3rd West Virginia Cavalry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries  * West Virginia

The 3rd West Virginia Cavalry Regiment lost 6 officers and 40 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 136 enlisted men to disease. It is honored by a monument on the Gettysburg battlefield.

1861
December Organized and attached to Railroad District, West Virginia
1862
March Attached to Railroad District, Mountain Department
April 12 Monterey
April 23 Skirmish at Grass Lick, W. Va.
May Assigned to Mountain Department
May 5 Franklin. Assigned as unattached, Mountain Department
May 30 Raid to Shaver River (Detachment)
June Companies A and C attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of Virginia
June 1-2 Strasburg and Staunton Road
June 6 Harrisonburg
June 8

Cross Keys
June 13 Near Mt. Jackson
August 16-September 2

Pope’s Virginia Campaign
August 29

Groveton
August 30

Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)
September Companies A and C attached to Headquarters, 11th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac Companies D and E attached to Milroy’s Command, Winchester, Va., 8th Army Corps, Middle Department
October 9 Aldie
October 24 Near Bristoe Station
November 16 Chester Gap
December Companies A and C were attached to Headquarters, Grand Reserve Division, Army of the Potomac
December 12 Dumfries
December 22 & 25 Wardensville
1863
January 3 Petersburg, W. Va. (Detachment)
February Companies A and C attached to 3rd Brigade, Cavalry Division, 22nd Army Corps
February 9 Williamsport, Md. Companies D and E attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 8th Army Corps
February 20 Truce Fork, Mud River, W. Va.
March 19 Winchester
April 20 Reconnaissance toward Wardensville and Strasburg
April 22 Fisher’s Hill, Strasburg Road
April 22 Lambert’s Run
April 30 Near Simpson’s Creek
May 4 Grove Church
May 5 Company E at Janelew
May 6 Strasburg
May 12-16 Operations about Front Royal, Road Ford and Buck’s Ford
May 16 Piedmont Station
June Companies A & C attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac
Companies D and E assigned to Bloody Run, Pa., Dept. of the Susquehanna, and Scammon’s Division, Dept. of West Virginia
Companies F, H and I were attached to 4th Separate Brigade, 8th Army Corps
June 9

Battle of Brandy Station

Companies A & C were commanded by Captain Seymour B. Conger
June 13-15 Winchester Companies D and E
June 21

Upperville
July Companies D and E attached to McReynolds’ Command, Martinsburg, W. Va., Dept. of West Virginia
July 1-3

Battle of Gettysburg

Companies A & C were at Gettysburg, bringing 59 men to the field and losing four missing. They were commanded by Captain Seymour B. Conger.

There is a monument to the 3rd West Virginia Cavalry at Gettysburg along Buford Avenue on the first day’s battlefield northwest of town.
July 8 Boonesborough, Md.
July 9 Benevola or Beaver Creek
July 10-13 Funkstown
July 14
Falling Waters
July 16 Shanghai, W. Va.
July 18-19 Near Hedgesville and Martinsburg (Compay C)
July 29 Hagerstown
July 31 Hancock
July 31-August 1

Kelly’s Ford
August 1 Brandy Station
August 5-25 Averill’s Raid through Hardy, Pendleton, Highland, Greenbrier, Bath and Pocahontas Counties, W. Va. (Companies E, H and I)
August 19 Affair near Franklin
August 25 Jackson River
August 26 Williamsport, Md.
August 30-September 2 Expedition to Leesburg
September 13-17 Advance to the Rapidan (Companies A and C)
September 13 Culpeper Court House (Companies A and C)
September 21 Fisher’s Hill
October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign

(Companies A and C)
October 10 Morton’s Ford (Companies A and C)
October 11 Stevensburg and near Kelly’s Ford and Brandy Station (Companies A and C)
October 12 Brandy Station and Fleetwood (Companies A and C)
October 14 Auburn and Bristoe (Companies A and C)
October 15 Oak Hill (Companies A and C)
November 1-17 Averill’s Raid against Lewisburg and the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad (Companies E, H and I)
November Companies A and C ordered to Dept. of West Virginia
November 4 Cackletown (Companies E, H and I)
November 6 Droop Mountain (Companies E, H and I)
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock (Companies A and C)
November 24 Near Little Boston (Detachment)
November 26-December 2

