Cavalry Equipment
"The trooper has his carbine to care for and keep in order, which evens him up with the
infantryman in care of arms and equipments, and in addition to this he has his revolver, sabre, and horse
equipments to keep in order and his horse to water, feed and groom every day, and the soldier who enlists
in the cavalry service...will soon learn, to his sorrow, that he has been laboring under a
grievous mistake."1st Ohio Cavalry
"The sergeant charged the pants to my account and then handed me a jacket, a small
one, evidently made for a humped-backed dwarf. The jacket was covered with yellow braid. O, so yellow
that it made me sick. The jacket was charged to me also."Wisconsin Volunteer
"A pair of good boots is something we can't get along without...Uncle Sam
doesn't furnish us anything but shoes to wear in the winter. The shoes are very good ones
to wear in the summer..."William Margraff, 6th Pennsylvania Reserves
"The revolver was by far the more popular weapon among cavalrymen. Revolvers were
accurate at very short range however, so they were only useful in close actions. Such close actions were not
very common in mounted combat. As the war progressed, cavalrymen become more successful at cavalry raids
and scouting exercises." - S.L. Gracey, Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry
"In a close defensive fight, he found, no doubt, that carbines, well-handled,
are a merciless foe to face, and so reflecting, he paused and ceased firing; and when we were satisfied that
he declined the combat, we leaned on our arms and rested from the turmoil of this hard day."
"These cavalry fights are miserable affairs. Neither party has any idea
of serious charging with the sabre. They approach one another with considerable boldness, until they
get to within about forty yards, and then, at the very moment when a dash is necessary, and the sword
alone should be used, they hesitate, halt, and commence a desultory fire with carbines and revolvers."
