8th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry - Confederate

Brief History
OVERVIEW: Organized at Russellsville, Ky., and mustered in August 13, 1862. Attached to District of Louisville, Ky., Dept. of the Ohio, to November, 1862. Unattached, Bowling Green, District of Western Kentucky, Dept. Ohio, to June, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 23rd Army Corps, Army of Ohio, to August, 1863. Unassigned, Bowling Green, Ky. 1st Division, 23rd Army Corps, to September, 1863.

SERVICE-Duty at Russellsville, Bowling Green and Hopkinsville, Ky., District of West Kentucky, and at Clarksville, Tenn., operating against guerrillas, till September, 1863. Actions at Morganfield, Ky., August 3, 1862. Madisonville August 25. Morganfield September 1. Geiger's Lake September 3. Near Madisonville September 4. Ashbysburg September 25. Henderson County November 1. Greenville Road November 5. Garrettsburg November 6. Rural Hill, Tenn., November 18. Near Nashville, Tenn., January 28, 1863. Expedition from Bowling Green, Ky., to Tennessee State Line May 2-6. Operations against Morgan July 2-26. Buffington's Island, Ohio, July 19. Mustered out September 23, 1863.

Regiment lost during service 1 Officer and 8 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 4 Officers and 104 Enlisted men by disease. Total 117.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
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.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,593 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

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 ‘Kentucky 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.


 * Kentucky in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Kentucky, 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.