21st Cavalry Regiment
Civil War
Griswold Light Cavalry

History
The following is taken from New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. Frederick Phisterer. Albany: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912.

Left the State in detachments: September 4,1863 to February 1864
Mustered out by companies: June 23 to August 31, 1865

June 17, 1863, Col. W. B. Tibbits received authority to recruit this regiment. The companies were mustered in the service of the United States for three years, at Troy, where the regiment was organized. A, B, C and D August 28; E and F September I and 18, respectively; G October 14, H and I October 15, and K, L and M in November, December, 1863, and January, 1864. September 9, 1865, the regiment was consolidated into a battalion of seven companies, A to G; Company H being transferred to Company F, I to D, K to E, L to F, and M to E.

The companies were recruited principally: A, E, H and I at Troy; B at Troy, Ithaca, Elmira and Oswego; C, G and K at Rochester and Troy; D at Troy and Oswego; F at Troy, Cohoes and Watervliet; L at Rochester; and M at Ithaca, Enfield, Dryden and Groton.

Five companies left the State September 4, 1863; one September 19; three, October 19, 1863; one in November, 1863; the remainder in February, 1864; and the regiment served in the Department of Washington, D. C., 22d Corps, from September, 1863; in the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry, Army of West Virginia, from January, 1864; at Remount Camp, Md., from latter part of August to close of October, 1864; in the Army of the Shenandoah from October, 1864; in the 1st Brigade, 2d Division, Cavalry, A. S., from November, 1864; in the Department of West Virginia, from March, 1865; at Washington, D. C. from May, 1865; at Denver city, Col., Department of Missouri, from September, 1865.

The regiment (seven companies), under the command of Col. Charles Fitzsimmons, was honorably discharged and mustered out at Denver city, Col., Company B June 23, F June 26, G June 29, C, E and D July 3, 5 and 7, respectively; and at Fort Leaven-worth, Kans., Company A, August 31, 1866.

It lost during its service by death, killed in action, 2 officers, 40 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, I officer, 23 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, I officer, 78 enlisted men; total, 4 officers, 141 enlisted men; aggregate, 145; of whom 19 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.

Battles and Casualties Table from Phisterer

Civil War Newspaper Clippings

Muster Roll

Unit Roster

Further Reading
This is meant to be a comprehensive list. If, however, you know of a resource that is not listed below, please send an email to ng.ny.nyarng.list.historians@mail.mil with the name of the resource and where it is located. This can include photographs, letters, articles and other non-book materials. Also, if you have any materials in your possession that you would like to donate, the museum is always looking for items specific to New York's military heritage. Thank you.

Bonnell, John C. Sabres in the Shenandoah : the 21st New York Cavalry, 1863-1866. Shippensburg, PA : Burd Street Press, 1996.

FitzSimmons, Charles. "The Hunter raid, by General Charles FitzSimmons (read November 4, 1885)." MOLLUS- ILL IV 392-403.

FitzSimmons, Charles. "Sigel's fight at New Market (read January 4, 1882)." MOLLUS-ILL III 61-7.

Donald, Robert Bruce. Manhood and patriotic awakening in the American Civil War :
the John E. Mattoon letters, 1859-1866. Lanham, MD : Hamilton Books, 2008.

Back to Civil War Cavalry Units