4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > Pennsylvania > Artillery, Cavalry & Engineers

The 4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry Regiment lost 9 officers and 89 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 officers and 257 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. The regiment is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1861
August – October Organized as the 64th Pennsylvania Volunteers at Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
October 18 The regiment was mustered in under Colonel David Campbell and Lieutenant Colonel James H. Childs.
October Ordered to Washington, D.C. Attached to Stoneman’s Cavalry Command, Army Potomac
December 28 Companies A & B assigned as escort to General Keys
1862
February 25 Cos. A & B returned to regiment
March 12 Colonel Campbell was transferred to the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Lieutenant Colonel James H. Childs was promoted to colonel and Captain George H. Covode was promoted to major.
May Attached to McCall’s Division, Dept. of the Rappahannock
May 10 Joined McDowell at Fredericksburg
May-June Scouting on the Rappahannock
June Attached to McCall’s Division, 5th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
June 14 Moved to the Virginia Peninsula
June 24 Arrived at White House
June 25 Companies A, G, H and K ordered to Yorktown, Va.
June 25-July 1 Seven days before Richmond
June 26 Meadow Bridge near Mechanicsville, Mechanicsville
June 27 Gaines’ Mill, Cold Harbor
June 28 Reconnaissance to Bottom’s Bridge
June 29 Rear guard to Army Potomac
June 30 Glendale or Nelson’s Farm
July 1 Malvern Hill
July 2-3 Reconnaissance to Charles City C. H.
July-August At Harrison’s Landing. Attached to 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army Potomac.
July 11 – July 29 Reconnaissance from Harrison’s Landing (Co. F)
August 16-18 Rear Guard to Yorktown
August 19-25 Duty at Yorktown
September 4 Reached Washington, D.C. Attached to 3rd Brigade, Pleasanton’s Cavalry Division, Army of the Potomac.
September-October
Maryland Campaign

Colonel Childs took command of the brigade due to General Averell’s illness. Lieutenant Colonel James Kerr commanded the regiment.
September 14 Battle of South Mountain
September 16-17
Battle of Antietam

Colonel Childs was killed on the 17th, disemboweled by an artillery round. Lieutenant Colonel Kerr was promoted to colonel.  A small monument on the Antietam battlefield marks the spot where Childs was killed.

From the brigade marker on the Antietam battlefield:

The Third Brigade supported Battery “A” (Tidball’s) 2d U.S. Artillery in its advance, piece by piece, to the crest of the ridge in front, by deploying on either side of this road, – the 4th Pennsylvania on the right, and the 6th on the left – and forcing back the Confederate skirmishers. Col. James A. Childs, commanding 4th Regiment, when on the road a few yards east of this point, was mortally wounded by a rifled shot. The Brigade was relieved by the advance of the Regular Infantry late in the afternoon.
September 19 Sharpsburg, Shepherdstown Ford
October 15-16 Kearneysville and Shepherdstown, W. Va. (Detachment)
October 16-17 Scout to Smithfield (Detachment)
October 20 and 22 Hedgesville
October 21 Hillsboro and Lovettsville Road
November 2-3 Bloomfield, Union and Upperville. Attached to Averill’s Cavalry Brigade, Center Grand Division, Army Potomac.
November 3 Ashby’s Gap
November 4 Markham Station
November 5-6 Manassas Gap
November 7 Jefferson
November 8 Little Washington
November Duty near Hartwood Church
November 10 Gaines’ Cross Roads
November 14 Waterloo
December 12-15
Battle of Fredericksburg
December 21-23 Scout to Catlett’s Station and Brentsville (Detachment)
December 29-30 Expedition to Richard’s and Ellis’ Fords, Rappahannock River
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March”
February 5-7 Operations at Rappahannock Bridge and Grove Church. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army Potomac.
February 25 Hartwood Church
March 17 and 29 Kelly’s Ford
April 29-May 8 Chancellorsville Campaign, Stoneman’s Raid
April 29 Passage of Kelly’s Ford
April 30 Raccoon Ford
May 2 Ely’s Ford
May 17 Colonel Kerr resigned and Lieutenant Colonel William E. Doster took command of the regiment.
June 9
Battle of Brandy Station

Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William E. Doster.
June 17 Aldie. Attached to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army Potomac.
June 18-19 Middleburg
June 21 Upperville
June 30 Hanover, Pa.
July 1-3
Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William E. Doster. It brought 307 men to the field and lost 1 man killed.

