The 1st West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a 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...

 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 1st West Virginia Cavalry was organized at Wheeling

Wheeling, West Virginia

Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, Clarksburg

Clarksburg, West Virginia

Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...

, and Morgantown

Morgantown, West Virginia

Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...

 in western Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 between July 10 and November 25, 1861.

An analysis of the regiment by the George Tyler Moore Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located along the Potomac River. It is the oldest town in the state, having been chartered in 1762 by Colonial Virginia's General Assembly. Since 1863, Shepherdstown has been in West Virginia, and is the oldest town in...

 shows that it was composed of 32% native West Virginians, while 23% were from Pennsylvania, 16% Ohio, 6% Virginia, 10% were German immigrants and 13% were from other U.S. states.

The regiment was mustered out on July 8, 1865.

Fourteen men received the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

 while serving in the 1st West Virginia Cavalry:

Name	Rank	Company	Place of action	Date of action
		D	Nineveh, Virginia
		I	Appomattox Station Battle of Appomattox Station The Battle of Appomattox Station was fought April 8, 1865, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's Union cavalry, en route to Appomattox Station, clashed with the reserve artillery of the Confederate Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, under... , Virginia
		H	Five Forks Battle of Five Forks The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle, sometimes referred to as the "Waterloo of the Confederacy," pitted Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan against... , Virginia
		B	Sayler's Creek Battle of Sayler's Creek -External links:* * : Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news... , Virginia
		C	Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
		—	Monterey Pass Fight at Monterey Pass The Fight at Monterey Pass was an American Civil War military engagement beginning the evening of July 4, 1863, during the Retreat from Gettysburg. A Confederate wagon train of Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell's Second Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, withdrew after the Battle of Gettysburg, and Union... , Pennsylvania
		B	Greenbrier River Greenbrier River The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long, in southeastern West Virginia, USA. Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of... , West Virginia
		H	Sayler's Creek Battle of Sayler's Creek -External links:* * : Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news... , Virginia
		—	Sayler's Creek Battle of Sayler's Creek -External links:* * : Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news... , Virginia
		K
		M	Appomattox Station Battle of Appomattox Station The Battle of Appomattox Station was fought April 8, 1865, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's Union cavalry, en route to Appomattox Station, clashed with the reserve artillery of the Confederate Third Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, under... , Virginia
		A	Sayler's Creek Battle of Sayler's Creek -External links:* * : Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news... , Virginia
		A	Nineveh, Virginia
		K	Sayler's Creek Battle of Sayler's Creek -External links:* * : Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news... , Virginia

Casualties

The 1st West Virginia Cavalry suffered 10 officers and 71 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in battle and 126 enlisted men dead from disease, for a total of 207 fatalities.http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unwvcav.htm#1stcav

Commanders

• Col. Henry Anisansel 1861-1862
• Col. Nathaniel P. Richmond 1862-1863
• Col. Henry Capehart
  Henry Capehart
  -External links:...
  
  1863-1864
• Lt. Col Charles E. Capehart
  Charles E. Capehart
  Charles E. Capehart was an officer in the U.S. Cavalry during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for action following the Battle of Gettysburg on July 4, 1863.-Military service:...
  
  1864
• Maj. Harvey Farabee 1864-1865