Skip to content

Rhode Island 1st Cavalry (Union)

14/12/61

Organized - Rhode Island 1st Cavalry - Rhode Island

9/8/62

Battle - Cedar Mountain - Culpeper County, Virginia

Thumbnail for Cedar Mountain
Cedar Mountain

Maj. Gen. John Pope was placed in command of the newly-constituted Army of Virginia on June 26th. Pope's orders were to defend Washington DC and Union-held northern Virginia while the Army of the Potomac under Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan battled Robert E. Lee outside of Richmond. When McClellan was defeated at the end of the Seven Days battles less than a week later, Lee turned his attention north toward Pope while McClellan regrouped his army. Pope's three army corps were arrayed in a line from the Blu…READ MORE

28/8/62

Battle - Second Bull Run - Prince William County, Virginia

Thumbnail for Second Bull Run
Second Bull Run

After the early summer collapse of the Union Peninsula Campaign offensive to capture Richmond, Robert E. Lee sought to move his army north and threaten Washington DC before Union forces could regroup.READ MORE

31/10/62

Battle - Mountville, Virginia

13/12/62

Battle - Fredericksburg - Fredericksburg, Virginia

Thumbnail for Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg

In early November, Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside took command of the Army of the Potomac, and made immediate plans to move the army once again toward Richmond.READ MORE

25/2/63

Battle - Hartwood Church, Virginia

17/3/63

Battle - Kelly's Ford - Culpeper County, Virginia; Fauquier County, Virginia

Thumbnail for Kelly's Ford
Kelly's Ford

In 1863, the recently organized Union Cavalry Corps possessed superior equipment and the advantages of a plentiful supply of men and horses over their Confederate counterparts, but lacked the confidence, experience, and leadership to challenge Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's troopers. That March, Confederate cavalry under Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee conducted raids against elements of the Union line along the Rappahannock River. In response, on March 16th, 2,100 Union cavalrymen under Brig. Gen. William Averell se…READ MORE

30/4/63

Leadership Change - Regiment - Lieutenant Colonel John L. Thompson

Lieutenant ColonelJohn L. Thompson

30/4/63

Leadership Change - Brigade - Colonel Horace B. Sargent

30/4/63

Leadership Change - Division - Brigadier General William W. Averell

Brigadier GeneralWilliam W. Averell

30/4/63

Battle - Chancellorsville - Spotsylvania County, Virginia

Thumbnail for Chancellorsville
Chancellorsville

On April 27, 1863, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker launched a turning movement designed to pry Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia out of its lines at Fredericksburg.READ MORE

9/6/63

Leadership Change - Brigade - Colonel Louis P. Di Cesnola

9/6/63

Leadership Change - Division - Colonel Alfred N. Duffié

9/6/63

Battle - Brandy Station - Culpeper County, Virginia

Thumbnail for Brandy Station
Brandy Station

> *As we emerged from the woods into an open space or field where our mounted skirmishers were deployed, it was clearly discovered that our troops were confronted with a heavy line of infantry, who, with weapons of a longer range than that of our carbines, were dismounting our men at a fearful rate, whilst they were unable to inflict any punishment upon the enemy. As Colonel Devin approached the skirmish line, he at once became the target for the Rebel sharp shooters and, the way the minnie balls were whiz…READ MORE

17/6/63

Battle - Middleburg, Virginia

18/6/63

Battle - Middleburg, Virginia

1/7/63

Battle - Gettysburg - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Thumbnail for Gettysburg
Gettysburg

In the summer of 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee launched his second invasion of the Northern states. Lee sought to capitalize on recent Confederate victories and defeat the Union army on Northern soil, which he hoped would force the Lincoln administration to negotiate for peace. Lee also sought to take the war out of the ravaged Virginia farmland and gather supplies for his Army of Northern Virginia. Using the Shenandoah Valley as cover for his army, Lee was pursued first by Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Ho…READ MORE

12/10/63

Battle - Sulphur Springs, Virginia

14/10/63

Battle - Second Auburn - Fauquier County, Virginia

Thumbnail for Second Auburn
Second Auburn

Federal and Confederate cavalry engaged at the First Battle of Auburn on October 13, and left General James Ewell Brown Stuart's men trapped. Stuart concealed 3,000 men in a ravine overnight before getting word to Lee. Lee sent General Richard S. Ewell to Stuart's aid, and his force engaged a Federal rearguard under General Gouverneur K. Warren in the Second Battle of Auburn on October 14.READ MORE

27/11/63

Battle - Mine Run - Orange County, Virginia

Thumbnail for Mine Run
Mine Run

After the inconclusive Bristoe Campaign in the fall of 1863, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade planned one more offensive against Gen. Robert E. Lee in northern Virginia before winter weather ended military operations. In late November, Meade attempted to steal a march southeast from Culpeper Courthouse, turn south through the Wilderness and strike the right flank of the Confederate army south of the Rapidan River. On November 27th, Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early, in command of Ewell's Corps, marched east on the Orange…READ MORE

11/7/64

Battle - Fort Stevens - District of Columbia, DC

Thumbnail for Fort Stevens
Fort Stevens

After his victory over Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace at the Battle of Monocacy in central Maryland on July 9th, Confederate Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early pressed his advantage and moved south toward the Union capital in Washington, DC. On July 11th, Early's exhausted Confederates reached the outskirts of Washington near Silver Spring. Skirmishers advanced to feel the fortifications that encircled the city, which at the time were manned only by Home Guards, clerks, and convalescent troops. During the night, Union reinfo…READ MORE

11/7/64

Battle - Fort Stevens, District of Columbia

3/8/65

Mustered Out - Rhode Island 1st Cavalry - Rhode Island

Related Records

Search for related service records