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24th Virginia Cavalry

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Muster In: March 19, 18621
Muster Out: April 9, 18652

Notes: The 42nd Virginia Cavalry Battalion became the 24th Virginia Cavalry on June 14, 1864.

Commander(s):
Colonel William T. Robins
Image Needed

Captain Theophilus G. Barham
Commander Image

Captain William M. McGruder
Commander Image

Commander 4
Commander Image

First Offensive Order of Battle: Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Department of Richmond | Confederate Army 3

  • Commander: Col. William T. Robins?4
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: The battalion under Theophilus G. Barham was serving with Dearing’s Cavalry Brigade and had not yet joined the 24th Virginia Cavalry under Gary.

Second Offensive Order of Battle: Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Department of Richmond | Confederate Army 5

  • Commander: Col. William T. Robins6
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: The battalion under Theophilus G. Barham was serving with Dearing’s Cavalry Brigade and had not yet joined the 24th Virginia Cavalry under Gary.

Third Offensive Order of Battle: Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Department of Richmond | Confederate Army7

  • Commander:
    • Colonel William T. Robins (at least July 24 and 27, 1864)(wounded July 24, 1864)8,9
    • ? (July 24-31, 1864)10
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Department of Richmond | Confederate Army11

  • Commander:
    • Colonel William T. Robins (at least August 14, 1864)(slightly wounded in the arm on August 14, 1864) 12,13
    • ? (August 14-31, 1864)14
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Department of Richmond | Confederate Army15,16

  • Commander:
    • Colonel William T. Robins (September 29, 1864) (wounded on September 27, 1864)17,18
    • Captain Theophilus G. Barham (at least September 27, 1864)19
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Department of Richmond | Confederate Army20

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Department of Richmond | Confederate Army21,22

  • Commander:
    • None listed. (November 1864)23
    • Captain William M. McGruder (December 1864)24
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle:

Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Department of Richmond | Confederate Army (January 1-at least 21, 1865)25

Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Fitzhugh Lee’s Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army (January ?-31, 1865)26,27,28,29

  • Commander:
    • None listed. (January 1865)30
    • Colonel William T. Robins (February 1865)31
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: At some point in January 1865, almost certainly after the January 20 return was compiled, Gary’s Cavalry Brigade moved from the Department of Richmond to Fitzhugh Lee’s Cavalry Brigade, Cavalry Corps, Army of Northern Virginia.  I do not know the exact date.  More research is needed.

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Gary’s Cavalry Brigade | Fitzhugh Lee’s Division | Cavalry Corps | Army of Northern Virginia | Confederate Army32,33

  • Commander: Colonel William T. Robins (March & April 1-2, 1865)34,35
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Sifakis’ Compendium Info:

Bibliography:

Petersburg Campaign Documents Which Mention This Unit:

Sources:

  1. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pages 135 & 143 ↩
  2. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia by Stewart Sifakis, pages 135 & 143 ↩
  3. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 117 ↩
  4. Was present on June 24, 1864 and possibly earlier. History of the 9th Virginia Cavalry, in the War Between the States by Richard Lee Tuberville Beale, page 131 ↩
  5. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 117 ↩
  6. Was present on June 24, 1864 and possibly earlier. History of the 9th Virginia Cavalry, in the War Between the States by Richard Lee Tuberville Beale, page 131 ↩
  7. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 126 ↩
  8. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 126, but see the Richmond Examiner of July 30, which indicates Robins was in command on July 27, 1864 at First Deep Bottom. ↩
  9. “List of Casualties.” Richmond Examiner. July 30, 1864, p. 1 col. 6 ↩
  10. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 126 ↩
  11. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 135 ↩
  12. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 135 ↩
  13. “Battle of Fussell’s Mills.” Richmond Examiner. September 2, 1864, p. 1 col. 3: “At ten o’clock the Twenty-fourth Virginia (Cavalry) arrived and was soon in the works.  A very brisk fire from the sharpshooters was begun and kept up on both sides.  At five o’clock, hearing that the enemy’s cavalry had appeared on the Charles City road, the Twenty-fourth was ordered out to see after them.  In passing from the works to our led horses the enemy saw us and made a vigorous charge for the purpose of getting possession of the Darbytown road.  Colonel (William T.) Robins immediately led his regiment back, and for twenty minutes the firing was furious.  The enemy was repulsed and driven back, and every man of them who reached the road was either killed or captured.  We lost none killed.  Colonel Robins was slightly wounded in the arm.” ↩
  14. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 135 ↩
  15. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 143 ↩
  16. 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. 1315. ↩
  17. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 143 ↩
  18. Field, Ron. Combat 2: Union Infantrymen Versus Confederate Infantrymen: Eastern Theater 1861-65 (Osprey: 2013), p. 61 ↩
  19. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 143 ↩
  20. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 152 ↩
  21. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 160 ↩
  22. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 169 ↩
  23. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 160 ↩
  24. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 169 ↩
  25. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 178 ↩
  26. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 177 ↩
  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 1175: “Organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General R. E. Lee, January 31, 1865”; This list contains many commanders who were not there.  They were the “official” commanders but may have been gone on leave.  I have used none of the leaders from this list as a result. ↩
  28. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 187 ↩
  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 1274: “Organization of the Infantry and Cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia, General R. E. Lee, C. S. Army, commanding, February 28, 1865”; This order of battle was based off of inspection reports from February 28, 1865.  However, leaders listed are from January.  I’ve chosen to ignore the leaders and just use this source for the organization of the order of battle. ↩
  30. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 177 ↩
  31. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 187 ↩
  32. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 196 ↩
  33. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 205 ↩
  34. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 196 ↩
  35. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., page 205 ↩
  36. “List of Casualties.” Richmond Examiner. July 30, 1864, p. 1 col. 6 ↩

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