8th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry
Encyclopedia
The 8th Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
and mustered in for one year on August 13, 1862. It mustered in under the command of Colonel
James Murrell Shackelford
.
The regiment was attached to District of Louisville, Kentucky, Department of the Ohio
, to November 1862. It was unattached at Bowling Green, District of Western Kentucky, Department of the Ohio, to June 1863; attached to the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXIII Corps, Army of the Ohio
, to August 1863; unassigned, at Bowling Green, Kentucky; and attached to the 1st Division, XXIII Corps, to September 1863.
The 8th Kentucky Cavalry mustered out of service on September 23, 1863.
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 8th Kentucky Cavalry was organized at Russellville, KentuckyRussellville, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,149 people, 3,064 households, and 1,973 families residing in the city. The population density was 672.1 people per square mile . There were 3,458 housing units at an average density of 325.1 per square mile...
and mustered in for one year on August 13, 1862. It mustered in under the command of Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
James Murrell Shackelford
James M. Shackelford
James Murrell Shackelford was a lawyer, judge, and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
.
The regiment was attached to District of Louisville, Kentucky, Department of the Ohio
Department of the Ohio
The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.General Orders No...
, to November 1862. It was unattached at Bowling Green, District of Western Kentucky, Department of the Ohio, to June 1863; attached to the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XXIII Corps, Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
, to August 1863; unassigned, at Bowling Green, Kentucky; and attached to the 1st Division, XXIII Corps, to September 1863.
The 8th Kentucky Cavalry mustered out of service on September 23, 1863.
Detailed service
Duty at Russellville, Bowling Green and Hopkinsville, Ky., District of West Kentucky, and at Clarksville, Tenn., operating against guerrillas, until September 1863. Actions at Morganfield, Ky., August 3, 1862. Madisonville August 25. Morganfield September 1. Geiger's Lake September 3. Near Madisonville September 4. Ashbysburg September 25. Henderson County November 1. Greenville Road November 5. Garrettsburg November 6. Rural Hill, Tenn., November 18. Near Nashville, Tenn., January 28, 1863. Expedition from Bowling Green, Ky., to Tennessee State Line May 2–6. Operations against Morgan July 2–26. Buffington's Island, Ohio, July 19.Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 117 men during service; 1 officer and 8 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 4 officers and 104 enlisted men died of disease.See also
- List of Kentucky Civil War Units
- Kentucky in the Civil WarKentucky in the Civil WarKentucky was a border state of key importance in the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln recognized the importance of the Commonwealth when he declared "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." In a September 1861 letter to Orville Browning, Lincoln wrote "I think to lose...