Schenectady in the Civil War: Thirteenth Regiment of Cavalry

This page conforms to the XHTML standard and uses style sheets. If your browser doesn't support these, you may not see the page as designed, but all the text is still accessible to you.

Schenectady in the Civil War: Thirteenth Regiment of Cavalry — (Seymour Light Cavalry )

[This information is from Chapter XXV, pp. 394-395 of Schenectady County, New York: Its History to the Close of the Nineteenth Century by Austin A. Yates (New York: New York History Co., 1902). It is in the Schenectady Collection of the Schenectady County Public Library at Schdy R 974.744 Yat, and copies are also available for borrowing. Thanks to Carol Di Crosta for data entry help with this project. The names of the soldiers are in the order they were in the book.]

October 9th, 1862, Colonel Henry E. Davies received authority to recruit a regiment of cavalry; November 12th, 1862, Lieutenant-Colonel Nathaniel Cole received orders to recruit the regiment, the Davies Light Cavalry, until Colonel Davies would report from the field. January 16th, 1863, Colonel David Webb, succeeded, on his death, by Colonel Henry S. Gansevoort, was authorized to recruit the Horatio Seymour Cavalry. January 28th, 1863, Colonel G. W. B. Tompkins received authority to recruit the Tompkins Cavalry. February 7th, 1863, Colonel Alfred W. Taylor was authorized to recruit the New York Brigade. December 4th, 1862, Colonel Henry F. Liebenau had received authority to recruit a regiment in the, then, first seven congressional districts of the state — the Seymour Light Infantry. These organizations were, June 20th, 1863, consolidated, and the Thirteenth Regiment of Cavalry formed of them, with H. E. Davies as Colonel, H. S. Gansevoort as Lieutenant-Colonel, and N. Cole as Major. The companies were mustered in the service of the United States for three years; at Staten Island, A February 25th; B May 25th; C and D June 18th; E June 19th; F June 20th; G July 10th; H August 7th; and I November 23, 1863; at Riker's Island, K and L; and at Hart's Island, M, in March, 1864.

They were recruited principally: A, B, C, D and E, at New York City; F at New York City, Rome and Utica; G at New York City, Potsdam, Oswegatchie, Malone, Saratoga and Albany; H, Halleck Guards, at New York City, Ogdensburgh, Malone, Watertown, Albany and Postsdam; I at Albany, Buffalo and Watertown; K, L, and M, at New York City and Brooklyn.

Six companies, A, B, C, D, E and F, left the state June 23d, 1863; Companies G and H, August 14, 1863; the others in winter, 1863, and spring, 1864; the regiment served in the Pennsylvania campaign in June and July, 1863, (six companies), and after that in the 22d Corps, Department and Defenses of Washington, D. C.

August 17th, 1865, the regiment, commanded by Colonel Henry S. Gansevoort, was consolidated at Washington with the Sixteenth New York Volunteer Cavalry, the consolidated force receiving the designation, Third Provisional Regiment, New York Volunteer Cavalry; the companies of the 13th becoming parts of the companies of the new organizations, as follows: A of G, B of M, C of H, D of D, E of L, F of A, G of B, H of F, I of E, K of K, L of C, M of I.

During its service, the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 12 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 19 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 1 officer, 98 enlisted men; total, 1 officer, 129 enlisted men' aggregate; 130; of whom 27 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.

O'Brien, Edmund L.
- Age 30 years. Enlisted September 8, 1864, at Schenectady, N. Y.; mustered in as private Co. M, September 8, 1864, to serve one year; appointed corporal January 20, 1865; mustered out June 30, 1865, at Fairfax Court House, Va.
Simmonds, Jacob E.
- Age 21 years. Enlisted September 6, 1864, at Schenectady; mustered in as private Co. F, September 6, 1864, to serve one year; mustered out June 30, 1865, at Fairfax Court House, Va.; also borne as Simmons, Jacob A.