The 3rd Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry

Cavalry

Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

 regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 raised in Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 for service in the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia

Army of Northern Virginia

The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...

.

The Virginia 3rd Cavalry was organized with independent companies and entered Confederate service on July 1, 1861. The regiment was formed with eleven companies, later reduced to ten. It was also called 2nd Regiment until October.

Its members were raised in the counties of Mecklenburg, Elizabeth City, New Kent, Halifax, Nottoway

Nottoway County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,725 people, 5,664 households, and 3,885 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 6,373 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...

, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, and Prince Edward.

For a time six companies served in the Department of the Peninsula and four in the Valley District. Later the unit was assigned to General F. Lee's, Wickham's, and Munford's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. It fought in many conflicts from Williamsburg to Fredericksburg, then was involved in the engagements at Kelly's Ford, Chancellorsville, Brandy Station, Upperville, Gettysburg, Bristoe, Mine Run, The Wilderness, Todd's Tavern, Spotsylvania, Haw's Shop, and Cold Harbor. The 3rd went on to participate in Early's operations in the Shenandoah Valley and the Appomattox Campaign.

It took 210 effectives to Gettysburg, but only 3 surrendered on April 9, 1865. Its commanders were Colonels Thomas F. Goode, Robert Johnston, and Thomas H. Owen; Lieutenant Colonels William R. Carter, William M. Feild, and John T. Thornton; and Majors Henry Carrington and Jefferson C. Phillips.

Future Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia House of Delegates

The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...

 and justice of the Virginia Supreme Court of Virginia

Supreme Court of Virginia

The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears appeals from the trial-level city and county Circuit Courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative law cases that go through the Court of Appeals of Virginia. It is one of...

 Benjamin W. Lacy

Benjamin W. Lacy

Benjamin Watkins Lacy was an American politician and jurist. Lacy was born in New Kent County, Virginia, the son of Richmond Terrell Lacy, a lawyer, and Ellen Green Lane. He received his early education from his mother, after which he attended Pike Powers Academy in Staunton and Brown and Tebbs...

 commanded a company in the 3rd Virginia.

Confederate surgeon and Civil War diarist Dr. Richard Eppes

Richard Eppes

Richard Eppes was a prominent surgeon in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.Eppes was born in City Point, Virginia. He had earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania and inherited his ancestral home, Appomattox Manor at City Point, by the age of twenty...

initially served with the 3rd Virginia, before furnishing a substitute to complete his term of service.