2nd Regiment, Nebraska Cavalry

Brief History
The 2nd Regiment, Nebraska Cavalry was organized at Omaha on 23 October 1862 and assigned to Fort Kearney,Nebraska. Mustered out 23 December 1863. The 2nd Nebraska participated in the Battle of Whitestone Hill, which began on September 3, 1863 when General Sully's troops engaged upwards of 2,000 warriors under Chief Two Bears of the Yanktonai Sioux. Of the 20 US troops killed in the battle, seven were from the Second Nebraska. Fourteen from the unit were also wounded in the action.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section, 2nd Regiment Cavalry, (accessed 29 March 2012).
 * The Wikipedia article, 2nd Nebraska Cavalry, (accessed 19 July 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.

Field and Staff Officers - roster

Company A - many men from Douglas County - roster

Company B - many men from Douglas County, Washington County, and Burt County - roster

Company C - many men from Nemaha County - roster

Company D - many men from Sarpy County and Douglas County - roster

Company E - many men from Nemaha County - roster

Company F - many men from Otoe County - roster

Company G - many men from Richardson County - roster

Company H - many men from Cass County - roster

Company I - many men from Dakota County - roster

Company K - many men from Douglas County - roster

Company L - many men from Richardson County - roster

Company M - many men from Otoe County - roster

Unassigned Recruits - roster

Information about the companies and their officers came from Roster of Nebraska Volunteers from 1861-1869, by Nebraska. Adjutant General's Office, (Hastings, Nebraska: Wigton and Evans, State Printers, 1888). Digital copy at Internet Archive.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,696 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Johnson, Harrison . Johnson's History of Nebraska. (Omaha, Nebraska : Henry Gibson, 1880), 591 pages. Digital copies at Google Books and Internet Archives.  Book at


 * 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 ‘Nebraska 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.


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