United States. Army. Cavalry

The term cavalry refers to horse-mounted soldiers. Although cavalry was a fundamental part of a Civil War army, by the American Civil War, weapons and tactics limited the role cavalry soldiers played on the battlefield. Disciplined infantry soldiers in tight ranks with muskets and bayonets could repel cavalry charges. Therefore, Civil War armies used the speed and mobility of cavalry troops for scouting and raiding behind enemy lines. Additionally, cavalry soldiers could fight on foot in loose, or skirmish, formations to harass enemy positions or delay enemy attacks. Overall, because cavalry units required greater logistical support in order to feed and care for their horses, and due to their relatively limited role in open battle, cavalry units made up a much smaller part of the army than their infantry counterparts. When the Civil War began, there were five mounted regiments in the regular United States Army. During the initial call for volunteers, federal military officials did not want new cavalry units due to the higher cost and time associated to training and outfitting horse soldiers. However, as it became clear that there would be no quick end to the war, and existing cavalry units proved valuable for scouting and mobile warfare, the federal government began adding additional cavalry units to the Army. As with most infantry regiments during the Civil War, the majority of cavalry units were raised by individual states and transferred to federal service. Union cavalry troops were largely seen as outclassed by their Confederate counterparts during the first half of the Civil War. One popular explanation for this is that United States Army cavalry troopers were supplied horses, rather than bringing their own upon enlistment (something more common in the Confederate army), and therefore were less experienced and comfortable on their mounts. Another common theory was that men who grew up in a Northern industrial society were less familiar with horses than those from the agrarian South. These explanations may have limited merit, especially within the Eastern Theater, but exaggerate the differences between North and South. United States Army cavalry troopers from mid-western and western states were also highly experienced in horsemanship before the war, and cavalry engagements in the western and Trans-Mississippi theaters did not see much disparity between United States and Confederate cavalry units. Union horse soldiers steadily earned a better reputation as the war progressed. The North’s superior supply chain provided a steady stream of equipment and horses, allowing United States cavalry units to remain well-equipped as they gained experience. The Confederacy’s early reputation of superior cavalry ended in June 1863, when Union cavalry soldiers fought Confederates to a draw at Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle in North America. Federal cavalry forces continued to improve during the last two years of war. In 1864, Union general Philip Sheridan used his cavalry corps to conduct long range operations in Virginia, while western military commanders conducted similarly destructive cavalry raids in Mississippi and Alabama, all of which hastened end of the war. (Wikipedia)