2nd US Cavalry Co. A / 9th Virginia Cavalry Co. D

"Toujours Pret"

^{(Always Ready)}

Being a brief Memoire De Service, or history of the Second Regiment of United States Cavalry (Dragoons) from 1836 to 1865 and beyond.

A web page of the 2nd US Cavalry, Co. A/9th VA Cavalry Co. D Reenactors.

(Last update 4/04/07)

These pages contain an abbreviated history of the longest serving "mounted" regiment still in service with the United States Army.  The information included comes primarily from the book From Everglade to Canon with the Second Dragoons (Second United States Cavalry), compiled by Theophilus F. Rodenbough, a former Captain and commander of the regiment, and published in 1875.   This 561 page volume covers the period from 1836 through part of 1874.  That book became available from the University of Oklahoma Press in 2000 - check it out!  Additional information comes from various sources including muster rolls, regimental returns, correspondence, and ordnance returns.

February 2001 Update: Our heartfelt thanks to Bill Heidner of the Second Cavalry Association for graciously sharing their hard work on regimental history with us.  Several sections on this page benefit from the results of their research, particularly the period after the Civil War.  Toujours Pret Bill !

Contents:

Part I - Background Research of the "Olde Second"

Part II - Formation to the War of Rebellion

Editor's note: The period of the war is our main focus as a living history group.  Sources for this period come not only from the regimental history of 1875, but also from Regimental Returns, Ordnance Returns, and the Muster Rolls of company A, copies of which are in my possession.  My thanks to the staff at National Archives for their assistance and for faithfully executing their mission to preserve our national history.

Part III - The War of Rebellion

Part IV - Frontier Calls

Part V - 1898 to Today