Historical Notes:
The 3rd Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was organized at Grand Rapids and was mustered in Nov. 1, 1861. It left the state Nov. 28, was stationed at Benton barracks, St. Louis, during the winter, and then joined Pope's movement against New Madrid and Island No. 10. Capt. John K. Mizner took command as colonel on Mar. 31. The regiment was engaged at Farmington, Miss., and in the siege of Corinth, then joined Grant's forces in the campaign of Mississippi, and fought at Spangler's mills, Bay Spring, and Iuka, where it performed efficient work. Five privates captured 2 officers and a stand of colors. In October it was engaged at the battle of Corinth and the Hatchie river. During the remainder of the year it was in actions at Hudsonville, Holly Springs, Lumpkin's mill, Oxford and Coffeeville. In November Co. K made a daring trip. Communication between Grant and Sherman had been cut off by the destruction of railway and telegraph lines, the enemy's pickets extending to Memphis, and regiments and brigades were unable to open them or clear the way for a dash. Capt. Newell and his company advanced from La Grange to Moscow, made a circuit of 17 miles by night, attacked and captured the pickets at Somerville, and charged through a regiment. Finding the bridge burned at Wolf river, the company plunged into and across the river, and being taken for Confederates, pushed through a brigade and reached Sherman's headquarters at Memphis. The regiment was engaged at Brownsville in January and Clifton in February. At the latter point Capt. Newell of Co. K and 60 men crossed the river after nightfall in an old flat bottom boat and captured the Confederate Col. Newsom, 3 of his captains, 4 lieutenants and 61 enlisted men, with horses, arms and equipments. The regiment was in engagements at Jackson and Panola in July, and at Grenada in August was in the advance, destroying over 60 locomotives and more than 400 cars. In October it participated at Byhalia and Wyatt's ford on the Tallahatchie river. It was engaged in scouting and numerous expeditions during November and December, meeting the enemy at Ripley, Orizaba, Ellistown, Purdy, and Jack's creek, and on Jan. 1, 1864, went into winter quarters at La Grange, Tenn., where 592 reenlisted as veterans, received a furlough, and reached home Feb. 7. The regiment was ordered to St. Louis, where it was on provost duty for about two months. It reported at Little Rock May 24, and was engaged in scouting. It assisted in driving Shelby beyond the river and in dispersing guerrillas. During Nov., 1864, and Feb., 1865, it garrisoned Brownsville, and in its scouting expeditions collected large droves of cattle, supplying nearly all the beef required for the Department of Arkansas. It was assigned to the 1st brigade, 1st division, 7th army corps, which on the 14th of March was transferred to the military division of West Mississippi and ordered to Mobile, where it engaged in the siege. After the fall of that point the regiment was employed on outpost duty. On the surrender of the enemy's forces east of the Mississippi, the regiment was selected as escort of Maj.- Gen. Canby, and received the formal surrender of Gen. Taylor's army. In May the regiment moved to Baton Rouge, La., where it joined the Texas expedition and reached San Antonio on Aug. 2. It was engaged in garrison and escort duty and along the Mexican frontier until mustered out at San Antonio Feb. 15, 1866. Up to Nov., 1863, the regiment had captured 2,100 prisoners and had marched 10,800 miles. Its original strength was 1,163: gain, 1,397; total, 2,560. Loss by death, 414.
(Dyer states that the Regiment lost during service 3 Officers and 27 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 4 Officers and 380 Enlisted men by disease. Total 414.)
Officers:
Cols., F. W. Kellogg, John K. Mizner; Lieut. -Cols., Robert H. G. Minty, Gilbert Mayers, Thomas B. Weir; Majs., Edward Gray, William S. Burton, Abel H. Foote, Thomas Saylor, Lyman G. Wilcox, Gilbert J. Hudson, Edward B. Nugent, James G. Butler.
Assignments:
Duty at Benton Barracks, Mo., till February 21, 1862. Ordered to Commerce, Mo., February 21. Attached to Cavalry Division, Army of the Mississippi, to April 1862. 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army of the Mississippi, to June, 1862. 5th Division, Army of the Mississippi, to September, 1862. 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army of the Mississippi to November, 1862. 3rd Brigade, Cavalry Division, 13th Army Corps (Old) Dept. of the Tennessee, to December, 1862. Cavalry Brigade, District of Jackson, Tennessee, 16th Army Corps, to March, 1863. Mizner's Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Division, 16th Army Corps, to June, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 16th Army Corps, to August, 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 16th Army Corps, to January, 1864. District of St. Louis, Mo., Dept. of Missouri, March to May, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 7th Army Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to August, 1864. 4th Brigade, Cavalry Division, 7th Army Corps, Dept. of Arkansas, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, 7th Army Corps, to April, 1865. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Military Division of West Mississippi, to May, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Mississippi, to August, 1865. Dept. of Texas to February, 1866.
