6th Michigan Cavalry Regiment

6th Michigan Cavalry Regiment
Michigan state flag
Active	May 28, 1862, to November 24, 1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	Cavalry
Engagements	American Civil War Battle of Hanover Battle of Hunterstown Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Williamsport Kilpatrick's Raid on Richmond Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Yellow Tavern Battle of Cedar Creek Battle of Five Forks Appomattox American Indian Wars Powder River Expedition Sawyers Fight

The 6th Michigan Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was a part of the famed Michigan Brigade, commanded for a time by Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer.

Service

The 6th Michigan Cavalry was organized at Grand Rapids, Michigan, from May 28 to October 13, 1862, and mustered on October 13, 1862. Among the officers who later joined the regiment as replacements were Thomas W. Custer, who would earn two Medals of Honor while serving with the 6th in the spring of 1865.

Campaign in Maryland - Gallant charge of the Sixth Michigan Cavalry over the enemy's breastworks, near Falling Waters, July 14, 1863

The regiment was assigned to what became the Michigan Brigade during the early part of the Gettysburg campaign in June 1863. It saw its first actions under General Custer at the Hanover, Hunterstown, and Gettysburg. Armed with Spencer Repeating Rifles, the 6th provided superior firepower against the lightly armed Confederate cavalry.

Sent out to the Old West frontier following the cessation of hostilities in mid-1865, the 6th, commanded by Colonel James H. Kidd and under the overall command of Brigadier General Patrick Connor constructed "Fort Connor" as a supply depot during the Powder River Expeditions of that summer. A detachment of the regiment guarding James A. Sawyers wagon train participated in the Sawyers Fight of August and September, 1865. The regiment was mustered out of service on November 24, 1865.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 7 officers and 128 enlisted men killed in action or mortally wounded and 251 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 386 fatalities.

Commanders

• Colonel George Gray
• Lieutenant Colonel Henry Elmer Thompson
• Major James Harvey Kidd, promoted to colonel

See also

• List of Michigan Civil War Units
• Michigan in the American Civil War

References

Sources

• "6th Regiment Cavalry". American Civil War Archive. January 17, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
• "Sixth Michigan Cavalry Regiment". The Civil War in the East. 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
• Dyer, Frederick Henry (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (PDF). Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. pp. 1272–1273. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q. hdl:2027/mdp.39015026937642. LCCN 09005239. OCLC 8697590. Retrieved October 20, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Federal Publishing Company (1908). Military Affairs and Regimental Histories of New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan (PDF). The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861–65 – Records of the Regiments in the Union army – Cyclopedia of battles – Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. Vol. III. Madison, WI: Federal Publishing Company. pp. 422–423. OCLC 694018100. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "6th Regiment, Michigan Cavalry". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. 2005. Retrieved December 6, 2009. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "National Park Service: Gettysburg Seminar Papers — Unsung Heroes of Gettysburg". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A-L)". United States Army Center of Military History. 2009. Archived from the original on November 25, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2009. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.