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2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry

Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this unit’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

Muster In: Organized at Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., September, 1861, to April, 1862.1
Muster Out: Consolidated with 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry June 17, 1865, to form 1st Provisional Cavalry.2

Commander(s):
Colonel William W. Sanders
Commander Image

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph P. Brinton
Commander Image

Major George F. McCabe (of the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry)
Commander Image

Captain George C. Eckert
Commander Image

Captain William H. Sheller
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Commander 6
Commander Image

First Offensive Order of Battle: Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army3,4

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Second Offensive Order of Battle: Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army5,6

  • Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Joseph P. Brinton (June 30, 1864)7
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Third Offensive Order of Battle: Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army8,9

  • Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Joseph P. Brinton (July 31, 1864)10
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army11,12

  • Commander: Captain George C. Eckert (August 31, 1864)13
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army14,15

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army16,17

  • Commander: Captain George C. Eckert (October 31, 1864)18
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: Companies C and H of the 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry under Lieutenant William W. Netterfield served as the personal escort for Major General John G. Parke and served with Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac.19,20

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army21,22

  • Commander: Major George F. McCabe (of the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry) (December 31, 1864)23
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: A detachment (was it still Companies C and H? More research needed.) of the 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry under Sergeant Charles O’Brien served as the personal escort for Major General John G. Parke and served with Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac.24
  • Note: This regiment participated in Warren’s Stony Creek, or “Apple Jack” Raid to Belfield and Hicksford, Virginia from December 7-12, 1864.25

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle: Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army26,27,28

  • Commander:
    • Major George F. McCabe (January 31, 1865)29
    • Captain William H. Sheller (commanding detachment still with Cavalry Corps)(February 28, 1865)30
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: A detachment (was it still Companies C and H, more research needed) of the 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry under Lieutenant Aaron K. Seip served as the personal escort for Major General John G. Parke and served with Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac.31,32
  • Note: According to Dyer’s Compendium, the main unit served as part of the Provost Guard, Army of the Potomac starting sometime in February 1865.  The February 28, 1865 order of battle in the Official Records does not list the main unit with the Provost Guard, but it does show a reduced detachment of the unit still serving with the Cavalry Corps.  More research is needed to find a source for the main unit.33,34
  • Note: This unit is listed in the casualty returns for the Battle of Hatcher’s Run, February 5-7, 1865, implying it was present during the Eighth Offensive and the battle.35

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle:

Second Brigade | Second Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army (March 1-?, 1865)

Cavalry | IX Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army (March ?-April 2, 1865)36,37

  • Commander: Colonel William W. Sanders (March 31, 1865)38
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: The 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry has a convoluted set of listings in the Official Records and Dyer’s Compendium for February-March 1865.  The regiment served in 2/2/Cav/AotP until some point between March 1 (or was it in February?) and 31, 1865.  On what day did the entire unit move over to the Ninth Corps?  I know that the unit was serving as the sole cavalry regiment attached to the Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac by the Ninth Offensive by late March 1865.  I am less sure on how its various pieces were merged to get there.  More research is needed.

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles39:

  • Sheridan’s Trevillian Raid June 7-24.
  • Louisa Court House June 10.
  • Trevillian Station June 11-12.
  • White House or St. Peter’s Church June 21.
  • Black Creek or Tunstall’s Station June 21.
  • Germantown June 22.
  • St. Mary’s Church June 24.
  • Charles City Cross Roads June 29.
  • Warwick Swamp and Jerusalem Plank Road July 12.
  • Demonstration on north side of the James at Deep Bottom July 27-29.
  • Malvern Hill July 28.
  • Warwick Swamp July 30.
  • Demonstration north of James River at Deep Bottom August 13-20.
  • Gravel Bill August 14.
  • Strawberry Plains August 16-18.
  • Deep Bottom and Malvern Hill August 18.
  • Dinwiddie Road, near Ream’s Station, August 23.
  • Ream’s Station August 25.
  • Belcher’s Mills September 17.
  • Poplar Springs Church September 29-October 2.
  • Arthur’s Swamp September 30-October 1.
  • Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run, October 27-28.
  • Reconnaissance toward Stony Creek November 7.
  • Stony Creek Station December 1.
  • Expedition to Hicksford December 7-11.
  • Belle field December 8.
  • Dabney’s Mills, Hatcher’s Run, February 5-7, 1865.
  • On provost duty, Army of the Potomac, until June, 1865.
  • Fall of Petersburg April 2.
  • Pursuit of Lee April 3-9.
  • Appomattox Court House April 9.
  • Surrender of Lee and his army.

