2nd Missouri Volunteer Cavalry The Second Missouri Volunteer Cavalry , also known officially as Merrill ' s Horse , was an cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War . The regiment was one of only a handful of Missouri regiments to be officially " named " as well as numbered . Service . Organized at Benton Barracks , St . Louis , Missouri , by Captain Lewis Merrill , 2nd Cavalry , U . S . A . , under authority of Major General John C . Frémont , commander of the U . S . Army ' s Department of the West . Merrill organized his regiment from September 3 to December 11 , 1861 . ( An additional Co . " L " was organized at St . Louis , Mo . , January 1 , 1863 , and Co . " M " was organized at Warrenton , Mo . on June 30 , 1863 . ) Before organization of Regiment was completed , it was ordered to march to Springfield , Mo . , September , 1861 . Fremont ' s Campaign against Springfield , Mo . , September – October . At Sedalia , Missouri , Mo . , till January , 1862 . Scout through Saline County , Missouri December 3 – 12 , 1861 . Expedition to Milford , Missouri December 15 – 19 . Battle of Shawnee Mound or Milford , Blackwater River , December 18 . Roan ' s Tan Yard , Silver Creek , January 8 , 1862 . Knob Noster , Missouri January 22 . Attached to Department of Missouri September , 1861 , to January , 1862 . District of Northeast Missouri , Dept . of Missouri , to June , 1863 . District of Southeast Missouri , Dept . of Missouri , to August , 1863 . 1st Brigade , 1st Cavalry Division , Arkansas Expedition , to December , 1863 . 2nd Brigade , 1st Cavalry Division , Army of Arkansas , to January , 1864 . 2nd Brigade , 1st Cavalry Division , 7th Army Corps , Dept . of Arkansas , to May , 1864 . 3rd Brigade , 2nd Division , 7th Army Corps , to September , 1864 . 2nd Brigade , Cavalry Division , 7th Army Corps , to February , 1865 . 2nd Brigade , Cavalry Division , District of West Tennessee , to muster out . Detailed Service . Moved to Northern Missouri and duty at Columbia , Glasgow , Sturgeon , Paris Paris , Huntsville , Palmyra Palmyra and WarrentonWarrenton , operating against guerrillas and elements of the secessionist Missouri State Guard ( MSG ) January , 1862 , to June , 1863 . Expedition into Schuyler and Scotland Counties , against Porter ' s and Poindexter ' s MSG cavalry , July 12 - August 8 , 1862 . Near Memphis , Mo . , July 18 . Brown Springs July 27 . Moore ' s Mills , near Fulton , July 28 . Kirksville August 6 ( Detachment ) . Pursuit of Poindexter August 8 – 15 , with skirmishes at Grand River , Lee ' s Ford , Chariton River and Walnut Creek , near Stockton , August 9 . Switzler ' s Mill August 10 . Little Compton Ferry , Yellow Creek , August 11 . Roanoke September 6 ( Detachment ) . Scotland and Boone Counties September 30 ( Detachment ) . Joined Davidson ' s Cavalry Division at Pilot Knob June , 1863 . Expedition to Little Rock , Ark . , July 1 - September 10 . Grand Prairie August 17 . Brownsville August 25 . Bayou Metoe or Reed ' s Bridge August 27 . Reconnaissance from Brownsville August 29 . Bear Skin Lake , Ashby ' s Mills , September 7 . Bayou Fourche and capture of Little Rock September 10 . Pursuit of Price September 11 – 13 . Near Little Rock September 11 . Duty at Little Rock till March , 1864 . Steele ' s Expedition to Camden March 23 - May 3 . Benton Road March 23 – 24 . Okolona April 2 – 3 . Prairie D ' Ann April 9 – 12 . Camden April 15 – 18 . Moro Bottom April 25 – 26 . Jenkins ' Ferry , Saline River , April 30 . Scatterville July 28 . Duty in Arkansas till September . Operating against Price September and October . Booneville , Mo . , October 9 – 12 . Little Blue October 21 . Big Blue , State Line , October 22 . Westport October 23 . Battle of Charlot October 25 . Mine Creek , Osage River , Marias des Cygnes , October 25 . Grierson ' s Expedition from Memphis against Mobile & Ohio Railroad December 21 , 1864 , to January 15 , 1865 ( Co . " E " ) . Near Memphis February 9 ( Detachment ) . Moved to Chattanooga , Tenn . , and duty operating against guerrillas in Georgia and Alabama and escorting trains from Chattanooga to Atlanta January to September , 1865 . Mustered out September 19 , 1865 . Casualties . Regiment lost during service 3 Officers and 53 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 205 Enlisted men by disease . Total 262 .