6th Virginia Cavalry

Brief History of the Regiment

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Emblazoned on the stars of the last battleflag of the 6th Virginia Cavalry, were its honors: Front Royal, Newtown, Harrisonburg, Rapidan Station, Madison Court House, Brandy Station (three times), Catlett's Station, Stuart's Pennsylvania Raid, Jones' West Virginia Raid, Upperville, Fairfield, Pa., Culpeper Court House, Spotsylvania, Yellow Tavern, Cold Harbor, Trevillian's Depot, Reams Station, Berryville, Milford, Luray, Cedar Creek, New Creek, Lacey Spring, and Beverly. But these names were only part of the regiment's story.

The names did not tell of the parallel struggle to find and keep field officers who would enforce discipline in the unit, and allow it to fulfill its promise of becoming one of the best in the army. They did not convey the depth of pride that came from a fight like Cedarville near Front Royal, on May 23, 1862, when the 6th Cavalry showed what it could do under the eye of "Stonewall" Jackson. The battle honors did not mention what happened when the wrong man gave the orders, as happened at Paris some four months later.

No flag could reveal the character of the men who roder beneath it. The ranks raised in the counties of Loudoun, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Clarke, Fairfax, Halifax, Fauquier, Orange, and Pittsylvania, and from Savannah, Ga., included their share of heroes, and a few rascals as well. At their head were leaders like the able Charles W. Field, the aristocratic Julien Harrison, the eloquent Thomas S. Flournoy, and the fire-eating son Cabell, and for guidance of the spirit, the courageous Rev. Richard T. Davis. When the guns had finally fallen silent, these men had truly earned General Richard S. Ewell's appelation as the "bloody Sixth."

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List of Companies that composed the 11th Va. Cavalry:

A - Loudoun Dragoons [Dulaney's/Gibson's Co.] (Loudoun Co.)

B - The Old Guard/Rappahannock Cavalry [Green's/Grimsley's/Duncna's Co.](Rappahannock Co.)

C - Rockingham Cavalry [Yancey's/Kemper's Co.] (Rockingham Co.)

D - Clarke Cavalry [Nelson's/Richards'/Kennerly's Co.](Clarke Co.)

E (1st) - Georgia Hussars [Waring's Co.]

E (2nd) - Pittsylvania Dragoons [Flournoy's/Mitchell's Co.] (Pittsylvania Co.)

F - Fairfax Cavalry/Washington's Home Guard [Powell's/Throckmorton's/Carter's Co.] (Fairfax Co.)

G - Halifax Cavalry/Flournoy Troop [Flournoy's/Owen's/Moon's Co.] (Halifax Co.)

H - Wise Dragoons [Adams'/Welch's/Plaster's Co.] (Fauquier Co.)

I - Orange Rangers [Browning's/Row's/Morton's Co.] (Orange Co.)

K - Loudoun Cavalry/Leesburg Cavalry [Shreve's/Mead's/Baxter's/Ball's/Braden's/Matthew's Co.] (Loudoun Co.)

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For more detailed information on this regiment, and the men who fought in it, I recommend
the

6th Virginia Cavalry
by Michael P. Musick

Available from

The Virginia Regimental Histories Series