3rd Virginia Cavalry Regiment
Confederate Regiments & Batteries > Virginia
May 14 Several independent companies were mustered into Virginia State service at Ashland, including the Prince Edward Company under Captain John T. Thornton and the Mecklenburg Company under Captain Thomas F. Goode. companies were raised in the counties of Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Elizabeth City, Halifax, Mecklenburg, New Kent, Nottoway and Prince Edward. Six companies were assigned to the peninsula and four to the Valley District.
July 1 Entered Confederate Service with eleven independent companies under the command of Colonel Robert Johnston (West Point Class of 1850), . Known as Second Cavalry Regiment until October.
The companies were:
Company A (Mecklenburg), Captain Thomas F. Goode
Company B (Old Dominion), Captain Jefferson Phillips
Company C (1st Halifax), Captain Thomas H. Owen
Company D (Charles City), Captain Robert Douthat
Company E (Nottaway), Captain John Jones
Company F (New Kent), Captain Telemachus Taylor
Company G (Cumberland) Captain William Perkins
Company H (2nd Halifax), Captain William Collins
Company I (Dinwiddie), Captain William A. Adams
Company K (Prince Edward), Captain John T. Thornton
Captain Goode of Company A was made lieutenant colonel and Captain Phillips of Company B was made major. They were replaced as company commanders by Captain William R. Jones (Company A) and Captain William R. Vaughn (Company B) in company elections.
Lieutenant Colonel Goode led the Cumberland and Mecklenburg companies to the Peninsula.
July 3 Lieutenant Colonel Goode's companies arrived at Williamsburg.
July 5 Lieutenant Colonel Goode's companies marched to Yorktown and went into camp.
July 7 Lieutenant Colonel Goode's companies marched to Hampton Roads to the village of Cockletown and went into camp.
July 12 About 120 volunteers from Lieutenant Colonel Goode's companies were involved in a skirmish near Fort Monroe, killing, wounding and capturing a handful of New Yorkers with the only loss two horses killed and one wounded.
August Lieutenant Colonel Goode's companies moved to the Adams Farm about seven miles south of Big Bethel.
October Moved to Nash's Farm near Big Bethel.
March Captain Douthat of Company D was promoted to major. Lieutenant Benjamin Harrison was elected captain of Company D. Captain William Perkins of Company G resigned.
April Colonel Johnston was dropped in the army reorganization and Thomas F. Goode was elected colonel.
May 3 Retreat from the Yorktown defenses. The men were dismounted as skirmishers until the infantry finished their withdrawal in the late evening. The men then mounted and followed up the Williamsburg Road.
July 28 The Cavalry Division of the Army of Northern Virginia was created under the command of Major General James E.B. Stuart. The 3rd Virginia Cavalry was assigned to the brigade of Brigadier General Fitzhugh Lee, along with the 1st, 4th, 5th and 9th Virginia Cavalry and Breathed's Battery of Horse Artillery.
From the War Department marker for F. Lee's Brigade on the Antietam battlefield:
The 3rd, 4th and 9th Virginia Cavalry of Lee's Brigade reached the field late in the afternoon of the 15th and took position on the extreme left of the Confederate Army… On the night of the 16th the Brigade was massed near the river in support of the Horse Artillery. The 1st Cavalry, detached on the 10th, rejoined on the morning of the 17th and the Brigade took position on the left of Jackson's Command, which it assisted in resisting the Union advance. On September 18th and 19th the Brigade covered the withdrawal of the Army of Northern Virginia to the south bank of the Potomac.
October 21 Captain William R. Carter of Company E was promoted to major.
November 18 Colonel Goode resigned. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas H. Owen was promoted to colonel, Major William R. Carter was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain Henry Carrington of Company H was promoted to major.
April 30-May 6
Chancellorsville Campaign
Lieutenant Colonel Carter led a squadron of the regiment and a battalion of infantry in defending Jackson's train from the attack by Sickles' 3rd Corps at Catharine Furnace.
Battle of Brandy Station
June 17 Aldie
Major Carrington was captured
From the monument to F. Lee's Brigade on the Gettysburg battlefield:
July 3. The Battalion being on duty with Ewell's Corps the Brigade brought only five regiments to this field where it arrived soon after midday and took position on the left of Hampton's Brigade on the edge of the neighboring woods. It participated actively in the conflict which ensued.
September 9 Stuart's Cavalry Division was enlarged to a corps. Brigadier General Fitzhugh Lee was promoted to major general and given command of a division. Colonel Williams Wickham was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the brigade, which was assigned to Fitz Lee's division.
November 26-December 2
May 1 – June 12 Wilderness Campaign
May 3 Major Carrington was exchanged and returned to the regiment.
Battle of Todd's Tavern
Captain Graves was wounded.
May 8 Alsop's Farm, Spotsylvania
May 9-24 Sheridan's Expedition to the James
May 9-10 Beaver Dam Station
Yellow Tavern
Colonel William Cheek was badly wounded.
May 11 Ground Squirrel Church
Battle of Trevilian's Station
Lieutenant Colonel Carter was mortally wounded.
July 8 Lieutenant Colonel Carter died in a hospital in Gordnsville
mid-August The regiment, with Fitzhugh Lee's Division, was transferred to the Shenandoah Valley and assigned to Lieutenant General Jubal Early's Army of the Valley.
August 16 Front Royal
August 18 Opequon Creek
August 19-21 Berryville
Battle of Tom's Brook
January The men of the brigade were disbanded to their homes to forage their mounts through the winter.
February 4 Major Carrington resigned.
mid-March The regiment re-formed and moved to the Richmond area
The cavalry cut its way through Federal lines and escaped. Only three men from the 3rd Virginia Cavalry were left behind to surrender.
April 11 The regiment disbanded at Lynchburg.