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1861 - Beginnings
The 2nd Dragoons were scattered around the frontier in early 1861 as follows:At the beginning of the unfortunate conflict of the Civil War, our cavalry was scattered over the vast new territory in the west just acquired from Mexico and Britain. Some of it was in the great plains west of the Missouri River protecting the ever westward moving frontier settlements against Indian depredations. We have seen how the Second Dragoons was located in several different states of the frontier at this time. Like most of the regular army, this regiment began concentrating in the east. However, by the time Bull Run was fought, only one of the companies, K, had arrived at Washington. It left Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, July 2, 1861, and went to Arlington Heights, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from the capitol.
When the Army of the Potomac under McDowell moved south from Arlington to meet the Rebels, it contained only seven companies of cavalry, under Major Palmer. These were Company K, Second Dragoons, and two companies each of the First, Second and Fourth Cavalry regiments. Captain Francis C. Armstrong commanded Company K at Bull Run, but he resigned soon after the battle and later became a brigadier general in the Confederate Army.
Fort Leavenworth KS: Companies C and K. Fort Kearny,NE: Company A. Fort Laramie NE: Companies D and F. Taos,NM: Companies G and I. Camp Floyd (Ft.Crittenden),UT: Companies B, E, and H.
Orders in June began necessary troop movements bringing the Army into areas deemed threatened by the coming conflict. Of the two companies at Fort Leavenworth, company K arrived at Washington City in time to participate in the First battle of Bull Run / Manassas in late July. Company C would arrive last of all in early 1863, after serving in the "western theater" for nearly two years including the fights at Wilson's Creek MI (8/10/61), Fort Donelson (2/13-15/62), and Pittsburgh Landing (Shiloh), TN (4/6,7/62). But now back to Manassas.
First Manassas On July 21 1861, company K Second Dragoons, under Capt. Armstrong, fought as part of a cavalry force under Maj. Innis Palmer, Second (now 5th) Cavalry, which included two companies First (now 4th) Cavalry and Four companies Second (now 5th) Cavalry. This force, assigned to Porter's First Brigade of the Second Division saw most of their action on the Union right between Sudley Church and the Warrenton Turnpike. After supporting the brigade's infantry for some time, "The cavalry were engaged in feeling the left flank of the enemy's position, in doing which some important captures were made -- one by Sergeant Sachs, of the Second Dragoons, of a General George Steuart, of Baltimore. Our cavalry also emptied the saddles of a number of the mounted rebels." This quote comes from Col. Andrew Porter's (16th Inf.) report on his brigade's actions. He further credits this cavalry force, along with some Regular Infantry and Marines as providing valuable rear guard support for the later retreating federal army. His A.A.A.G., Capt. Averell indicates that Capt. Armstrong's Dragoons, along with Arnold's Battery were last of the brigade to leave the field. Capt. Armstrong's own report makes additional mention of his company being used to slow the headlong retreat of some Rhode Island volunteers. Happily, this first contingent of Second Dragoons into the fray acquitted themselves well in spite of the Army's overall defeat. Of the cavalry battalion's casualties (13 wounded and 5 missing), 2 enlisted Dragoons suffered non-lethal wounds.
Now for some extra credit information: Maj. Gen'l. George Steuart of the Maryland CS Militia, whom Sergeant Sachs captured, had come looking for his son George, also serving as a Confederate officer, and who had served with the Second Dragoons as Second Lt. from 1848 through early 1855. He resigned his commission with the First (old) Cavalry in April 1861. Capt. Armstrong, who commanded Company K. Second Dragoons this day, resigned his own commission August 13, 1861 and later rose to Brig. General, C.S.A. That @#%& Name Change!
