7th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union)

Brief History
The 7th Kentucky volunteer Cavalry was organized at Paris, Kentucky, in August, 1862, under Colonel Leonidas Metcalfe. Unequipped and untrained they were sent into the battle of Big Hill, Kentucky; suffering great loss of officers and soldiers. Colonel Metcalfe resigned and the regiment, under the command of Col. Faulkner fought in many battles and won the commendation from the Commanding General.

The 7th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry was organized at large and mustered in at Paris, Kentucky, August 16, 1862, under Col. Leonidas Metcalfe. The regiment had duty at Macon until June and at Nashville, Tennessee until July. It was mustered out July 10, 1865.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section,
 * The Wikipedia article, 7th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry, (accessed 29 June 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 - Many men mustered in from, Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky.
 * Company B - Many men mustered in from, Paris, Bourbon Count, and Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky.
 * Company C – Many men mustered in from Frankfort, Franklin County and Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.
 * Company D - Many men mustered in from Lexington, Fayette County and London, Laurel County, Kentucky.
 * Company E - Many men mustered in from Paris, Bourbon County and Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky.
 * Company G - Many men mustered in from Paris, Bourbon County; Frankfort, Franklin County and Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.
 * Company H - Many men mustered in from Paris, Bourbon County and Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.
 * Company K - Many men mustered in from Paris, Bourbon County and Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky.
 * Company M- Many men mustered in from Paris, Bourbon County and Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.

The records for this Regiment's Companies are from the book, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky, Vol. 1-1861-1866.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,048 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.