UnionIllinois

8th Illinois Cavalry

Union · Formed 1861-09-18 · Mustered out 1865-07-17
Raised From
Illinois
Formed
1861-09-18
Mustered Out
1865-07-17

Service Summary

The 8th Illinois Cavalry was a Union regiment raised in Illinois during the American Civil War. The regiment was recruited from Illinois. The regiment was formed on September 18, 1861. It was mustered out on July 17, 1865.

Key Engagements

Battles and campaigns in which the 8th Illinois Cavalry served. Linked entries open the engagement's full record.

July 1, 1863Gettysburg
VirginiaBrandy Station
1864 · VirginiaYellow Tavern

Distinctive Record

Part of Buford's First Cavalry Division, the 8th Illinois held the ground west of Gettysburg on the morning of July 1, 1863, delaying Confederate advance and buying time for Union infantry to reach the high ground.

Civil War context

The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the deadliest conflict in American history, killing an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. The Confederate States of America, formed by eleven seceding Southern states, faced the Union in four years of warfare across 23 states and territories. Major engagements included First and Second Bull Run, Antietam (the bloodiest single day in American history, September 17, 1862), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), Vicksburg (surrendered July 4, 1863), and Sherman's March through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–1865). President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, transforming the war's stated purpose to include the abolition of slavery and enabling the enlistment of approximately 180,000 Black men in the United States Colored Troops. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The war resolved the question of secession and ended American slavery, though Reconstruction would face sustained resistance in its attempt to secure civil rights for formerly enslaved people.

Source

Regimental data from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service (public domain). Reference: National Park Service.

Questions about this regiment

What was the 8th Illinois Cavalry?
The 8th Illinois Cavalry was a Union regiment raised in Illinois during the American Civil War. It was formed on September 18, 1861.
Where was the 8th Illinois Cavalry raised?
The regiment was raised in Illinois.
What battles did the 8th Illinois Cavalry fight in?
The 8th Illinois Cavalry saw action at Gettysburg (July 1, 1863), Brandy Station, Yellow Tavern (1864).
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