4th Cavalry Regiment
Civil War
First Regiment, German Cavalry; Dickel's Mounted Rifles; Lincoln Greens

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

Mustered in: August 10 to November 15, 1861.
Transferred to 9th regiment of cavalry: February 27,1865.

In May, 1861, Major Byron commenced recruiting a body of cavalry known as the Lincoln Greens; in June, Col. Christian F. Dickel became connected with it, and July 26, 1861, received authority from the War Department to organize a regiment of cavalry; he took the Lincoln Greens for a nucleus of his regiment which was then known as Dickel's Mounted Rifles. The regiment was organized at New York city; mustered in the service of the United States for three years, between August 10 and November 15, 1861, and designated by the State authorities the 4th Regiment of Cavalry. In November, 1861, two companies recruited, respectively, by Captains Trautwein and de Rosecrantz, for the German Cavalry, a regiment to recruit which Col. G. A. Moltke received authority from the War Department August 20, 1861, but which failed of organization, joined this regiment; Captain Trautwein's company becoming Company H, and Captain de Rosecrantz's company being transferred to the other companies, principally to Company I. In fall of 1861, the company recruited by Capt. John McDonnell for the regiment was consolidated with the other companies. Company K was mustered in the United States service November 15, 1862; Company L, December, 1862; and Company M, February 13, 1863. In August, September, October and November, 1864, the men entitled thereto were discharged, and the recruits and veterans transferred to Companies F, K, L and M, and retained in the service.

The companies were recruited principally: A, D, E, F, G, I and K at New York city; B and C at Yonkers; H at Cleveland, Ohio, and New York city; L at New York city, Brooklyn, Stuyvesant, Kinderhook and Poughkeepsie; . and M at New York city and Brooklyn. Captain McDonnell's company was recruited at Philadelphia, Pa.; Captain de Rosecrantz's company at New York city.

The regiment (eight companies) left the State August 29, 1861, and served in Blenker's Division, Army of the Potomac, from September, 1861; in 5th Corps, Army of the Potomac, from March, 1862; in Mountain Department from April, 1862; in the Cavalry Brigade of the 1st Corps, Army of Virginia, from June, 1862; in the Cavalry Brigade, 1st Division, 11th Corps, Army of the Potomac, from September, 1862; in the 1st Brigade, 2d Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, from February, 1863; in the 1st Brigade, 3d Division, Cavalry, Army of the Potomac, from May, 1863; in 2d Brigade, 2d Division, Cavalry, Army of the Potomac, from June 14, 1863; and in the 2d Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac, from August 12, 1863; with the Army of the Potomac detached from the Cavalry Corps, in May, 1864; with the Cavalry Corps again toward end of May, 1864; in the Army of the Shenandoah from October, 1864.

February 27, 1865, the battalion commanded by Maj. Edward Schwartz was transferred to the 9th N. Y. Volunteer Cavalry, Company F becoming its Company E, the members of Company K being transferred to Companies B, E, H, M and L, Company L becoming L, and M Company B, of the same.

While in the service, the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 4 officers, 40 enlisted men; died of wounds received in action, 1 officer, 12 enlisted men; died of disease and other causes, 3 officers, 54 enlisted men; total, 8 officers, 106 enlisted men; aggregate, 114; of whom 1 officer and 14 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.

Battles and Casualties Table from Phisterer

Historical Sketch

Monument at Gettysburg

Civil War Newspaper Clippings

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.

Comerford, Michael (Commerford). Memoranda of Co. E, 4th New York Cavalry: Memoranda of Co. E, 4th New York Cavalry. 1864
36 pages. Donated by Tony Emanuel.

"The story of a Regiment [Fourth New York state volunteer cavalry]." United States army and navy journal II (1864/65) 84.

Cesnola, Luigi Palmi di. Ten months in Libby prison, by Louis Palma di Cesnola, late Colonel 4th N.Y. cavalry, [n. p., 186-] 7 p. 22.

Duganne, Augustine Joseph Hickey. The fighting Quakers, a true story of the war for our Union, by A. J. H. Duganne, with letters from the brothers to their mother and a funeral sermon, by Rev. O. B. Frothingham. By authority of the Bureau of military record. New York: J, P. Robens, 1866.

Parnell, William Russell. "Recollections of 1861." The United Service XIII (1885) 264- 70.

Teigen, Philip M. and Leon Z. Saunders. "'This Sorrowful War': A Veterinary Surgeon in the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign." Veterinary Heritage V27 N2 (November 2004) 29-34.

Items in the museum collection are in bold.

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