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In Memoriam

History of

2^nd VA Cavalry

History of the

Albemarle Light Horse Troop

Campaigns and Engagements

Archive of Documents

Biographical &

Legacy Notes

Image Gallery

Internet

 Resources

memoriam

This webpage is dedicated to the memory of our great-great granduncles Calvin S., James E.,  Samuel M.,  and William P. SCRUGGS and the men they served with in the 2^nd Virginia Cavalry during the War Between the States

Calvin Scott Scruggs enlisted at Fairfax Court House on September 1, 1861 and assigned to Company K.   He was promoted to 4th Corporal on and then to 2nd Corporal prior to becoming sick with "fever" in December 1862.  As a result of his illness he was sent to the Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond from the 6th to the 18th of December.  Calvin then returned to duty with his unit after being treated in the hospital.   Records of the 2nd Cavalry show that it was involved in very active combat during the week between Christmas 1862 and New Year's Day 1863.  As such it appears that a severely weakened Calvin Scruggs finally succumbed to the sickness in his body and died on January 2, 1863 at Camp Lee near Guinea Station, which was located in the area of the historic old town of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

William Perkins Scruggs -   On April 3, 1862, at the age of 24 years, he joined the 2nd Virginia Cavalry Regiment.  He was assigned as a Private in Company K also known as the "Albemarle Light Horse" Troop. From February 23 to March 27, 1865 William was sick with dysentery and was hospitalized in Richmond otherwise he survived the war without injury.

Samuel Monroe Scruggs joined Company C of the 19th Virginia Infantry on April 17, 1861.  He was present at the First Battle of Manasass (Bull Run) where he spent most of the engagement caring for wounded soldiers.   Samuel transferred to Company I of the 5th Virginia Cavalry sometime after August 1862.  On April 17, 1863 he transferred to Company K (Albermarle Light Horse) of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry in exchange for George B. Marshall.  Samuel was wounded in action at Berryville, August 20, 1864, and wounded again in the left arm at Front Royal, September 21, 1864.  As a result of these injuries Sam was thereby disabled for further service. He received medals for honor and bravery.

James Egington Scruggs -     On April 17, 1861 he enlisted as a Private in Company C, of the 19th Virginia Infantry Regiment which was also known as the "Scottsville Guards".   It is most likely the James was present at the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) on July 21, 1861.  On October 1, 1861 James transferred to the 2nd Virginia Cavalry while it was located at Fairfax Court House.  James was wounded slightly in the arm at Kelly's Ford on March 17, 1863.  He quickly returned to action and was again riding with his unit from April 1863 through July 8, 1863.  From at least November 1863 to April 1864 James was detailed at Brigadier-General Williams Carter Wickham's headquarters as a “courier”.  It is believed that he also acted in the capacity of courier for both Major-General J.E.B. Stuart and General Wickham for a period of up to two years.    Shortly before the end of the war on, April 6, 1865, James captured the sword of Union General Theodore Read when the Confederate troopers of the 2nd regiment struck the Federals near High Bridge over the Appomattox River.   After Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House he was paroled at Columbia, Virginia on May 1, 1865.  The following comments are attributed to James E. Scruggs on the official record as follows, "courier; most efficient; always well mounted".

The 2nd Virginia Cavalry

     The Confederate Army unit known as the 2^nd Virginia Cavalry was originally organized as the 30^th Virginia Volunteer Regiment, on May 8, 1861 at Lynchburg, Virginia.   Colonel C. W. Radford, a West Point graduate and veteran of the Mexican War was appointed by Major General Robert E. Lee as the first commander.       The following field officers were also appointed at that time. Thomas T. Munford, a Virginia Military Institute (V.M.I.) graduate, was named lieutenant colonel.  John S. Langhorne, captain of the “Wise Troop” of Lynchburg was later appointed major. 

