| 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment | |
|---|---|
.svg) Flag of Virginia | |
| Active | May 1861 to April 1865 |
| Country |  Confederate States of America |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States Army |
| Branch | Cavalry |
| Engagements | Skirmish at Hanging Rock Pass Jackson's Valley Campaign Battle of Harpers Ferry Battle of Brandy Station Gettysburg Campaign Valley Campaigns of 1864 Battle of Five Forks |
| Commanders | |
| 1st | Angus William McDonald |
| 2nd | Turner Ashby |
| 3rd | Richard Henry Dulany |
The7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment also known asAshby's Cavalry[1] was aConfederatecavalryregiment raised in the spring of 1861 byColonelAngus William McDonald[2] The regiment was composed primarily of men from the counties of theShenandoah Valley as well as from the counties ofFauquier andLoudoun. Two companies contained men from the border counties ofMaryland.
The regiment was initially assigned to guarding the upperPotomac and was attached to the command ofThomas "Stonewall" Jackson in the Valley. In the spring of 1862 the regiment took part in Jackson'sValley Campaign,[3] where the exploits of the unit and its commander,Turner Ashby, became famous on both sides of the war. Near the conclusion of the campaign, Ashby was mortally wounded and Col.Richard Henry Dulany took command of the regiment, which had swelled to 29 companies. The regiment was reorganized at the end of the campaign, with the original 10 companies remaining and the excess 19 forming the12th Regiment and17th Battalion of Virginia Cavalry. Together with these two regiments, the 7th would become the nucleus of the famedLaurel Brigade.
As part of the brigade, the 7th saw major action during theGettysburg Campaign in 1863 and was at the famed cavalryBattle of Brandy Station that same year. They took part inJubal A. Early's ill-fatedValley Campaigns of 1864 and were atAppomattox Courthouse, though much of the unit escaped through federal lines and returned home to disband rather than taking parole with the rest of theArmy of Northern Virginia.
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