1st Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry

Brief History
The 1st Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry was organized at Rippon and Kenosha, Wisconsin, September 1, 1861, to February 2, 1862. It was mustered in March 10, 1862 .It mustered out at Edgefield, Tennessee, July 19, 1865.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section, 1st Regiment Cavalry, (accessed 23 November 2012).
 * The Wikipedia Article, 1st Wisconsin Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, (accessed 23 November 2012).

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 following counties of origin were taken from Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, found on the Internet Archives web site. The rosters show the men who served in each regiment, their residences, dates of enlistment and mustering out, and other remarks.

Company A - No residences were listed for the enlisted men. The captains were from various counties, a small number from Fond du lac. - Roster, page 3.

Company B - many men from Dodge County, Fond du Lac County, Portage County and various other counties - Roster, page 7.

Company C - many men from Dodge County, Fond du Lac County, Pierce County and various other counties - Roster, page 11.

Company D - many men from Dodge County, Fond du Lac County, Winnebago County and various other counties - Roster, page 15.

Company E - many men from Fond du Lac County, Winnebago County, Jefferson County and counties from the SE portion of Wisconsin - Roster, page 18.

Company F - many men from Sauk County, Kenosha County, Waukesha County, Fond du Lac County and counties from the SE portion of Wisconsin - Roster, page 22.

Company G - many men from Outagamie County, Dane County and various other counties in the SE area of Wisconsin - Roster, page 25.

Company H - many men from Vernon County and other counties from the Southern half of Wisconsin - Roster, page 29.

Company I - many men from Fond du Lac County, Jefferson County and counties in the South East portion of Wisconsin  - Roster, page 32.

Company K - most men from Dodge County and many from Green County and the southern portion of Wisconsin - Roster, page 36.

Company L - many men from Jefferson County and the South Eastern portion of Wisconsin - Roster, page 40.

Company M - Many men from Waupaca County, Richland County, Outagamie County, Kenosha County, Dodge County and around 20 from the eastern border towns of Minnesota - Roster, page 43.

Unassigned Recruits start on page 47 of Roster.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 4,233 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 or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Wisconsin 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.


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


 * Harnen, Henry. The capture of Jefferson Davis : a narrative of the part taken by Wisconsin troops. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1993),.


 * Hetzel, Bev. Wisconsin Civil War 1st Calvary casualties : near Dandridge, Tennessee reported by Major N. Paine January 28,1864. (West Bend, Wisconsin : B. Hetzel, [200-?]), and Civil War First Calvary reunion : held at Central Music Hall, Kenosha, Wisconsin..


 * Westover, Carlos S. The capture of Butt McGuire : an unrecorded incident of the Civil War. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1993),.