The 6th Pennsylvania was the only cavalry regiment in the Civil War to be armed with the lance. Suggested by General McClellan, who had observed the success of European lancer regiments in the Crimea, the lances were found to be awkward in the wooded battlefields of eastern America and were eventually abandoned.
1861 |
August - October |
Organized at Philadelphia under Colonel Richard H. Rush, Lt. Colonel John H. McArthur, Majors C. Ross Smith and Major Robert Morris, Jr. |
November 30 |
The first lances arrive and the men begin to drill with them. Each lance was nine feet long, tipped with an eleven inch blade and topped by a bright scarlet pennant that made a perfect target for Confederate sharpshooters. The regiment would be the only one in the Union army so armed. |
December 10-16 |
Moved to Washington, D.C. and attached to Emory's Brigade, Cooke's Cavalry Brigade, Cavalry Reserve, Army Potomac for Provost duty in the Defenses of Washington, D.C. |
1862 |
March 19 |
Scout to Hunter's Mills |
April |
Attached to Emory's 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army Potomac |
May 3-5 |
Moved to Fortress Monroe, thence to Yorktown, Va. |
May 7-8 |
Reconnaissance to Mulberry Point, Va. (Detachment) |
May 22 |
Reconnaissance to New Castle and Hanovertown Ferry |
May 24 |
Reconnaissance to Hanover C. H. |
May 25 |
Charge on picket line with lances (Company C) |
May 27 |
Hanover C. H. (Company A) |
May 27-29 |
Operations near Hanover C. H. |
May 30 |
Occupation of Ashland |
June 10-12 |
Reconnaissance to Hanover C. H. |
June 13-15 |
Operations about White House against Stuart |
June 13 |
Garlick's Landing, Pamunkey River |
June 25-July 1 |
Seven days before Richmond |
June 26 |
Beaver Dam Station (Companies B, C, G, H). Companies A, D, I, K with Stoneman on retreat to White House and Williamsburg. |
June 27 |
Gaines' Mill |
June 29 |
Savage Station (Co. F) |
June 30 |
Glendale and White Oak Swamp |
July |
Cavalry Command, Army Potomac |
July 1 |
Company F Malvern Hill. Cos. C and H at Headquarters, 5th Corps |
August |
Attached to 3rd Brigade, Pleasanton's Cavalry Division, Army Potomac |
September 2-4 |
Company F escort Heavy Artillery from Malvern Hill to Harrison's Landing. (Companies C and H at Fall's Church) |
September 13 |
South Mountain and near Jefferson, Md. |
September 14 |
Companies B, G & I at Crampton's Pass, South Mountain |
September 16-17 |
Companies G & I at Antietam |
September 19 |
Sharpsburg |
September 19 |
Shepherdstown Ford |
November |
Attached to Headquarters Left Grand Division, Army Potomac; Co. K assigned to Headquarters, 6th Corps |
November 2-3 |
Bloomfield and Upperville |
December 12-15 |
Battle of Fredericksburg |
December 19-20 |
Cos. B and G at Occoquan River |
1863 |
January 20-24 |
Cos. A, D and E at "Mud March" |
February |
Attached to Reserve Brigade, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac; Co. K returns from assignment to Headquarters, 6th Corps |
April |
Colonel Rush forced to resign his command due to illness. |
April 27-May 6 |
Chancellorsville Campaign |
April 29-May 8 |
Co. L took part in Stoneman's Raid |
April 30 |
Raccoon Ford (Detachment) |
June 9 |
Brandy Station and Beverly Ford |
June 14 |
Co. A in Reconnaissance to Ashby's Gap |
June |
Attached to Reserve Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army Potomac.
The regiment replaced its lances with model 1863 Sharps single-shot breech-loading carbines. |
June 20 |
Greencastle, Pa. |
June 21 |
Upperville |
July 1-3 |
Battle of Gettysburg
The regiment was commanded at Gettysburg by Major James H. Haseltine. Companies E & I were detached to Army HQ and were commanded by Captain Emlen Carpenter.
