1st Nebraska Cavalry Regiment

Service

Detailed service

• 1863
• 1st Nebraska Cavalry was created October 11, 1863.
• Duty at St. Louis, Mo., until November 30.
• Moved to Batesville, Ark., November 30-December 25, 1863.
• 1864
• Operations in northeastern Arkansas January 1–30, 1864.
• * Action at Black River January 18.
• * Jacksonport January 19.
• * Expedition after Freeman's forces January 23–30.
• * Sylamore Creek January 23.
• * Sylamore January 24.
• Scout to Pocohontas February 9–20.
• * Morgan's Mills, Spring River, February 9.
• * Pocohontas February 10.
• Expedition from Batesville after Freeman's forces February 12–20.
• * Spring River, near Smithfield, February 13.
• Expedition to Wild Haws, Strawberry Creek, etc., March 10–12.
• Scout from Batesville to Fairview March 25–26.
• Spring River, near Smithville, April 13.
• Moved to Jacksonport, Ark., April 17–19.
• Attack on Jacksonport April 20.
• Expedition to Augusta April 22–24.
• Near Jacksonport April 24.
• Moved to Duvall's Bluff May 25–30.
• Veterans on furlough June 10 to August 13.

The First Nebraska Cavalry had "veteran volunteered," as it was called. After a person had served in the field eighteen months, then he could "veteranize," as it was said, and enlist for three years longer and get a bounty of $300, so that soldiers and sometimes regiments "veteranized." The First Nebraska was a regiment in which the men had veteranized to such an extent that it was reorganized as a veteran regiment, and bore the name of veteran volunteer in the title of the regiment. The incursions of the Indians, and the vast damages which they had done in Nebraska, raised such an outcry that the Government had to send Nebraska troops home for the protection of Nebraska, the same as a portion of our regiment was stationed in Iowa. And so it happened that the "First Nebraska Veteran Volunteer Cavalry" was drawn from the field, and the Confederacy, and sent out to fight Indians in the Northwest. The 7th Iowa Cavalry and the First Nebraska got along together very well.

• Left Omaha for Fort Kearney, Nebraska, August 15, arriving there August 23, 1864.
• Operations against Indians in Nebraska and Colorado until July 1866, participating in numerous affairs with hostile Indians at Plum Creek, Spring Ranch, Julesburg, Mud Springs, Elm Creek and Smith's Ranch. Also engaged in scout and escort duty.
• 1865
• Operations on overland stage route between Denver and Julesburg, Colorado, January 14–25, 1865.
• Operations on North Platte River, Colo., February 2–18.
• Scout from Dakota City April 12–16 and April 22–27.
• Scout from Fort Laramie to Wind River, Nebraska., May 3–21,
• Scout from Plum Creek to Medway Station, Wind River, Nebraska., May 8–20.
• Scout from Fort Kearney to Little Blue River, Nebraska, May 9-June 2.
• Scout from Cottonwood May 12–14.
• Scout from Plum Creek, Nebraska., May 26–27.
• Expedition to Platte and Mojave Rivers, Nebraska., June 12-July 5.
• 1866
• Mustered out July 1, 1866.

  Commanders

• Colonel Robert Ramsay Livingston
• Colonel William Baumer