"Lincoln’s Cavalrymen" Topic

I've just finished Lincoln's Cavalrymen – A history of the Mounted Forces of the Army of the Potomac by Edward G. Longacre.

As the full tile indicates this work covers the cavalry serving with the Army of the Potomac from its creation to the end of the war, not the whole of the Union forces as in Starr's three part work which precedes it buy some years.

The author bends his scope a little to include the actions of the mounted element of Sheridan's force in the 1864 campaign in the Shenandoah Valley but as they were pretty much the 1st and 3rd Divisions of the AoP Cavalry Corps, of which Sheridan was commander, we can let that slide.

Longacre's work is not new, just new to me. At a solid 335 pages of narrative together with 64 pages of notes and a further 50 page biography, you certainly get your money's worth!

The book is a very readable account of the creation and development of the AoP cavalry, its trials and tribulations and eventual dominance of its Confederate counter part in the Army of Northern Virginia as improving leadership and experience took hold.

There is also attention given to the shear logistical effort given by the North that eventually ground down an opposition short of everything but courage, which had to provide its own mounts in the face of an enemy who used up horses like they grew on trees. The numbers of remounts provided to the AoP during the war is just staggering!

Not that this was bounty from heaven, as Longacre describes, it was a hard road to reliably produce such numbers in the face of incompetence, dishonesty and disorganisation.

The author also shows that while in the early days the Army struggled with raw recruits who hardly new which end of a horse to feed, no small measure of the time taken to field and effective fighting force was down to a string of incompetent and self-serving commanders from regimental to divisional level, right up to the likes of Stoneman and Pleasanton.

These less than worthy individuals were aided by a string of Army commanders, who while struggling with their own command responsibility, hadn't any real clue as to the use of cavalry in the contemporary world.

As such, the mounted arm served in penny packets attached to infantry Corps and wore out on constant patrols and picket duty, on behalf of the entire Army. A situation not really taken head on, even by the forming of a Cavalry Corps, right up until Sheridan confronted Meade in 1864.

Mr. Longacre leaves the reader in do doubt who he considers passed muster, at all levels of command, by sound commentary on their efforts (or lack of) and use of the derogatory epithets awarded to them at the time! So there is common reference to "Kill-Cavalry" (Gen. Kilpatrick) and the "The Knight of Romance" (Gen. Pleasanton) to name but two!

Praise is present for the likes of Buford, Gregg, Merritt and others, while one gets the impression that while not blind to his character traits, the author is very much a Sheridan man.

Some others come in for what might be surprising praise to some readers, including Fighting Joe Hooker, for his organisation and equipping the mounted arm during 1863, up to a level where it truly became fit for purpose.

Actions are well described throughout the period covered and the book is well served with first hand comments and a good narrative style.

Personally, I would have preferred the constant merry go round of units coming into and out of the organisational structure and changes of Brigade and Divisional command to have been dealt with in tabular format at the end of the book, rather than at length within the text but that's minor point. Overall it presents a good account of the life of the AoPs Cavalry command.

As with all histories there will no doubt be some points of fact, or opinion, that long standing Civil War buffs may take issue. For my part the only obvious one is that for some unaccountable reason the author, on two separate occasions, comments on Buford's command a Gettysburg being equipped with Spencer's, which was news to me and no doubt other readers who would be aware that only two units in Custer's Brigade had repeaters on that day.

Not the end of the world but a curio in what appears a well researched and well written book.

Now there is an interesting book, thanks for the time to write such a review on it

Had Sheridan done his job during the Overland Campaign the Army of the Pitomac would have been much better off.

What when wrong during the Overland Campaign was down to Grant.

He appointed Sheridan to work under Meade knowing they were opposites in the way they went about things and both had a very short fuse.

Allowing Sheridan to undertake the Richmond raid, which left Meade short of cavalry at vital times, was his way of getting the two of them apart – not the best piece of man management ever.

Rhea's books on the Overland Campaign cover this and the raid in some detail.

Also, in the Wilderness stage, where Wilson's Division lead the Army, Meade altered Sheridan's original plan that would have had Gregg's Division in front, so they ended up with the least experienced cavalryman hitting the Confederates first, while the most experienced one guarded the supply train!

Trajanus: I have Longacre's books on both the AOP Cav and the ANV Cav. and enjoyed both. I don't always agree with his conclusions, but thats' what makes the world go round. Having said that, and realizing that they are perhaps telling different stories, if you havn't read them yet, I have found the books on Cavalary actions by Eric Wittenberg, (SIC ?), to be unbeatable, INMO.
John Miller

Thanks John,

I've looked up the Wittenberg books, he has certainly written a few!

I may get the Trevilian Station one. Its a pity he hasn't written on that whole campaign in the same detail though. The Gettysburg stuff doesn't interest me as much.