Overview
The 4th Ohio Cavalry (Three Years’ Service) was a Union cavalry regiment organized at Camp Dennison and Camp Gurley, Ohio, beginning in November 1861. The regiment served in the Western Theater, participating in major campaigns and raids across Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. Notable for its early actions in Kentucky and Alabama, the regiment was involved in several significant engagements, including the capture of Huntsville, Alabama, and the Wilson Raid in 1865.
This unit is distinct from any other Ohio cavalry regiments with different service terms.
Organization & Service
The 4th Ohio Cavalry (Three Years’ Service) was organized at Camp Dennison and Camp Gurley, Ohio, in November 1861, with Companies L and M mustered in at Cincinnati on August 15, 1862. The regiment initially comprised ten companies totaling approximately 1,070 men. In December 1861, the unit moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana, and soon crossed into Kentucky, advancing to Bacon Creek as part of the 3rd Division under General O. M. Mitchel.
Early in its service, the regiment captured a Confederate supply train at Bowling Green, Kentucky. In March 1862, a forage train from the regiment was captured by John Morgan, but Colonel Kennett led a successful pursuit, recovering most of the men and horses. The regiment advanced into Alabama, arriving at Huntsville at daybreak, where it charged into town, capturing a train with 800 Confederate soldiers, 17 locomotives, and numerous rail cars. The regiment fought at Bridgeport, Alabama, and participated in the expedition toward Lexington, Kentucky, where a portion of the regiment was surrounded and paroled by Morgan’s forces.
The 4th Ohio Cavalry fought at the Battle of Stones River and pursued Confederate forces toward Shelbyville, Tennessee. It was frequently engaged in skirmishes and scouting expeditions to Liberty, Lebanon, and Alexandria. In April 1863, at Snow Hill, Tennessee, the regiment, alongside the 3rd Ohio Cavalry, routed three Confederate cavalry regiments. In May, it attacked Confederate camps at Middleton, Tennessee, driving the enemy from their positions and burning the camps.
At the Battle of Chickamauga, the regiment was engaged on the army’s extreme right, suffering losses. The second battalion conducted a raid on Cleveland, Tennessee, capturing prisoners and destroying military supplies. After reenlisting as a veteran organization, the regiment returned to the front in spring 1864, moving through Alabama and Georgia. At Moulton, Alabama, the regiment repelled an attack by General Roddey’s Confederate cavalry. The 4th Ohio Cavalry participated in the advance on Jonesboro, Georgia, fought at Lovejoy’s Station, and was active in Wilson’s Raid through Alabama and Georgia in 1865. The regiment took part in the charge at Selma, Alabama, and saw action at Montgomery, Alabama, and Macon, Georgia. It performed guard duty at Macon until mustered out on July 15, 1865.
Research This Regiment Further
If you’d like to explore this unit’s history in more depth, regimental histories and Civil War reference works offer valuable detail.
Engagements & Campaigns
- Bowling Green, Kentucky (capture of supply train)
- Huntsville, Alabama (capture of train and prisoners)
- Bridgeport, Alabama
- Expedition toward Lexington, Kentucky
- Battle of Stones River
- Skirmishes at Liberty, Lebanon, and Alexandria, Tennessee
- Snow Hill, Tennessee
- Middleton, Tennessee
- Battle of Chickamauga
- Raid on Cleveland, Tennessee
- Moulton, Alabama
- Advance on Jonesboro, Georgia
- Lovejoy’s Station, Georgia
- Wilson’s Raid (Alabama and Georgia)
- Selma, Alabama
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Macon, Georgia
Casualties
According to available primary sources, the 4th Ohio Cavalry (Three Years’ Service) suffered the following losses in selected engagements:
- Chickamauga: 32 killed, wounded, or missing
- Moulton, Alabama: 10 wounded, 1 mortally
- Selma, Alabama: about 50 killed and wounded
Total regimental losses from all causes are not fully detailed in surviving sources.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel John Kennett
- Colonel Eli Long
- Lieutenant Colonel Henry W. Burdsal
- Lieutenant Colonel John L. Pugh
- Lieutenant Colonel Oliver P. Robie
- Lieutenant Colonel George W. Dobb
- Major James E. Dresbach
- Major Henry C. Rogers
- Major Canduce G. Megrue
- Major Robert E. Rogers
- Major Peter Mathews
- Major James Thomson
Regimental Roster
The complete roster of officers and enlisted men who served in the 4th Ohio Cavalry (Three Years’ Service) is available on the regiment’s roster page. This roster includes names, ranks, and service details as recorded in official state and federal records.
For detailed information on individual soldiers, please visit the 4th Ohio Cavalry (Three Years’ Service) Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, various volumes and parts (see Western Theater operations, 1861–1865)
- Ohio Roster Commission, “Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion,” Vol. 9 (Cavalry)
- Dyer, Frederick H., “A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion”
- Fox, William F., “Regimental Losses in the American Civil War”
- “The Union Army,” Federal Publishing Company, 1908, Volume 2