9th Pennsylvania Cavalry

9th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry
Pennsylvania flag
Active	August 29, 1861 to July 1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	Cavalry
Engagements	Battle of Richmond Battle of Perryville Chickamauga Campaign Sherman's March to the Sea Carolinas Campaign

The 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment was a Union Army cavalry regiment that participated in the American Civil War. It was one of the most respected Union volunteer cavalry units in the war.

The regiment was organized August 29, 1861, at Camp Cameron near Harrisburg. It was composed of 12 companies, mostly recruited from the counties of south-central and southeast Pennsylvania.

Its officers were Col. Edward C. Williams, Lt. Col. Thomas C. James, Major Charles A. Appel and Maj. Thomas Jefferson Jordan. Williams was a famous soldier in central Pennsylvania, a bookbinder from Harrisburg who had been a hero in the Mexican-American War. James had served as Captain of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, a militia unit active since before the Revolutionary War. He brought a great knowledge of cavalry organization and tactics. Jordan served until the end of the war, attaining the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. The original officers of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry were politically appointed, but many had previous military experience.

After recruitment and initial training, the regiment was sent to Kentucky, where it was assigned to the Department of the Cumberland and given additional training. In March, it was ordered into Tennessee, where it fought several battles over the next few months with John Hunt Morgan's Confederate cavalry, capturing hundreds of his men, including his second-in-command and his quartermaster.