The History of Genesee, MI, Chapter XI, Fourth Cavalry

FOURTH CAVALRY.

The raising of this regiment was authorized in the early part of July, 1862, as part of Michigan's quota of eleven thousand six hundred and eighty-six men to be furnished under the president's cal for troops to retrieve the disasters of the Seven Days' battles before Richmond. The rendezvous of the Fourth was established at Detroit, and the regiment, having its ranks filled to the maximum, was there mustered for three years' service on the 29^th of August. Its colonel was Robert G. Minty, promoted from the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Third Cavalry. The surgeon of the regiment was Dr. George W. Fish, of Flint, and about eighty other residents of Genesee county were found in its ranks distributed among nearly all its companies.

The Fourth left Detroit, September 26, 1862, and moved to the seat of war in Kentucky, by way of Louisville. Being fully armed, mounted, and equipped, it was placed in active service without much delay. It was in the advance in the attack on the guerrillas of John Morgan, at Stanford, Kentucky, and joined in the pursuit of those raiders to Crab Orchard. In the attack on Lebanon, Kentucky, November 9, it also led the advance, charging into the town two miles ahead of the infantry, driving out Morgan with an equal or superior force, and capturing a large quantity of stores. On the 13^th of December, by a forced march, the regiment surprised and captured the enemy's pickets at Franklin, Tennessee, driving out a large rebel force with heavy loss. It led the advance on Murfreesboro, and, after the capture of that place, was engaged in numerous expeditions, driving back the enemy's cavalry which infested the country, and capturing several hundred prisoners.

In May, 1863, followed by detachments of other regiments the Fourth led a gallant charge into the camps of three Confederate regiments of cavalry, routed them and took fifty-five prisoners and the colors of the First Alabama. When the Army of the Cumberland advanced south from Murfreesboro, in June, 1863, the Fourth Cavalry was again in the lead, and repeatedly engaged with the enemy. In these fights and skirmishes it was always successful until it reached the vicinity of Chattanooga, where it was several times repulsed. The season's service was so severe that on the 1^st of November only about three hundred of the men remained mounted.

After constant service through the winter--mounted and dismounted--among the mountains of southeastern Tennessee, the regiment returned about the last of March, 1864, to Nashville, where it received fresh horses, and was newly equipped. It then returned to Sherman's army, which it accompanied in the Georgia campaign, constantly engaged in the same kind of arduous service before described. Its hardest conflict was on the 20^th of June, at Lattimore's Mills, when with the Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, it engaged three cavalry brigades of the enemy, twice charging with the sabre, and repelling several determined assaults on its own line. Having finally fallen back on its supports, it aided in repelling an attack by General Wheeler's whole force, which was driven back with heavy loss. In this fight the regiment, which had about three hundred men present, lost thirty-seven in killed and wounded.

After the capture of Atlanta the mounted men of the regiment followed Hood's army northward nearly to the Tennessee river, harassing his rear and taking many prisoners. By this time only about one hundred of their horses remained fit for service. They were turned over to another command, and the Fourth dismounted, concentrated at Nashville in October. It was remounted at Louisville, Kentucky, and by the last of January, 1865, was back on duty at Gravelly Spring, Alabama.

Leaving there March 12, it joined with other regiments in a long raid through Alabama, swimming rivers, building corduroy roads, righting the rebel cavalry General Forest, and finally capturing the city of Selma, Alabama, which was defended by at least seven thousand of Forrest's men behind very strong fortifications. At one point fifteen hundred dismounted cavalry of which the Fourth formed a part, charged the intrenchments and captured them in twenty minutes, having had three hundred and twenty-four men killed and wounded. This was on the 2d of April. On the 20^th, after numerous adventures, the command reached Macon, Georgia, where the news of the surrender of Lee was the signal to cease fighting.

The Fourth, however, gained still another title to renown, by the capture of Jefferson David, near Abbeville, Georgia, April 10, 1865. The regiment soon after marched to Nashville, where it was mustered out on the 1^st of July, and nine days later was disbanded at Detroit. The list of the battles and skirmishes of the Fourth Regiment numbered ninety-four. Few of them, it is true, were very severe, but their number shows that the regiment was full of energy and valor.

OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE FOURTH CAVALRY FROM GENESEE COUNTY.
Name, Rank, Residence	Enlisted	Information
Geo. W. Fish, Flint, surgeon	July 26, 1862	Mustered out Aug. 15, 1865
Jacob Bedtelyon, Atlas, Sergt..	Jan. 8, 1865	2d Lieut. Co. K, Feb. 18, 1863; 1^st. Lieut. Sept. 13, 1863; wounded in action at Cleveland, Tenn. Dec. 9, 1863; Capt. Aug, 14, 1864, resigned
Geo. F. Fish, Flint, Sergt., Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	2d Lieut. July 21, 1864; 1^st Lieut. Co. F Dec. 10, 1864; mustered out
Ansel Adams, Atlas, Com.-Sergt.	July 1, 1865	Mustered out
Ira F. Austin, Co. L	Nov. 17, 1862,	Died of disease at New Albany, Ind.
Albert Adams, Forest, Co. B	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
John C. Brown, Flint, Co. E	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Henry M. Brown, Forest, Co. H	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Abel H. Berry, Flushing, Co. H	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Benjamin F. Bump, Clayton, Co. H.	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Henry E. Barnhart, Flushing, Co. M.	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
G. Brown, Flint, Co. B	Nov. 13, 1863	Discharged for disability
Almon Barrow, Atlas, Co. K	Sept. 11, 1863	Discharged for disability
John W. Calkins, Flushing, Co. H	July 31, 1764	Died of disease at Cartersville, Ga.
Franklin A. Carlm, Flint, Co. B	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Alonzo Curtis, Fenton, Co. C	Aug. 29, 1865	Discharged by order
Wm. H. Conover, Forest, Co. H	Aug. 26, 1865	Discharged by order
John Douglass, Co. B	June 27, 1865	Discharged by order
Orrin Dunning, Atlas, Co., H	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Rufus N. Davison, Gaines, Co. L	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Francis M. Eddy, Flint, Co. L	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Herbert O. Farnum, Flint, Co. A	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Dennis Fally, Flushing, Co. K	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Nathaniel Gallagher, Fenton, Co. B	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
James A. Giles, Fenton, Co. B	Oct. 7, 1865	Mustered out
Gerard A. Gordon, Flint, Co. I	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
John L. Green, Flushing, Co. B	July 10, 1865	Discharged by order
Truman Henderson, Atlas, Co. K	July 27, 1865	Discharged by order
John A. Hopkins, Flint, Co. B	June 15, 1864	Discharged for disability
Joseph Hershey, Flint, Co. B	Dec. 16, 1864	Discharged for disability
Homer G. Hazleton, Flint, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Louis B. Hopkins, Flint, Co. H	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
William S. Herrick, Atlas, Co. H	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Silas J. Harper, Flint, Co. M	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Decatur Jacox, Atlas, Co. K	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Eli Jennings, Atlas, Co. K	Sept. 18,, 1863	Discharged for disability
Sirenus Lane, Atlas, Co. K.	May 27, 1865	Discharged by order
Edwin Lurvey, Fenton, Co. A		Died of disease at Nashville, Tenn.
Nicholas Munson, Co. L	July 24, 1864	Died of disease at Columbia, Tenn.
Benjamin McIllroy, Flushing, Co. C	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Henry Murry, Gaines, Co. C	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
William H. G. Martin, Flushing, Co. D	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Jacob E. Munn, Flushing, Co. D	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out.
John McIllroy, Flushing, Co. K	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
John Morrish, Clayton, Co. K	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
George M. Miles, Flint, Co. F	May 25, 1865	Mustered out
Harlan P. Niles, Flushing, Co. K	June 23, 1865	Discharged by order
Milton Oldfield, Atlas, Co. K	June 2, 1865	Discharged by order
Charles W. Pettengill, Flushing, Co. K.	Aug. 1, 1865	Died of disease at Chattanooga, Tenn.
Barrett Pierson, Genesee, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
George Raab, Flint, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Ransler Ransom, Flushing, Co. K	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Charles Stark, Fenton, Co. B	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Francis St. John	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Eugene M. Seeley, Forest, Co. M	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Harlan Sykes, Co. A	Aug. 21, 1865	Discharged by order
Reuben C. Stern, Vienna, Co. K	May 15, 1864	Died at Rome, Ga., after being captured.
Henry Trickey, Flint, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
George R. Vantine, Atlas, Co. K	July 1, 1865	Mustered out
John R. Van Housten, Clayton, Co. M	April 20, 1864	Died of disease at Nashville, Tenn.
Robert Van Tiffin, Burton, Co. M	Aug. 25, 1865	Discharged by order
Levi S. Warren, Flint, Co. F	Dec. 10. 1864	Discharged for promotion
Edward A. Whitman, Flint, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Andrew J. Ward, Flint, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
William C. Whitman, Flint, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Samuel Whitman, Grand Blanc, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
William Wood, Davison, Co. K	July 1, 1865	Mustered out
James D. Haight, Flint, Co. B	.	Mustered out on detached service
Chas. D. Summers, Flint, Co. F	June 20, 1864	Killed in the battle of Noonday Creek, Ga.
Rufus A. Stacy, Flint, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Charles A. Ward, Flint, Co. F	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Geo. B. Walker, Flint, Co. I	.	On detached service with S. C. Troops
David E. Cranston, Co. I	.	On detached service
Alvin Fox, Atlas, Co. K	May 10, 1863	Died of disease at Murfreesboro, Tenn.
John Richards, Atlas, Co. K	Sept. 1, 1863	Transferred to Inv. Corps.
Charles A. Petty, Flushing, Co. K	.	Absent, sick, not mustered out with company
Seymour Lewis, Co. K	Aug. 15, 1865	Mustered out
Martin Wilcox, Co. M	.	Absent, sick, not mustered out with company
Martin L. Harper, Flint, Co. M	Aug 15, 1865	Mustered out