| Unit Name: | 8th Virginia Cavalry Regiment |
| Dates: | Winter 1862 - April 1865 |
| Country: | Confederacy |
| Allegiance: | Confederate States of America |
| Role: | Cavalry |
| Battles: | Battle of Lewisburg Jenkins's Raid Battle of Rogersville Valley Campaigns of 1864 Appomattox Campaign Battle of Five Forks |
| Disbanded: | April 1865 |
| Notable Commanders: | Lt. Colonel Albert G. Jenkins |
The 8th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly as part of the Army of Northern Virginia.[1]
Virginia's 8th Cavalry Regiment was organized early in 1862 with nine companies but increased its number to eleven to July. Many of the men were recruited in Cabell, Wayne, Mercer, Fayette, Greenbrier, Bland, Smyth, Nelson, Kanawha, and Tazewell counties.[2]
The unit confronted the Union in western Virginia, fought in East Tennessee then returned to western Virginia. Later it participated in Early's Shenandoah Valley operations and the Appomattox Campaign.
This regiment contained 225 effectives in April, 1864. Some claim that none were included in the surrender at Appomattox because it had cut through the Federal lines and disbanded, and that the field officers were Colonels James M. Corns and Walter H. Jenifer; Lieutenant Colonels Thomas P. Bowen, A.F. Cook, Henry Fitzhugh, and Albert G. Jenkins; and Major P.M. Edmondson. However, 2nd Lt. Hezekiah Harmon of Company A swore as a witness to the pension application of Angelina James, widow of S.P. James of the same company, that he and James surrendered at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, and that he "was present and saw all that I have stated". Validating Harmon's statement is the statement of the Adjutant General of the War Department of the United States, Brigadier General George Andrews, on November 21, 1912, on Angelina James' pension application, that "the records show that one S.P. James (not found as Stephen Porter James), private, Company A, 8th Virginia Cavalry, Confederate States Army, was enlisted June 27, 1863; that he was surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, and was paroled at that place April 9, 1865." This evidence lends strong weight to the 8th Cavalry having been at Appomattox at the surrender.
Former U.S. Congressman and Confederate Congressman Albert G. Jenkins recruited one of the unit's companies as a company of partisan rangers, before it was attached to the regiment and he became commanding officer of the 8th Virginia. He was killed at the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain.
| Company | Nickname | Recruited at | First (then later) Commanding Officer[3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Smyth Dragoons | Smyth County | John Thompson John P. Sheffey formerly attached to 50th Virginia Infantry | |
| B | Nelson Rangers | Nelson County | Thomas P. Fitzpatrick Isaac A. Paul formerly attached to 50th Virginia Infantry | |
| C | Grayson Cavalry | Grayson County | William H. Bramblett Richmond G. Bourne formerly attached to 50th Virginia Infantry | |
| D | French's Company | Mercer County | William Henderson French later 33rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry, then Company D of 17th Virginia Cavalry | |
| D1 | Gunn's Rangers | Shenandoah Valley | William R. Gunn organized by Capt. Milton J. Ferguson and took place of moved Company D | |
| E | Border Rangers 2nd Kanawha | Kanawha Valley | (General)Albert G. Jenkins James M. Corns Formerly attached to 36th Virginia Infantry | |
| F | Bland Rangers | Bland County | William Neel Harman | |
| G | Mountain Rangers Virginia Rebels | Monroe County Putnam County | William E. Herndon Otis Caldwell after merger with Caldwell's Battalion | |
| H | Tazewell Troop | Mercer County Tazewell County | John C. McDonald Thomas P. Bowen George W. Spotts Achilles J. Tynes Henry Bowen | |
| I | Kanawha Rangers | Kanawha County Fayette County | Tom Huddleston (killed 11/61) Charles I. Lewis organized by Dr. Charles I. Lewis and Col. C. Q. Tompkins as Company K of 22nd Virginia | |
| K | Fairview Rifle Guards Sandy Rangers | Kanawha County | James M. Corns Joseph M. Ferguson Formerly attached to 36th Virginia Infantry | |
| L | White's Company of Cavalry | Greenbrier County | Moorman B. White ransferred to 14th Virginia Cavalry then 36th Battalion Virginia Cavalry |