The 2nd Regiment Nebraska Volunteer Cavalry 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 unit was initially organized at Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

 on October 23, 1862 as a nine-month regiment, and served for over one year. They were attached to General Sully

Alfred Sully

Alfred Sully , was a military officer during the American Civil War and during the Indian Wars on the frontier. He was also a noted painter.-Biography:...

's command, who was in a campaign against Indians in Western Nebraska

Nebraska Territory

The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...

 and Dakota

Dakota Territory

The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...

, who were forced to move south from Minnesota following the Dakota War of 1862

Dakota War of 1862

The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...

.
Battle of Whitestone Hill

The 2nd Nebraska participated in the Battle of Whitestone Hill

Battle of Whitestone Hill

The Battle of White Stone Hill was a part of the operations against the Sioux in North Dakota in 1863. It took place between the dates of September 3–5, 1863. The principal United States commander was Brig. Gen. Alfred Sully, who faced Chief Inkpaduta of the Sioux. There was 822 total casualties;...

, which began on September 3, 1863 when General Sully's troops engaged upwards of 2,000 warriors under Chief Two Bears of the Yanktonai Sioux

Sioux

The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...

. Of the 20 US troops killed in the battle, seven were from the Second Nebraska. Fourteen from the unit were also wounded in the action.

The regiment was mustered out December 23, 1863. A number of its veterans were re-enlisted in the 1st Battalion Nebraska Veteran Volunteer Cavalry

1st Battalion Nebraska Veteran Volunteer Cavalry

The 1st Battalion Nebraska Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry battalion that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:When the 2nd Nebraska Cavalry was mustered out of service, in the fall of 1863, Governor Alvin Saunders authorized the raising of an independent battalion of...

, which served until 1865 when it was merged with the 1st Nebraska Cavalry Regiment.