Service:
Siege of New Madrid, Mo., March 3-14, 1862. Siege and capture of Island No. 10, Mississippi River, March 15-April 8. Moved to Hamburg Landing, Tenn., April 17-22. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Action at Farmington May 1. Farmington Heights May 4 (Cos. "A," "E," "I," "K"). Reconnoissance toward Corinth May 8. Reconnoissance on Alabama Road toward Sharp's Mills May 10. Reconnoissance to Memphis & Charleston Railroad May 13. Near Farmington May 19 (3rd Battalion). Near Farmington May 22 (Co. "G"). Reconnoissance to Burnsville and Iuka May 22-23. Tuscumbia Creek May 30. Pursuit to Booneville May 30-June 12. Reconnoissance toward Baldwyn June 3. Action at Booneville June 3-4. Clear Creek, near Baldwyn, June 14. Blackland June 28. Ripley June 29. Hatchie Bottom July 20 (Co. "H"). Booneville July 26. Spangler's Mills July 28 (Cos. "H," "L," "M"). Iuka September 19. Battle of Corinth October 3-4. Pursuit to the Hatchie River October 5-12. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November 2, 1862, to January 10, 1863. Capture of Ripley and Orizaba November 2, 1862. Reconnoissance from Lagrange November 8-9. Coldwater and Lamar November 8. Holly Springs November 13. Expedition from Grand Junction to Ripley, Miss., November 19-20 (Detachment). Holly Springs November 29 and December 20. Orizaba November 29. Waterford, Lumpkia's Mills, November 29-30. About Oxford December 1-3. Water Valley Station December 4. Coffeeville December 5. Water Valley Station December 18. Ripley December 23. Bolivar December 24. Expedition from Lexington to Clifton February 17-21, 1863 (Cos. "A," "B," "K," "L"). Clifton February 20. Scout from Lexington to mouth of Duck River March 31-April 1. Trenton April 19. Cotton Grove April 25. Forked Deer Creek June 13. Operations in Northwest Mississippi June 15-25. Near Holly Springs June 16-17. Lagrange June 17. Belmont and Coldwater Bridge June 18. Near Panola June 19-20. Senatobia June 20. Matthews' Ferry, on Coldwater River, June 20. Lamar July 5. Forked Deer Creek July 15. Jackson, Tenn., July 17. Expedition to Grenada, Miss., August 12-23. Grenada August 13. Operations in Northern Mississippi and Western Tennessee against Chalmers October 4-17. New Albany October 5. Salem October 8. Ingraham's Mills, near Byhalia, October 12. Wyatt's Ford, Tallahatchie River, October 13. Smith's Bridge October 19. Corinth, Miss., November 2. Operations on Memphis & Charleston Railroad November 3-5. Corinth, Miss., November 12. Operations on Memphis & Charleston Railroad against Lee's attack November 28-December 10. Danville November 14-15. Ripley November 27. Molino November 28. Ripley December 1 and 4. Regiment veteranize January 19, 1864. At Lagrange till January 29. Lagrange January 25. On Veteran furlough till March. Provost duty at St. Louis, Mo., March 22-May 18, and at Little Rock, Ark., May 24 to August 1. Clarendon, Ark., June 25-26. Remount Camp and Lake Bluff August 5. Bull Creek August 6. Expedition from Little Rock to Little Red River August 6-16. Hatch's Ferry August 9 (Detachment). Augusta August 10 (Detachment). Duvall's Bluff August 23. Searcy August 29. Brownsville September 4. Scout and patrol duty September-October. At Brownsville Station, Memphis & Little Rock Railroad, November, 1864, to February, 1865. Expedition from Brownsville to Arkansas Post December 7-13, 1864 (Cos. "A," "H," "K," "L," "M"). Near Dudley's Lake December 16 (Cos. "E," "F" and "G"). Moved to Carrollton, La., March 14-23, 1865; thence to Mobile, Ala. Siege operations against Forts Blakely and Spanish Fort March 26-April 9. Occupation of Mobile April 12. Citronelle, Ala., May 4. Surrender of Gen. Dick Taylor (Regiment acted as escort to Gen. Canby). Moved to Mobile, thence to Baton Rouge, La., May 8-22, and to Shreveport June 10. March from Shreveport to San Antonio, Texas, July 10-August 2. Garrison duty at San Antonio and scouting along frontier to Rio Grande till February 12, 1866. Mustered out February 12 and discharged at Jackson, Mich., March 15, 1866.
Rosters:
The roster of this unit contains the names of 3886 men.
Company A - Allegan County
Company B - Clinton County
Company C - Van Buren County
Company D - Ionia County and Ypsilanti County
Company E - Jackson County
Company F - Kalamazoo County
Company G - Washtenaw County and Livingston County
Historical Notes: