5th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry

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Brief History
The 5th Regiment, Iowa Cavalry was organized as Curtis Horse by order of General Fremont. Companies "A," "B," "C" and "D" organized at Omaha, Nebraska, September 14 to November 13, 1861; Company "E" at Dubuque, Iowa; Company "F" in Missouri, as Fremont Hussars, October 25, 1861; Company "H" at Benton Barracks, Missouri, December 28, 1861; Companies "G," "I" and "K" as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Independent Companies, Minnesota Cavalry, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, October 29 to December 20, 1861; Company "L" as Naughton's Irish Dragoons at Jefferson City, Missouri, and Company "M" as Osage Rifles at St. Louis, Missouri, November 1, 1861. The regiment mustered out August 11, 1865.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 5th Regiment Cavalry, (accessed 27 June 2012).
 * The Wikipedia article, 5th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry, (accessed 27 June 2012).

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,444 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

Company A - Curtis' Horse, roster

Company B - Curtis' Horse, roster

Company C - Curtis' Horse, roster

Company D - Curtis' Horse, roster

Company E

Company F - Fremont Hussars

Company G - 1st Independent Company, Minnesota Cavalry

Company H - 2nd Independent Company, Minnesota Cavalry

Company I - 3rd Independent Company, Minnesota Cavalry

Company K

Company L - also known as Naughton's Irish Dragoons

Company M - also known as Osage Rifles

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Iowa in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Iowa in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Iowa, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * Nott, Charles Cooper. Sketches of the war : a series of letters to the North Moore Street School of New York. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1993)