The 21st 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...

 raised in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 for service in the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 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 fought in Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee, and the Shenandoah Valley.

Virginia's 21st Cavalry Regiment was organized in August, 1862, with companies which had served in the Virginia State Line. The unit was assigned to W.E. Jones' and McCausland's Brigade, and in April, 1864, it contained 317 effectives. It took an active part in various conflicts in East Tennessee, western Virginia, and in the Shenandoah Valley. During mid-April, 1865, the regiment disbanded. Its field officers were Colonel W.E. Peters, Lieutenant Colonel David Edmundson, and Major Stephen P. Halsey.