OK, now we have math class - sort of. In the above description of First Manassas you noticed some confusion about regimental numbering. Here's where we get it straight. For researching U.S. Regular cavalry units during this period, this is must know info! Orders cut on August 3, 1861 changed the rich fabric of American mounted regiments from a varied group of different unit types to a common, single description force. The existing Dragoon, Mounted Rifle, and Cavalry regiments were all to be known henceforth as.... CAVALRY! Here's how they changed, in order of seniority:
Old Name New Name
1st Dragoons (1833) 1st Cavalry
2nd Dragoons (1836) 2nd Cavalry (that's us)
Mounted Rifles (1846) 3rd Cavalry
1st Cavalry (1855) 4th Cavalry
2nd Cavalry (1855) 5th Cavalry
3rd Cavalry (1861) 6th Cavalry
Previous to this change each service had it's own distinctive uniform trim color for jackets and NCO trouser stripes. Infantry had light/dark blue, Artillery-red, DRAGOONS-ORANGE, Mounted Rifles-green, and Cavalry-yellow. Rodenbough, in his own comments says, "By this the "Second Dragoons" became the Second Regiment of Cavalry, under which name it will hereafter be referred to in this book. Alas! for the cherished "orange", it must give place to the gaudy yellow; "but the troops", so read the order, "will be permitted to wear out the clothing now on hand." The marvelous durability of orange facings, or the prodigious quantity of similar clothing "on hand" in the "Second", enabled that regiment to postpone for more than two years the thorough execution of that order; and when eventually forced to "change their stripes", the depressing effect might have caused an ignorant civilian to look upon yellow cloth as military mourning". The rest of 1861, and getting everybody together. As the far flung companies came together with their regiments, the 3rd and 4th regiments would stay almost exclusively in the Western, or Trans-Mississippi theater till the war's end. The 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th regiments would form, in the east along with an occasional volunteer regiment, the "Reserve Brigade", under the 2nd's old commander, Phillip St. George Cooke (also father in-law to J.E.B. Stuart). As an example, our own Company A reports the following in the muster roll for the period ending December 31, 1861:
"The Company commanded by Capt. B[rockholst]. Livingston, 3d Cavalry, marched from Fort Kearny N.T. enroute for Washington Nov 8t, 1861 in compliance with S[pecial].. O[rder]. No. 176 dated H[ea]d. Q[uarte]rs. of the Army Washington D.C. Oct 26t, 1861, and arrived at Fort Leavenworth K. Nov 21s 1861, a distance of 296 miles. Left Ft. Leavenworth Nov 22d, 1861, under command of Capt. J. T. Ray 2d Infty. and arrived this City Nov 29t, 1861".
The company Captain was absent with leave for sixty days from Dec 3rd, and the only other officer, 1st Lieutenant Chas. McKee Loesser has been recently assigned to the company but on detached service. The following men were listed present for duty:
James Riley, 1st Sgt. Joseph D. O'Brien, Sgt. Thomas Maloney, Sgt. Richard H. Chinn, Sgt. Charles Prossig, Cpl. David Lee, Cpl. James Timmons, Cpl. Michael Cullen, Bugler William E. Stratten, Bugler James Rhien, Farrier 27 Privates
Not present were 4 privates on extra or daily duty, 2 privates sick, and 6 privates in arrest or confinement. Three privates had deserted with all their equipment in November. Of the men listed above, only James Timmons remained with the company in April 1865, listed as 2nd Sergeant and then just starting his third enlistment.
Three companies took a bit longer in getting to the "seat of war": Company C As mentioned above, company C left Fort Leavenworth and fought at Wilson's Creek. The company transferred to Paducah Ky in the fall and served in escort and scouting duty until February 5, 1862 when operations against Forts Henry and Donelson began. The company arrived at Fort Henry on the 9th and took part in the actions against Donelson. Afterward, the company moved to Nashville on February 28, and then left there on March 1 to march 300 miles to Pittsburgh Landing (Shiloh) by March 16. They engaged the enemy there in the fighting of April 6th and 7th and followed up in the advances toward Corinth MS through June. Leaving there on September 25, the company fought Confederate Cavalry at Pocahontas Farm losing 5 men and 18 horses as casualties. Leaving Corinth on November 5th, the company made it's way to Memphis by January 15th, serving there as General Grant's escort until transferred to the regiment in the east.
Company C arrived at Falmouth VA in early May, 1863, just in time for the Union Cavalry's Big Year. Company G: This New Mexico company stayed put for awhile, and fought at Val Verde - as artillery crew alongside Company I of 3rd US Cavalry in a 6 gun battery commanded by Captain Alexander McRae of Company I. The Union force marched out of Fort Craig to meet the men under Confederate General Sibley (formerly Capt 2nd Dragoons). Apparently, the Cavalrymen-turned-gunners took to their new job well, and dislodged the enemy guns from their positions, allowing the Union infantry to cross the river. Later in the day, however, the battery found themselves in a poorly supported position very exposed to enemy fire and onslaught. In the ensuing fighting, including several assaults by enemy infantry, the battery repulsed all but but the last, which evolved into desperate hand-to-hand slaughter. They barely got away at all, leaving 4 of 6 guns behind and losing 9 men killed, 8 wounded, and 2 missing from the Dragoons alone. Capt McRae was killed. Of the temporary artillerists Col. Joseph Bell writes,
"...failing in no duty, regardless of themselves, and having in view the honest performance of all that was to be done, they bore themselves as men of courage throughout the day, and the regiments to which they belong can claim with pride a participation in the battle of Val Verde..."
Company I Located in Taos NM, the company soon found it's officers depleted with Brevet Major HH Sibley of Louisiana and Lt. John Pegram of Virginia "going south". Lt. C.J. Walker of Kentucky stayed on and the company left Fort Union, arriving at Fort Garland CO on October 9. Staying on there, the company left in late September 1862 with Company G for Fort Leavenworth. The squadron then made it's way through St Louis to Washington on November 23, 1862. |