From the main regimental monument: "Gettysburg July 3 1863, Number engaged 365, killed 3 wounded 7 missing 2."
From the monument to Companies E and I near Meade's Headquarters: "Cp's E & I 6th Penna. Cavalry "Lancers" Reserve Brigade 1st Div. Cavalry Corps. On duty as escourt to Maj. Gen'l George G. Meade com'dg Army of the Potomac. Erected by the survivors of the regiment."
"The main body of this regiment during the 3rd day of the battle were actively engaged on the extreme left flank of the army on the Emmitsburg Pike, were a monument has been erected commemorating their services. Four companies were specially detailed by Gen. Geo. G. Meade for hazardous duty in the rear of Lee's army." |
July 6 |
Williamsport, Md. |
July 8 |
Boonsborough |
July 10-13 |
Funkstown |
July 11 |
Aldie |
July 31-August 1 |
Kelly's Ford |
August 1 |
Brandy Station |
September 13-17 |
Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan |
October 9-22 |
Bristoe Campaign |
October 17 |
After several requests, Companies E and I were returned to the regiment from duty as headquarters escort. |
October 17 |
Manassas Junction |
October 18 |
Bristoe Station |
November 7-8 |
Advance to line of the Rappahannock |
November 26-December 2 |
Mine Run Campaign |
1864 |
February 6-7 |
Demonstration on the Rapidan |
February 28-
March 1 |
Custer's Raid in Albemarle County |
February 29 |
Near Charlottesville |
March 1 |
Burton's Ford, Stannardsville |
May and June |
Rapidan Campaign |
May 7-8 |
Todd's Tavern |
May 9-24 |
Sheridan's Raid to James River |
May 11 |
Ground Squirrel Church and Yellow Tavern |
May 12 |
Meadow Bridge. Richmond and Mechanicsville |
May 26-28 |
Line of the Pamunkey |
May 27 |
Hanovertown Ferry and Hanovertown |
May 28-31 |
Totopotomoy |
May 30 |
Old Church |
May 30 |
Mattadequin Creek |
May 31-June 1 |
Bethesda Church, Cold Harbor |
June 2 |
McClellan's Bridge |
June 4-5 |
Haw's Shop |
June 7-24 |
Sheridan's Trevillian Raid |
June 11-12 |
Trevillian Station |
June 12 |
Newark or Mallory's Cross Roads |
June 21 |
White House or St. Peter's Church |
June 21 |
Black Creek or Tunstall Station |
June 23 |
Jones' Bridge |
July 3-30 |
Siege of Petersburg |
July 27-29 |
Demonstration north of James at Deep Bottom |
July 27-28 |
Charles City Cross Roads |
July 28 |
Malvern Hill |
August - November |
Shenandoah Valley Campaign, attached to 3rd (Reserve) Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Shenandoah |
August 10 |
Near Stone Chapel |
August 11 |
Toll Gate near White Post |
August 11 |
Near Newtown |
August 14 |
Near Strasburg |
August 21 |
Summit Point |
August 25 |
Kearneysville |
August 23 |
Leetown and Smithfield |
August 29 |
Smithfield Crossing, Opequan |
September 8 |
Ordered to Pleasant Valley, Md. |
November |
To Hagerstown |
1865 |
February 27-
March 25 |
Sheridan's Raid from Winchester |
March 2 |
Waynesboro |
March 28-April 9. |
Appomattox Campaign, returned to Army of the Potomac |
March 30 |
Gravelly Run near Five Forks |
March 30-31 |
Dinwiddie C. H. |
April 1 |
Five Forks |
April 2 |
Scott's Cross Roads |
April 4 |
Tabernacle Church or Beaver Pond Creek |
April 6 |
Sailor's Creek |
April 8 |
Appomattox Station |
April 9 |
Appomattox C. H. Surrender of Lee and his army. |
April 23-29 |
Expedition to Danville |
May |
March to Washington, D.C. |
May 23 |
Grand Review |
June 17 |
Consolidated with 1st and 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry to form 2nd Provisional Cavalry |
