2nd Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry
Encyclopedia
The 2nd Kansas Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
beginning on November 8, 1861 but its designation was changed to 9th Kansas Infantry on February 4, 1862. It was changed again on March 5, 1862 to 2nd Kansas Cavalry. It was mustered in under the command of Colonel
Alson C. Davis.
The regiment was attached to Department of Kansas November 1861 to August 1862. 2nd Brigade, Department of Kansas, to October 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Frontier
, Department of Missouri, to February 1863. District of Southwest Missouri, Department of Missouri, to December 1863. 2nd Brigade, District of the Frontier, to January 1864. 2nd Brigade, District of the Frontier, VII Corps, Department of Arkansas, to March 1864. 1st Brigade, District of the Frontier,
VII Corps, to April 1864. 3rd Brigade, District of the Frontier, VII Corps, to January 1865. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, VII Corps, to February 1865. Unattached, VII Corps, to August 1865.
On May 22, 1862, an order was received from District Headquarters for the 2nd Kansas Cavalry to provide a 150-man detail to man a battery of six 10-pdr Parrott rifle
s at Fort Leavenworth
. This battery became known as Hopkins' Battery and remained in service until August 1, 1862. Some officers were ordered to return to the regiment, while the remaining men were mounted and ordered to reinforce Major General
Don Carlos Buell
in northern Alabama
. This detachment ultimately participated in the Kentucky Campaign, saw minor action at the Battle of Perryville
and captured a rebel flag and 24 prisoners at Lancaster, Kentucky
in a skirmish there. These men returned to the regiment by January 1, 1863.
The 2nd Kansas Cavalry mustered out of service on August 17, 1865.
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 2nd Kansas Cavalry was organized at Kansas City, KansasKansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
beginning on November 8, 1861 but its designation was changed to 9th Kansas Infantry on February 4, 1862. It was changed again on March 5, 1862 to 2nd Kansas Cavalry. It was mustered in under the command of Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Alson C. Davis.
The regiment was attached to Department of Kansas November 1861 to August 1862. 2nd Brigade, Department of Kansas, to October 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Frontier
Army of the Frontier
The Army of the Frontier was a Union army that served in the Trans-Mississippi Theater during the Civil War. It fought in several minor engagements in Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Kansas...
, Department of Missouri, to February 1863. District of Southwest Missouri, Department of Missouri, to December 1863. 2nd Brigade, District of the Frontier, to January 1864. 2nd Brigade, District of the Frontier, VII Corps, Department of Arkansas, to March 1864. 1st Brigade, District of the Frontier,
VII Corps, to April 1864. 3rd Brigade, District of the Frontier, VII Corps, to January 1865. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, VII Corps, to February 1865. Unattached, VII Corps, to August 1865.
On May 22, 1862, an order was received from District Headquarters for the 2nd Kansas Cavalry to provide a 150-man detail to man a battery of six 10-pdr Parrott rifle
Parrott rifle
The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.-Parrott Rifle:The gun was invented by Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He resigned from the service in 1836 and became the superintendent of the West Point Foundry in Cold...
s at Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
. This battery became known as Hopkins' Battery and remained in service until August 1, 1862. Some officers were ordered to return to the regiment, while the remaining men were mounted and ordered to reinforce Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War. Buell led Union armies in two great Civil War battles—Shiloh and Perryville. The nation was angry at his failure to defeat the outnumbered...
in northern Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. This detachment ultimately participated in the Kentucky Campaign, saw minor action at the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
and captured a rebel flag and 24 prisoners at Lancaster, Kentucky
Lancaster, Kentucky
Lancaster is a city in Garrard County, Kentucky, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,734. It is the county seat of Garrard County. Located south of Lexington, it is the site of the Kennedy House, said to have been used in Uncle Tom's Cabin. The controversial...
in a skirmish there. These men returned to the regiment by January 1, 1863.
The 2nd Kansas Cavalry mustered out of service on August 17, 1865.
