The Flags They Fought and Died For
8th Virginia Cavalry Flag
The caption on this flag of the Smyth Dragoons,
(Company A) 8th Virginia Cavalry regiment says, "8th Virginia
Cavalry Regiment, Battle of White Sulphur, August 26th - 27th,
1863."
The beginning of the 8th Virginia Cavalry probably
took place on December 10, 1860, at Guyandotte, Cabell County,
Virginia. This unit was named the Border Rangers and was the first
unit of any kind in the Cabell County area. Starting in May of
1861, many troopers were recruited in adjoining Putnam County.
Also recruited were the Sandy Rangers from Wayne County, nicknamed
the "Bloodtubs" for the bright red shirts they wore
and other local units, plus those from farther east.
Captain Albert G. Jenkins of the Border Rangers,
later becoming its Lt. Colonel and eventually a Brig. General
of the Confederate Army was probably its most famous commander
until his death on May 21, 1864.
Much of the 8th's action was seen in Western Virginia
until 1863 when the regiment or parts thereof saw service in Tennessee,
including the battle of Knoxville under Longstreet and McLaws.
After the death of Jenkins, command of the regiment
and Jenkins' other regiments passed to Brig. General John McCausland
where they saw extensive service in Early's campaigns. By the
time of Petersburg, the regiment was greatly lessened in number
but still saw service as pickets and scouts at Petersburg.
Fighting to the bitter end, McCausland and the 8th,
16th and 17th Virginia Cavalries refused to surrender at Appomatox
and cut their way through to Lynchburg. McCausland stated that
only 26 men of the 8th surrendered at Appomatox, possibly because
they were too ill to travel or they had no horses.
Although they were mostly country boys at the beginning
of the war and did not even know what a bayonet was, by the end
of the bloody four years they were known as some of the "fightingest"
troops in the whole CSA.
(Photograph of the 8th Virginia Cavalry Regiment flag is
found in 8th Virginia Cavalry, Regimental History Series
by Jack L. Dickenson)
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