     The companies that made up the regiment had with one exception, prior service as cavalry in the Virginia Militia.  Company A , the “Clay Dragoons” from Bedford county, had been organized in 1857.  Captain William R. Terry, a V.M.I. graduate led this Troop.   The “Wise Troop,” of Lynchburg became Company B.  The aforementioned Captain Langhorne was in command of the company.  Company C, the “Botetourt Dragoons”, was led by Captain Andrew L. Pitzer, who had attended V.M.I.  The “Franklin Rangers,” Company D, was commanded by Captain Giles W.B. Hale, a student at Randolph-Macon College.  Company E, the Amherst Mounted Rangers,” were led by Captain Edgar Whitehead.  The “Bedford Southside Dragoons,” Company F, was commanded by Captain James Wilson.  The “Radford Rangers”, named in honor of their captain, Edmund W. Radford, who had attended V.M.I. and Washington College entered state service as Company G.  Company H, the “Appomattox Rangers”, was led by Captain Joel L. Flood.  He had attended Emory & Henry College and the University of Virginia.  The “Campbell Rangers,” Company I, under Captain John D. Alexander, enlisted in state service on June 9, 1861.   Company K, the “Albemarle Light Horse”, was commanded by Captain Eugene Davis, a University of Virginia Graduate. 

     Richard H. Burks, who had attended V.M.I and served in the Mexican War, was appointed adjutant of the Regiment.  The surgeon was Samuel H. Meredith, a graduate of the  University of Virginia and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.  William H. Trent of Appomattox County was appointed captain and quartermaster.  Albert McDaniel of Bedford County was named captain and commissary officer.  William Steptoe of the “Radford Rangers” was appointed sergeant major.  Lomax Tayloe, who had attended the University of Virginia, was named color sergeant.   The quartermaster sergeant, Francis Merriweather, was a graduate of the University of Virginia.  John S. Kasey of Company G served as bugler for the regiment.  Reverend William W. Berry was later appointed chaplain.

     The 30^th Virginia Volunteer Regiment was officially transferred into Confederate service on July 1, 1861, and saw action in the First Manassas Campaign of July 1861.   On or about October 31, 1861, the regiment was re-designated as the Second Virginia Cavalry.  During the war they were involved in over 80 engagements with Union Forces.  .  Various companies of the 2^nd cavalry participated as units in major battles such as 1^st and 2^nd Manassas, Sharpsburg, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville; Brandy Station, Fredericksburg, and Cold Harbor.     This military unit   numbered 700 men on June 1, 1861.  Of these original members of the 30^th Virginia Volunteer Regiment 7 of it’s captains were killed and 10 wounded;  10 of its lieutenants were killed and 22 wounded; 2 sergeants were killed; 1 adjutant was killed.  138 of the enlisted men were killed; 362 wounded; 89 died in service; 75 were captured, making an a total of 654 of the original 700.   Almost 1,500 men served in the 2^nd Cavalry during the War.  Of these at least 479 were either killed or wounded. 

     The 2^nd disbanded on April 10, 1865, on the spot where it was organized four years before. Whereupon General Thomas T. Munford, commanding officer 2^nd Virginia Cavalry, along with many of his men moved on south towards Lynchburg in the hope of joining up with General Johnston’s army in North Carolina.  It wasn’t until April 28, almost three weeks after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, that the remainder of the force dispersed and the men were told to return to their homes.  Thus ended the epic story of the Second Virginia Cavalry, Army of North Virginia, Confederate States of America.

Albemarle Light Horse Troop

     Company K of the 2^nd Virginia Cavalry, also known as the “Albemarle Light Horse Troop,” was organized in 1859 and enlisted into the Confederate Army on May 11, 1861.  Captain Eugene Davis, a University of Virginia graduate, led this troop.  Upon enlistment they were ordered directly to Manassas without going to Lynchburg to be sworn into state service, (Lynchburg, because of its location and being a railroad center, became a training camp for Virginia units).

     The men of Company K holding Officer rank are as follows: Capt. Eugene Davis; Capt. William Willoughby Tebbs; Capt. John Owen Lasley; Capt. James Horace Ballard; 1^st Lt. Francis Edward Garland Carr; 1^st Lt. George Henry Geiger; 1^st Lt. James Watson Magruder; 1^st Lt. Quintis S. Williams; 2^nd Lt. Thomas Jefferson Randolph; 2^nd Lt. Albert H. Good; 2^nd Lt. James Williams Gooch.

     Between 1861 and 1865 the valiant 2^nd Cavalry was involved in over 70 engagements with Union forces beginning with the first skirmishes of the war around Fairfax Court House, during June of 1861, right up to the end on April 10, 1865 when the troop made a charge up the Lynchburg Road a few miles west of Appomattox Court House, in a successful attack on a Union Cavalry unit.  During this encounter Sergeant James E. Tucker, of Company K, proudly bore the regimental colors in its last battle.  By the end of the War the names of as many as 250 men are reported on the Company K muster rolls.  Casualty reports show Company K with 164 officers and men of whom 50 were either killed or wounded in battle.  Others died in service from sickness or imprisonment. 

