Dodge was promoted to the rank of colonel on August 14, 1862, and then to brigadier general on November 29, 1862, an advancement that was lobbied for by a number of prominent New Yorkers, including Theodore Roosevelt Sr. He commanded successful engagements during the Suffolk Campaign and at Hertford, North Carolina. The mounted Rifles under Dodge served as the eyes and ears for General Peck in numerous sorties. Cavalry men under Dodge were the first to detect the movement of Longstreet that led to the siege of Suffolk by Rebel Forces.