From the monument:

Detached on the morning of July 2nd from the Brigade at the junction of White Run and Baltimore Turnpike, ordered to report to Headquarters, Army of the Potomac. Supported a battery temporarily near this position. On picket at night, retiring late on the afternoon of the 3rd to Second Cavalry Division.
July 5 Green Oak
July 14 Near Harper’s Ferry
July 15-16 Shepherdstown
August Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army Potomac
September 1 Scouting until September. Corbin’s Cross Roads
September 13-17 Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan
September 13 Culpeper C. H.
October 1 Near Culpeper C. H.
October 9-22 Bristoe Campaign
October 10-11 James City
October 11 Near Warrenton
October 12-13 Warrenton or White Sulphur Springs
October 12 Jeffersontown
October 14 Auburn and Bristoe Station
October 14 St. Stephen’s Church
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 26-December 2 Mine Run Campaign
November 26 Brentsville
November 27 New Hope Church and Catlett’s Station
November 29 Brentsville
November to January 20 Cos. A & F at Bull Run Bridge
December 8 Major Covode was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
1864
January 22-24 Scout to Middleburg (Detachment)
February 28-May 4 Kilpatrick’s Raid on Richmond
February 29 Beaver Dam Station
March 1 Brook’s Turnpike
March-May At Camp Stoneman
March 25-April 25 Veterans on furlough
May-June Campaign from the Rapidan to the James
May 1 Lieutenant Colonel Covode was promoted to colonel.
May 3 Sumner’s Bridge
May 5-8 Todd’s Tavern
May 9-10 North Anna River
May 9-24 Sheridan’s Raid to James River
May 11 Ground Squirrel Church and Yellow Tavern, Glen Allen Station
May 12 Brook Church or Richmond Fortifications
May 19 Rejoined the Army of the Potomac
May 26-28 Line of the Pamunkey
May 28 Haw’s Shop
May 28-31 Totopotomoy
May 31-June 1 Battle of Cold Harbor
June 2 Sumner’s Upper Bridge
June 7-24 Sheridan’s Trevillian Raid
June 8 Elliott’s Mills
June 11-12 Trevillian Station
June 21 White House or St. Peter’s Church, Black Creek or Tunstall Station
June 24 St. Mary’s Church

Colonel Covode was mortally wounded by gunshot wounds in the arm and stomach and left in Confederate lines. He would die the next day.
June 25 Samuel B.M. Young was promoted to colonel.
June Siege of Petersburg
June 29 Charles’ Cross Roads
July 12 Warwick Swamp
July 27-29 Demonstration on north side of the James
July 28 Malvern Hill
July 30 Warwick Swamp
August 13-20 Demonstration north of the James at Deep Bottom
August 14 Gravel Hill
August 16-18 Strawberry Plains
August 18 White Oak Swamp
August 18-21 Weldon Railroad (Detachment)
August 23 Dinwiddie Road near Ream’s Station
August 25 Ream’s Station
September 13 Reconnaissance to Poplar Springs Church
September 15 Reconnaissance toward Dinwiddie C. H.
September 17 Belcher’s Mills
September 29 Ream’s Station
September 29-October 2 Poplar Springs Church
September 30-October 1 Arthur’s Swamp
October 27-28 Battle of Boydton Plank Road, or Hatcher’s Run
November 7 Reconnaissance to Stony Creek
December 1 Stony Creek Station
December 7-12 Hicksford Expedition
December 8 Bellefield
December 10 High Hill
1865
February 5 Rowanty Creek
February 5-7 Dabney’s Mills, Hatcher’s Run
March 28-April 9 Appomattox Campaign
March 29 Lewis Farm near Gravelly Run (Co. C)
March 30-31 Dinwiddie C. H.
March 31 White Oak Road (Co. C)
April 1 Battle of Five Forks
April 5 Paine’s Cross Roads and Amelia Springs
April 6 Sailor’s Creek
April 7 Farmville
April 9
Appomattox Court House

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April 23-29 Expedition to Danville
May 20-22 Expedition after Extra Billy Smith
May 23 – June 10 At Lynchburg
July 1 Mustered out