8th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry

8th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry
Illinois flag
Active	September 18, 1861 to July 17, 1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	Cavalry
Engagements	Battle of Williamsburg Battle of Fair Oaks Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Stoneman's Raid Battle of Brandy Station Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Monocacy Battle of Opequon Battle of Fort Stevens

The 8th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment served the duration of the war, and was the only Illinois cavalry regiment to serve the entire war in the Army of the Potomac. They also aided in the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and served as President Lincoln's honor guard while he lay in state under the rotunda. Lincoln gave them the nickname of "Farnsworth's Abolitionist Regiment" when he watched them march past the White House.

The regiment was commissioned on August 11, 1861 and was assembled for service in St. Charles, Illinois on September 18, 1861 at the site donated by Colonel Farnsworth called Camp Kane. They were sent out on July 17, 1865 in Chicago, Illinois.

During the Gettysburg Campaign, the 8th Illinois Cavalry was in the division of Brig. Gen. John Buford. They deployed west of Gettysburg on June 30, 1863 under the command of Colonel William Gamble, and waited for oncoming Confederates that arrived early the following morning. The first shot of the subsequent battle was fired by Lieutenant Marcellus E. Jones of Company E, who borrowed a carbine from Sergeant Levi Shafer and fired at an unidentified officer on a gray horse over a half-mile away. The 8th, along with the rest of the brigade, performed a fighting withdrawal towards McPherson's Ridge, delaying the Confederate division of Henry Heth for several hours and allowing the Union I Corps to arrive.

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Wikipedia