4th Michigan Cavalry was a 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...

 of cavalry

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...

 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...

. It was noted as being the regiment that captured the fleeing President of the Confederate States of America

President of the Confederate States of America

The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States, thus precipitating the American Civil War. The only person to hold the...

, Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...

, as the Confederacy collapsed in the spring of 1865.

Service

The regiment was organized at Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

, and mustered in on August 28, 1862. Among the men who served in the 4th Michigan Cavalry was James Vernor, Sr.

James Vernor

James Vernor, Sr. was an American pharmacist and druggist who invented Vernor's ginger ale in 1866.-Biography:...

, who after the war became a well known pharmacist and the developer of Vernor's Ginger Ale. Another early recruit was future Michigan politician Levi T. Griffin

Levi T. Griffin

Levi Thomas Griffin was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Early life:Griffin, born in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, was named for his maternal grandfather, Levi Thomas of Utica, New York. He moved with his parents to Rochester, Michigan in the fall of 1847. He graduated from the...

.

The 4th Michigan was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

 Benjamin Dudley Pritchard

Benjamin D. Pritchard

Benjamin Dudley Pritchard was a United States Army officer, most known for leading the Union cavalry regiment which captured the fugitive Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, in the weeks surrounding the close of the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Benjamin...

 of Allegan, Michigan

Allegan, Michigan

Allegan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,838. It is the county seat of Allegan County. The city lies within Allegan Township, but is administratively autonomous....

. After training and drilling, it left the state on September 26 for duty in Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

, and was soon attached to the 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army of the Ohio

Army of the Ohio

The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...

 until November 1862.

Other assignments during the war included:

• 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland
  Army of the Cumberland
  The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
  
  , to January, 1863.
• 1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1863.
• 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, to November, 1863.
• 1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, to November 1864.
• 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Wilson's Cavalry Corps, Military Division of Mississippi, to November 1864.
• 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division of Mississippi, to July 1865.

4th Michigan was attacked at Latimar's Mill on Noonday Creek

Noonday Creek

Noonday Creek is a stream in Cobb and Cherokee counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The stream begins near Kennesaw Mountain and ends at Lake Allatoona.-Geography:...

  by 4,500 of the Wheeler's

Joseph Wheeler

Joseph Wheeler was an American military commander and politician. He has the rare distinction of serving as a general during war time for two opposing forces: first as a noted cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and later as a general in the...

 cavalry and fell back, but repulsed the attack after being reinforced.

The 4th Michigan Cavalry was involved in the capture of Macon, Georgia

Macon, Georgia

Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...

, on April 20, 1865, along with Col. Henry Harnden

Henry Harnden

Henry Harnden was an officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War. He led the Wisconsin troops who assisted a Michigan military company in the capture of Jefferson Davis.-Biography:...

 and the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry. Subsequently, a detachment of the regiment participated in the pursuit and capture of Jefferson Davis at Irwinville, Georgia

Irwin County, Georgia

Irwin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 15, 1818. As of 2000, the population was 9,931. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 9,934...

, on May 10. Among the troopers credited with playing a key role in identifying and capturing Davis were George Munger and Andrew Bee.
Also involved in the capture of Davis was Corporal John William Bowles of Company M.
The 4th was assigned to routine duty at Macon and then at Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, until the end of June. The regiment mustered out on July 1, 1865.

Casualties

The regiment lost during its term of service 3 officers and 48 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, and 2 officers and 341 enlisted men perished from disease, for a total fatality count of 394.