     On April 10, 1865 the 2^nd Cavalry was disbanded yet  many of the men of Company K continued to follow there commanding officer, General Thomas T. Munford, south towards Lynchburg in the hope of joining up with General Johnston’s army in North Carolina.  It wasn’t until April 28, that the remainder of the force dispersed and the men were told to return to their homes.  The great majority of officers and men of Company K took their paroles at Charlottesville.  Many never bothered with the formality. 

engagments

1861

Fairfax Courthouse – June 17

Lovettsville – August 8

Falls Church – August, September

1862

Flint Hill – February 7

Gaines’ Crossroads – May 14

1863

Hartwood Church – February 25

1863(continued)

Oak Shade – September 2

Raccoon Ford, VA – September 14

Sheperdstown  - September 19-20

Jack’s Shop – September 22

1864

Stanardsville - March 1

1865

Battalion Records

The following is a listing of the documentation we’ve collected  regarding

the wartime record of this military unit, and the persons who served therein.

·          Gettysburg - Fitzhugh's Brigade Plaque

·          Roster of Field Officers & Staff

·          Maj. Breckinridge Report on action at Aldie

·          Stuart's Cavalry Operations,  25 Jun-10 Jul 1862

·          Roster of Company K

·          William S. Head, Biography & Service Record

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collection of documents for this military unit.

Biographical notes

The men of the 2^nd Virginia Cavalry who survived the War went on to live their lives in the years to follow.  In most cases they produced families and descendents and lead productive lives.  Lest they not be forgotten the following notes have been collected regarding some of their post-war lives.

·       George Walker Gilmer, 1845-1918. Private, Company C. On the 3rd of July at Gettysburg he was wounded twice and captured.  Both serious wounds, one in the right shoulder by a shell; the second wound in right temple (resulting in loss of right eye).  Exchanged after 3 months in prison at David's Island, N.Y. Courier for Gen. Wickham in April 1864. Involved in battles of Spotsylvania C.H. and Yellow Tavern.  Joined the 43rd VA. Cav. in early 1865.

·       Captain Charles Norvell - of Lynchburg, Virginia, was a prisoner at Johnson's Island during the Civil War. Charles Norvell studied law at the University of Virginia and was an attorney, living most of his life in Lynchburg. He joined the 2nd Virginia Cavalry, serving under Charles Blackford as a private, was later appointed captain and served under General Stuart, taken prisoner at the second battle of Winchester, imprisoned first at Fort Delaware then at Johnson's Island for a period of two years. He was exchanged a short time before Lee surrendered at Appomattox. When he was exchanged he and several other prisoners were sent to Baltimore by train.

·       William Wirt Wilburn, 1834-1924. Private, Company I. He had 7 sons and two daughters. He lived in Long Island, Virginia.  His wife's name was Fanny. His father was Robert Lewis Wilburn (1795). Some of his children's names were, Wirt, Robert Lee, Tom, Lizzy, and Clarence.

·       William James Payne is a Private, in Company K.  Born May 28, 1827, died July 25, 1901.  Buried at Jones Cemetery on Route 633 in the Crofton Area of Fluvanna County.  Also a note that his tombstone was used to compile this record.

 = see more at our “Image Archives”

These photographs were submitted by Steve Reznik at < [email protected] > who has suggested that it may be a cigar cutter.  One would assume that it was crafted by a veteran of the 2^nd VA Cavalry with the initials W.G.C.  We have researched the available roster of men who served in the unit during the Civil War and cannot find the name of anyone with the aforementioned initials???   Do you know what this object is and to whom it belonged?

Upon receipt, appropriate submissions will be placed within our archives so that others may know more about the circumstances of these men’s lives and legacies.

images

During our research we have collected images and photographs that may be of interest to the history of the 2^nd Virginia Cavalry.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives and war experiences.

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website resources

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The following are links to websites that will provide you with

specific information to assist with your research this topic.

·       2nd Virginia Cavalry Co. C

·       2nd Virginia Cavalry at Antietam

·       Virginia, Civil War Confederate Service Records, 1861-1865

·       Virginia Civil War Confederate Cavalry Units

·       Inventory of the Robert W. Parker Papers, 1858-1889

·       War of the Rebellion

·       Civil War Battles (Harper's Weekly)

·       American Civil War Battles by Campaign

·        2nd Va. Cavalry Co. C. Original Members

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-- This webpage was last updated on --

04 May 2016