopotomoy and Gaines’ Mill |
| June 3 | Haw’s Shop |
| June 3 | Via’s House |
| June 10-11 | Old Church |
| June 11 | Bethesda |
| June 12 | Riddell’s Shop and Long Bridge |
| June 14 | Malvern Hill |
| June 15 | Smith’s Store near St. Mary’s Church |
| June 22-30 | Wilson’s Raid to south side and Danville Railroad |
| June 23 | Black and White Station and Notreway Court House |
| June 28 | Sapponay Church or Stony Creek |
| June 29-30 and July 3 |
Ream’s Station |
| August 7-November 28 | Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Shenandoah, Middle Military Division |
| August 17 | Near Winchester |
| August 21 | Summit Point, Charlestown |
| August 25 | Near Kearneysville |
| September 2 | Waynesboro |
| September 4 | Berryville |
| September 9 | Near Winchester |
| September 10 | Colonel Harhaus mustered out. Captain Walter C. Hull of Company A was promoted to major. |
| September 13 | Abram’s Creek |
| September 19 |
Third Battle of Winchester (Opequan) |
| September 20 | Near Cedarville |
| September 21 | Fisher’s Hill and Front Royal Pike |
| September 22 | Milford |
| September 26 | Staunton |
| September 29 | Waynesboro |
| September 30 | Mt. Crawford |
| October 2 | Bridgewater and Woodstock |
| October 6 | Brock’s Gap |
| October 7 | New Market |
| October 8 | Fisher’s Hill |
| October 8-9 | Tom’s Brook, “Woodstock Races” |
| October 13 | Cedar Run |
| October 19 |
Battle of Cedar Creek |
| November 1 | Major Hull was promoted to colonel. |
| November 7 | Cedar Creek |
| November 12 |
NinevehColonel Hull was killed. |
| November 22 | Mt. Jackson |
| November 23 | Hood’s Hill |
| November 24 | Captain Alanson Randol, commander of Battery E, 1st United States Artillery, was appointed colonel of the 2nd New York Cavalry. |
| November 28-December 2 | Expedition from Kernstown to Moorefield |
| December 3 | Moorefield |
| December 19-22 | Expedition to Lacy Springs |
| December 21 | Lacy Springs and Mt. Jackson |
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1865
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| February 27- March 25 |
Sheridan’s Raid from Winchester |
| March 2 | Occupation of Staunton and Action at Waynesboro |
| March 3 | Charlottesville |
| March 15 | Ashland |
| March 28-April 9 | Appomattox Campaign |
| March 30-31 | Dinwiddie Court House |
| April 1 |
Five ForksCommanded by Lieutenant Colonel William P. Robeson, Jr., who was wounded. |
| April 2 | Fall of Petersburg |
| April 3 | Namozine Church |
| April 6 | Sailor’s Creek |
| April 8 | Appomattox Station |
| April 9 |
Appomattox Court HouseSurrender of Lee and his army. |
| April 23-29 | Expedition to Danville |
| May | March to Washington, D.C. |
| May 23 | Grand Review |
| June 5 | Mustered out |
| June 23 | Honorably discharged from service under Colonel Alanson M. Randol |