8th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry
Encyclopedia
The 8th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. The regiment served the duration of the war, and was the only cavalry regiment to serve the entire war in the Army of the Potomac
. They also aided in the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and served as President Lincoln's honor guard while he lay in state under the rotunda. Lincoln gave them the nickname of "Farnsworth's Abolitionist Regiment" when he watched them march past the White House.
on September 18, 1861 at the site donated by Colonel Farnsworth called Camp Kane. They were sent out on July 17, 1865 in Chicago, Illinois.
, the 8th Illinois Cavalry was in the division
of Brig. Gen.
John Buford
. They deployed west of Gettysburg on June 30, 1863 under the command of Colonel William Gamble, and waited for oncoming Confederates
, they arrived early the following morning. The first shot of the subsequent battle was fired by Lieutenant
Marcellus E. Jones of Company E, who borrowed a carbine
from Sergeant Levi Shafer and fired at an unidentified officer on a gray horse over a half-mile away. The 8th, along with the rest of the brigade
, performed a fighting withdrawal towards McPherson's Ridge, delaying the Confederate division of Henry Heth
for several hours and allowing the Union I Corps
to arrive.
Two decades after the war ended, veterans of the regiment dedicated a monument to the 8th Illinois along the crest of McPherson's Ridge.
Lt. Jones would also erect a monument in recognition of the first shot he fired on the location of the shot next to the Whistler's home just east of Marsh Creek on the Chambersburg Pike. The stone was quarried from Naperville limestone
; Napperville was the hometown of Levi Shafer, the trooper whose carbine he borrowed to take the first shot.
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...
. The regiment served the duration of the war, and was the only cavalry regiment to serve the entire war in the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
. They also aided in the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and served as President Lincoln's honor guard while he lay in state under the rotunda. Lincoln gave them the nickname of "Farnsworth's Abolitionist Regiment" when he watched them march past the White House.
Service
The regiment was commissioned on August 11, 1861 and was assembled for service in St. Charles, IllinoisSt. Charles, Illinois
St. Charles is a Chicago suburb in Kane and DuPage counties of Illinois, United States, and is roughly west of Chicago on Illinois Route 64. According to a 2004 census estimate, the city has a total population of 32,134. The official city slogan is Pride of the Fox, after the Fox River that runs...
on September 18, 1861 at the site donated by Colonel Farnsworth called Camp Kane. They were sent out on July 17, 1865 in Chicago, Illinois.
Battle of Gettysburg
During the Gettysburg CampaignGettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
, the 8th Illinois Cavalry was in the division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
John Buford
John Buford
John Buford, Jr. was a Union cavalry officer during the American Civil War, with a prominent role at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early years:...
. They deployed west of Gettysburg on June 30, 1863 under the command of Colonel William Gamble, and waited for oncoming Confederates
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...
, they arrived early the following morning. The first shot of the subsequent battle was fired by Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Marcellus E. Jones of Company E, who borrowed a carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
from Sergeant Levi Shafer and fired at an unidentified officer on a gray horse over a half-mile away. The 8th, along with the rest of the brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
, performed a fighting withdrawal towards McPherson's Ridge, delaying the Confederate division of Henry Heth
Henry Heth
Henry "Harry" Heth was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He is best remembered for inadvertently precipitating the Battle of Gettysburg, when he sent some of his troops of the Army of Northern Virginia to the small Pennsylvania village,...
for several hours and allowing the Union I Corps
I Corps (ACW)
I Corps was the designation of three different corps-sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The units served in the following armies:...
to arrive.
Two decades after the war ended, veterans of the regiment dedicated a monument to the 8th Illinois along the crest of McPherson's Ridge.
Lt. Jones would also erect a monument in recognition of the first shot he fired on the location of the shot next to the Whistler's home just east of Marsh Creek on the Chambersburg Pike. The stone was quarried from Naperville limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
; Napperville was the hometown of Levi Shafer, the trooper whose carbine he borrowed to take the first shot.
Total strength and casualties
The regiment suffered a total of 250 fatalities, made up of seven officer and 68 enlisted men who were killed in action or died of their wounds and one officer and 174 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel John F. FarnsworthJohn F. FarnsworthJohn Franklin Farnsworth was a seven-term U.S. Representative from Illinois and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
- promoted brigadier general on December 5, 1862 - Colonel William GambleWilliam Gamble (USA)William Gamble was a civil engineer and a Union cavalry officer in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
- mustered out with the regiment.
Other notables
- First Lieutenant Elon J. FarnsworthElon J. FarnsworthElon John Farnsworth was a Union Army cavalry general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life and career:...
- promoted in June 1863 to brigadier general as assigned to a brigade command; killed in the Battle of GettysburgBattle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. Nephew of Colonel Farnsworth. - Captain George Alexander ForsythGeorge Alexander ForsythGeorge Alexander Forsyth was a United States military officer most notable for his service in the cavalry.-Early life:Forsyth was born in Muncy, Pennsylvania...
, later a famed Indian fighter in the Old West. - Lieutenant Marcellus Jones, would go on to remove the Dupage County records from Naperville, Illinois and take them to Wheaton, Illinois were the present county seat is located.
- Major John Lourie Breveridge - Promoted to Colonel and commander of the 17th Illinois Cavalry, was Illinois' Governor from 1873-1877.