The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863

by Eric J Wittenberg

Overview

An award-winning cavalry historian shares a myth-busting look at how the Union cavalry surpassed its Confederate counterpart and helped win the Civil War.
 
The Army of the Potomac’s mounted units suffered early in the Civil War at the hands of the horsemen of the South. However, by 1863, the Federal cavalry had evolved into a fearsome fighting machine. Despite the numerous challenges occupying officers and politicians, as well as the harrowing existence of troopers in the field, the Northern cavalry helped turn the tide of war much earlier than is generally acknowledged.
 
In this expertly researched volume, historian Eric J. Wittenberg describes how the Union cavalry became the largest, best-mounted, and best-equipped force of horse soldiers the world had ever seen. The 1863 consolidation of numerous scattered Federal units created a force to be reckoned with—a single corps ten thousand strong. Wittenberg’s research thoroughly debunks the narrative that the Confederate “cavaliers” were the superior force.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439660072
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	186,882
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Eric J. Wittenberg has spent much of his adult life studying Union cavalry operations in the Civil War. A practicing lawyer, Mr. Wittenberg is a graduate of Dickinson College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He has authored several books on the Civil War, edited two and contributed numerous articles to national Civil War magazines. Mr. Wittenberg is the winner of the Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award for 1998's best new work interpreting the Battle of Gettysburg. He and his wife, Susan, live in Columbus, Ohio.

Table of Contents

	List of Maps	ix
	Foreword	xi
	Preface	xiii
1.	Formation of the Cavalry Corps: Army of the Potomac, February 1863	1
2.	A Restless Winter: The Battle of Hartwood Church	40
3.	St. Patrick's Day Melee: The Battle of Kelly's Ford	71
4.	Stuck in the Mud: Prelude to Chancellorsville	111
5.	Two Costly Charges: The Cavalry at Chancellorsville	143
6.	The Element of Surprise Is Lost: A False Start for Stoneman's Raid	177
7.	The Bursting Shell: Stoneman's Raid Finally Begins	202
8.	Brandy Station: Buford's Morning Fight for the Guns at St. James Church	245
9.	Brandy Station: Climax on Fleetwood Hill	278
	Conclusion	318
Appendix 1	The Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Forces under Command of Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside	346
Appendix 2	Order of Battle: The Battle of Kelly's Ford	348
Appendix 3	Order of Battle: Stoneman's Raid	350
Appendix 4	Order of Battle: The Fight in Alsop's Field	353
Appendix 5	Order of Battle: The Battle of Brandy Station	354
	Glossary	359
	Bibliography	360
	Index	381
	About the Author	390