20th Regiment, New York Cavalry

Brief History
The 20th Regiment, New York Cavalry was organized at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., and mustered in Companies "A" to "G" September 3, 1863; Company "H" September 4, 1863; Companies "I" and "K" September 17; "L" September 22, 1863, and Company "M" September 23, 1863. The regiment mustered out July 31, 1865.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section, 20th Regiment Cavalry "M'Clellan", (accessed 1 August 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.

Company A – Principally recruited in Jefferson County and Lewis County.

Company B – Principally recruited in Jefferson County and Oswego County.

Company C – Principally recruited in Jefferson County.

Company D – Principally recruited in Jefferson County.

Company E – Principally recruited in Jefferson County and Lewis County

Company F – Principally recruited in Lewis County, Jefferson County and Onondaga County.

Company G – Principally recruited in Albany County, Jefferson County, Oneida County and Onondaga County.

Company H – Principally recruited in Jefferson County and St. Lawrence County.

Company I – Principally recruited in Jefferson County, Oswego County, Oneida County, Onondaga County and St. Lawrence County.

Company K – Principally recruited in Albany County, Oswego County and Jefferson County.

Company L – Principally recruited inChenango County,Oswego County, Yates County, Jefferson County and Onondaga County.

Company M – Principally recruited in Jefferson County, Albany County, Herkimer County, Chenango County, Oswego County, Oneida County.

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 ‘New York 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.


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


 * Frederick Henry Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, (Des Moines, Iowa: Dyer Publishing Co., 1908), as cited at Civil War Soldiers; Sailors System (database on-line)


 * New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. "Unit History Project : New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center citing Frederick Phisterer, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. (Albany, N.Y.: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912).


 * Hawks, Steve.The Civil War in the East. Database.


 * Phisterer, Frederick. New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1865. Albany, New York : J.B. Lyon, 1912. Google Books, other libraries with this book,


 * The Union Army;: a History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861-65, Records of the Regiments in the Union Army, Cyclopedia of Battles, Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers, (Reprint of original published: Madison, WI.: Federal Pub. Co., 1908). Other libraries with this book,