1st Regiment, Massachusetts Cavalry

Brief History
The 1st Regiment, Massachusetts Cavalry (section) was organized at Camp Brigham, Reedville, and duty there till December 25, 1861, mustered out June 29, 1865, and discharged at Readville, Mass., July 24, 1865.

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

Civil War Archives section, History Massachusetts Cavalry, (accessed 5 April 2013).

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 Soilders and Sailors datebase lists 3828 men see the Roster

Regimental History and Roster

 * A history of the First regiment of Massachusetts cavalry volunteers. By Benjamin William Crowninshield, Daniel Henry Lawrence Gleason. Boston Houghton: Mifflin, 1891. Online at: Internet Archive

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 ‘Massachusetts 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.


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


 * Civil War in the East, 1st Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment, (accessed 5 April 2013).


 * Monument to the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment, (accessed 5 April 2013).


 * Internet Archives, A Histoary of the First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Book Online, (accessed 5 April 2013).


 * Crowninshield, Benjamin W. (Benjamin William). A history of the First Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry Volunteers. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1991), and The battle of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864 : a paper read before the Massachusetts Military Historical Society, December 8, 1879.,.