page_title: 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment
section_title: Battle of Waynesboro
hierarchical_section_title: 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment / Shenandoah Valley / Battle of Waynesboro
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a crop of photo of Captain George W. Nieman, of the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry in the American Civil War.
context_page_description: The 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was present for 50 battles, beginning with the Battle of Hanover on June 30, 1863, and ending with a skirmish at Rude's Hill in March 1865. A majority of its fighting was in Virginia, although its first major battle was in Pennsylvania's Gettysburg campaign. It was consolidated with the 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment on June 24, 1865, to form the 3rd Provisional Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment.
  The regiment was organized at Pittsburgh and Harrisburg between October and December 1862. Green County was the source of recruits for three companies, while additional recruits came from elsewhere in the state. Companies L and M were late additions to the regiment, and were originally meant to be part of a 19th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment. Recruits for these two companies were mostly from the Philadelphia area.
  The regiment served in the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the Shenandoah. Among major battles where it saw action were the Battle of the Wilderness, the Third Battle of Winchester, and the Battle of Cedar Creek.
context_section_description: While the regiment's two dismounted battalions remained in camp, the mounted Third Battalion departed from camp on February 25, 1865, and reached Winchester on the next day. Sheridan had two divisions of cavalry and planned to join Grant near Richmond. The plan changed on May 2 when Sheridan's army approached Waynesboro, Virginia and found Early's Army of the Shenandoah. Custer's division did the fighting, and most of Early's army was killed or captured. All of Early's headquarters equipment and artillery were captured although Early himself evaded capture. The 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry's Third Battalion, commanded by Captain George W. Nieman, and the 5th New York Cavalry, were held in reserve in this battle.
  After the battle, the battalion was part of a force that escorted about 1,600 prisoners north to Winchester. On March 7 during the trip north, Rosser's cavalry attacked the Union force at Rude's Hill near Mount Jackson. A counterattack led by the 5th New York drove off the Confederates in hand-to-hand fighting. The Union force and all prisoners arrived at Winchester on March 7. Here, they were under the command of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, who had temporary command of Union forces around Winchester.
caption: Captain George W. Nieman
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