Bibliography:

    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

    Sources:

    1. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
    2. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
    3. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 232 ↩
    4. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), p. 551 ↩
    5. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 232 ↩
    6. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), p. 551 ↩
    7. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), p. 551 ↩
    8. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 262 ↩
    9. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 3 (Serial Number 82), page 736 ↩
    10. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 3 (Serial Number 82), page 736 ↩
    11. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 2 (Serial Number 88), page 618: “Organization of the Army of the Potomac…August 31, 1864” ↩
    12. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 1 (Serial Number 87), page 121, 131: “Return of Casualties in the Union Forces (August 1864)” ↩
    13. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 2 (Serial Number 88), page 618: “Organization of the Army of the Potomac…August 31, 1864” ↩
    14. Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship.  The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1297. ↩
    15. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 1 (Serial Number 87), page 143: “Return of Casualties in the Union Forces (September-October 1864)” ↩
    16. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 463: “Organization of the Union Forces” (October 31, 1864)” ↩
    17. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 1 (Serial Number 87), page 159: “Return of Casualties in the Union Forces…Boydton Plank Road, Va., October 27-28, 1864” ↩
    18. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 463: “Organization of the Union Forces” (October 31, 1864)” ↩
    19. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 462: “Organization of the Union Forces” (October 31, 1864)” ↩
    20. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 1 (Serial Number 87), page 157: “Return of Casualties in the Union Forces…Boydton Plank Road, Va., October 27-28, 1864” ↩
    21. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1122: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
    22. Calkins, Chris. “The Apple Jack Raid: For This Barbarism There Was No Real Excuse.” Blue & Gray Magazine Summer 2005: 18-25 (OOB on page 60). ↩
    23. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1122: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
    24. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1121: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
    25. Calkins, Chris. “The Apple Jack Raid: For This Barbarism There Was No Real Excuse.” Blue & Gray Magazine Summer 2005: 18-25 (OOB on page 60). ↩
    26. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 333: “Organization of the Union Forces” (January 31, 1865) ↩
    27. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 746: “Organization of the Union Forces” (February 28, 1865) ↩
    28. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 96), page 68: “Return of Casualties in the Union forces at Hatcher’s Run (otherwise known as Dabney’s Mill, Armstrong’s Mill, Rowanty Creek, and Vaughan Road)… (February 5-7, 1865)” ↩
    29. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 333: “Organization of the Union Forces” (January 31, 1865) ↩
    30. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 746: “Organization of the Union Forces” (February 28, 1865) ↩
    31. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 331: “Organization of the Union Forces” (January 31, 1865) ↩
    32. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 744: “Organization of the Union Forces” (February 28, 1865) ↩
    33.  A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3): “2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, to February, 1865.  Provost Guard, Army of the Potomac, to June, 1865.” ↩
    34.  The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 746: “Organization of the Union Forces” (February 28, 1865) ↩
    35. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 96), page 68: “Return of Casualties in the Union forces at Hatcher’s Run (otherwise known as Dabney’s Mill, Armstrong’s Mill, Rowanty Creek, and Vaughan Road)… (February 5-7, 1865)” ↩
    36. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 574: “Organization of the Union Forces” (March 31, 1865) ↩
    37. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 590: “Return of casualties in the Union Forces commanded by Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, March 29-April 9, 1865” ↩
    38. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 573: “Organization of the Union Forces” (March 31, 1865) ↩
    39. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩

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