Jerseyman
Private
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2020
Hi all, I've been researching an ancestor of mine who served in a Cavalry regiment as a Private toward the end of the war (1st West V.A. Cavalry, to be specific) and had some questions about cavalry regiments.
My main one is--were men who were drafted ever assigned to cavalry regiments? I know that cavalry had "dismounted" troops that I'd assume did not have horses and instead helped in various types of support for the cavalry (am I right to assume that? If not, let me know!), and I'm curious if those dismounted men were all enlistees or included draftees.
And a related question--what percentage of a cavalry regiment was typically "dismounted" versus "mounted"? Was it standard for Privates to typically all have their own horses or was that not universal?
I appreciate any answers, thanks in advance!
-Jack
My main one is--were men who were drafted ever assigned to cavalry regiments? I know that cavalry had "dismounted" troops that I'd assume did not have horses and instead helped in various types of support for the cavalry (am I right to assume that? If not, let me know!), and I'm curious if those dismounted men were all enlistees or included draftees.
And a related question--what percentage of a cavalry regiment was typically "dismounted" versus "mounted"? Was it standard for Privates to typically all have their own horses or was that not universal?
I appreciate any answers, thanks in advance!
-Jack
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