Mine Run Campaign

(Companies A & C)
December 1 company was attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, West Virginia
3 companies were attached to 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, West Virginia
2 companies were attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, West Virginia
December 8-25 Averill’s Raid from New Creek to Salem and Virginia & Tennessee Railroad (Companies E, H and I)
December 8-25 Scammon’s Demonstration from Kanawha Valley (Detachment)
1864
January 27 Near Wayne Court House, W. Va. (Company G)
February 20 Near Hurricane Bridge
March Regiment attached to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia
May Regiment attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia
May 5-19 Averill’s Raid on Virginia & Tennessee Railroad
May 10 Grassy Lick, Cove Mountain, near Wytheville
May 10 Wytheville
May 26-July 1 Hunter’s Raid to Lynchburg
May 29 Hamlin
June Companies F, H and I attached to 4th Separate Brigade, Dept. of West Virginia
June 11 Lexington
June 13 Near Buchanan
June 16 Otter Creek, near Liberty
June 17 Diamond Hill
June 17-18 Lynchburg
June 19 Liberty
June 20 Buford’s Gap
June 21 Catawba Mountains and about Salem
July 17-18 Snicker’s Ferry
July 19 Bunker Hill
July 20

Rutherford’s Farm

Union Brigadier General William Averell was pursuing Cofederate Major General Stephen Dodson Ramseur’s division, who wes the rearguard as Early’s Raid on Washington returned to the Shendoah Valley from Washington. Ramseur thought he greatly out number Averell and turned on his pursuers. Averell, in turn, attacked Lewis’s North Carolina Brigade, which was in the front of the Confederate line.

Averell also advanced his line of two Ohio and two West Virginia infantry regiments, with West Virginia Cavalry on each flank. The two lines met at a small angle, with the Federals overlapping the Confederate left. As the 2nd and 3rd West Virginia Cavalry outflanked Lewis’ North Carolinians, the 14th West Virginia Infantry charged their front and broke the Confederate line. Ramseur’s line collapsed and retreated in confusion, leaving behind 300 casualties and four pieces or artillery.
July 21 Stephenson’s Depot
July 21-22 Winchester
July 22 Newtown
July 24

Kernstown, Winchester
July 26 Martinsburg
July 30 McConnellsburg, Pa.
August 7-November 28

Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign
August 7 Near Moorefield
August 19 Franklin
August 25 Martinsburg
August 26 Williamsport
August 29 Big Springs
August 31 Martinsburg
September 2-3 Bunker Hill
September 4 Martinsburg
September 5 Stephenson’s Depot
September 10 Darkesville
September 13 Bunker Hill
September 14 Near Berryville
September 19

Third Battle of Winchester (Opequon)
September 22

Fisher’s Hill
September 23-24 Mt. Jackson
September 24 Forest Hill or Timberville
September 26 Browns Gap and Mt. Sidney
September 26-27 Weyer’s Cave
September 27 Charlestown
September 28 Mt. Jackson
November Regiment attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Corps, Middle Military Division
November 12 Nineveh
November 20 Rude’s Hill
November 22 Near Mt. Jackson
December 19-28 Raid to Gordonsville
December 22 Liberty Mills
December 23 Jack’s Shop, near Gordonsville
1865
February Regiment attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac
February 25-March 25 Sheridan’s Expedition from Winchester
March 1 Mt. Crawford
March 2 Occupation of Staunton
March 2

Waynesboro
March 3 Charlottesville
March 10 Augusta Court House
March 12 Haydensville
March 15 Beaver Dam Station
March 28-April 9

Appomattox Campaign
March 29-31

Dinwiddie Court House
April 1

Battle of Five Forks
April 3

Namozine Church
April 6

Sailor’s Creek
April 8

Appomattox Station
April 9

Appomattox Court House

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April 23-29 Expedition to Danville
May March to Washington, D. C.
May 23 Grand Review
June 23 Mustered out