24th NY Cavalry Website

This website is devoted to the history of the Twenty-fourth New York Volunteer Cavalry, a Civil War regiment known by its members as "the fighting two dozen." The regiment was organized at Auburn, New York in the fall of 1863. Most of its men came from the central and western counties of the state. Many had already served in other regiments.

The 24th New York participated in Grant's final swing through Virginia in pursuit of Lee's Army. It took part in a series of engagements, from the Battle of the Wilderness in May of 1864, through the siege of Petersburg and the disastrous mine explosion, to the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865.

The regiment's first commander, Colonel William C. Raulston, was taken prisoner on September 30, 1864, during the Battle of Poplar Springs Church, and was confined at Danville Prison. He was shot by a guard in the aftermath of a failed escape attempt and died several days later. After Raulston's capture, Colonel Walter Cass Newberry (depicted above) assumed command of the regiment for the duration of the war. Newberry was ultimately brevetted a Brigadier General. He went on to become a U.S. Representative from Illinois. Four of the regiment's men were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The website is a work in progress. I plan to add more information and links in the coming months. I hope to write a history of the regiment and am interested in hearing from readers who may have access to relevant source materials such as letters, diaries or photographs. I have accumulated a small archive of items relating to the 24th New York and will be happy to respond by e-mail to inquiries concerning particular men who served in the regiment: Contact Author

TWENTY-FOURTH NEW YORK CAVALRY WEBSITE