Detailed service
Moved to Quindaro, Wyandotte County, January 20, 1862; thence to Shawneetown March 12. Expedition to Little Santa Fe, Mo., against guerrillas March 22–25 (Companies D and E). Independence, Little Santa Fe, March 22. Moved to Lawrence, thence to Topeka, Kansas, April 20–26, and to Fort Riley May 1–4 to join New Mexico Expedition. Companies A and D detached as escort to Paymaster Fisk to Fort Lyon, Colo., and return to Fort Larned May 20-June 22. Companies B and C detached as garrison at Fort Riley June 11–22. March to relief of Fort Larned June 22–28. Regiment moved from Fort Riley to Emporia June 11–14; thence to Iola June 23–26. Duty there until July 14. Moved to Fort Scott July 14–15; thence to Baxter Springs July 18–20. Expedition to Park Hill August 1–3. March to Fort Scott August 13. Expedition against Coffey August 13–25. Coon Creek, near Lamar, August 24 (Companies A, B, C, and D). Rejoin September 20. Scout from Fort Scott September 27–30. March to Sarcoxle and Newtonia October 1–4. Occupation of Newtonia October 4. Near Newtonia October 5. Hazel Bottom October 14 (Companies B and M). Expedition to Sugar Creek, Cross Hollows and Mud Town October 16–20. Elkhorn Tavern October 16. Shell's Mill October 16 (Company B). Sugar Creek October 17. Cross Hollows October 18. Boonsboro November 7. Cove Creek November 8. Between Fayetteville and Cane Hill November 9. (Guard supply train from Fort Scott November 17–26 detachment). Pineville November 19. Beattie's Prairie, near Maysville, November 19 (Companies C and M). Carthage November 27. Cane Hill, Boston Mountains, November 28. Scouting and skirmishing in Boston Mountains December 4–6. Reed Mountains December 6. Battle of Prairie Grove December 7. Picket duty at Cane Hill until December 26. Expedition over Boston Mountains to Van Buren December 27–29. Dripping Springs December 29. Moved to Springfield, Mo., January 11–16, 1863, and duty there until July. Scout to Stanwood May 5–9 (detachment). Expedition through Northwest Arkansas to Newton and Jasper Counties May 21–30. Bentonville May 22 (Companies H and M). Carthage, Mo., May 26. Bentonville June 22. Cabin Creek, Cherokee Nation, July 2–3. Elk Creek, near Honey Springs, July 12. Moved to Cassville July 23, thence march to Fort Gibson, Cherokee Nation, August 11–21. Bentonville August 15. Fayetteville August 23. Operations against Cabbel, Jenny Lind and Devil's Backbone September 1. Duty at Fort Smith September 2 to November 30. Operations in Cherokee Nation September 9–25. Dardanelle September 9 and 12. Newtonia September 27 (Companies E and M). (A detachment at Dardanelle November 6 to December 23.) Choctaw Nation November 9. Fouche le Aix Mountains November 11. Roseville November 12 (Companies D and M). Clarksville November 24. Moved to Waldron November 30-December 1 and duty there until March 22, 1864. Scout from Waldron to Mount Ida, Caddo Gap and Dallas December 2–7, 1863 (Companies B and M). Caddo Gap December 4 (Companies B and M). Caddo Mill December 14 (Companies G and K). Waldron December 29 (detachment). Scout from Waldron to Baker Springs and Caddo Gap January 21–25, 1864. Baker's Springs January 24–25. Sulphur Springs January 25 (Companies G and M). Little Missouri River January 25 (Companies A, D, and M). Caddo Gap January 26. Dallas January 28. Waldron February 1. Mountain Fork February 4. Scott's Farm, Caddo Gap, February 12–14. Caddo Gap February 16. Steele's Expedition to Camden March 22-May 3. Danville March 28. Roseville March 29 (Companies B, E, and M). Prairie D'Ann April 9–13, Roseville April 15 (Companies A and M). Camden April 16–18. Poison Springs April 18. Jenkins Ferry, Saline River, April 80. Moved to Fort Smith May 5–14, thence to Clarksville June 1 (Companies E and D garrison at Roseville April 1-May 5; Rosevine April 4–5, Companies E and D.) Duty at Clarksville until July 28. Moved to Fort Smith and duty there until December 27. Fort Smith July 29. Crawford County August 11. Van Buren August 12. Fort Smith September 1. Fort Gibson September 16 and 18. Cabin Creek September 19 (Companies C, D, E, F, G, and H). Moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, December 25. Balance of regiment moved to Clarksville December 27, and duty there until March 3, 1865. Dardanelle January 14–15 (Companies A, B, and M). Moved to Lewisburg March 3–7 and duty there until May 13. Moved to Fort Gibson, Cherokee Nation, May 13–20 and duty there until July 2. Moved to Lawrence, Kansas, July 2–14.Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 181 men during service; 2 officers and 62 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 116 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel Alson C. Davis
- Colonel Robert Byington MitchellRobert Byington MitchellRobert Byington Mitchell was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and the Governor of the New Mexico Territory from 1866 to 1869.-Early life and career:...
- Colonel Samuel Johnson Crawford
- Lieutenant Colonel Owen A. Bassett
See also
- List of Kansas Civil War Units
- Kansas in the Civil WarKansas in the Civil WarEven before the outbreak of the American Civil War, the territory of Kansas had been the scene of fighting between anti-slavery and pro-slavery forces...