At the Battle of Prairie Grove on 7 December 1862, the regiment was part of John G. Clark's 1st Brigade in the 2nd Division. James Totten led the 2nd Division, but on 27 November he was called away to be a witness on a court-martial in St Louis. The 7th Missouri Cavalry's Colonel Huston assumed command since he was the 2nd Division's ranking officer. The soldiers cheered the change in commanders because of Totten's drunken and surly behavior. Starting on the morning of 4 December, the 2nd Division force marched on bad roads in bitterly cold weather in response to Blunt's appeal for reinforcements. When Blunt requested cavalry, Francis J. Herron (3rd Division and overall commander) formed 1,600 of his cavalry into a provisional brigade under Dudley Wickersham and sent it ahead of the infantry on 6 December. Herron also ordered Major Bredett to take 650 troopers and follow Wickersham. Bredett set out with two battalions of the 7th Missouri Cavalry and one battalion of the 6th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry.