21st Virginia Cavalry was organized in August, 1862, with companies which had served in the Virginia State Line. The unit was assigned to W.E. Jones’ and McCausland’s Brigade, and in April, 1864, it contained 317 effectives. It took an active part in various conflicts in East Tennessee, western Virginia, and in the Shenandoah Valley. During mid-April, 1865, the regiment disbanded.

Its field officers were Colonel W.E. Peters, Lieutenant Colonel David Edmundson, and Major Stephen P. Halsey.

[Source: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System]

West Virginia counties contributing soldiers: Monroe

21st Virginia Cavalry – National Park Service

21st Virginia Cavalry, Virginia Regimental History Series, by John E. Olson, H.E. Howard Publishing, 1989.

21st Virginia Cavalry, Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Virginia, by Stewart Sifakis, pp. 132-133, entry #223.

21st Virginia Cavalry, A Guide to Virginia’s Military Organizations, 1861-1865, by Lee A. Wallace, Jr., pp. 61-62.