(II) 20th Pennsylvania Cavalry

== Regimental History and Service Record ==
Organized at Harrisburg and Philadelphia February, 1864. Reported to Sigel at Martinsburg, W. Va., March, 1864. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Dept. West Virginia, to August, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, West Virginia, to November, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Shenandoah, to February, 1865, and Army Potomac to June, 1865.
SERVICE.--Sigel's Expedition to New Market, Va.; April 30-May 16, 1864. Rude's Hill and New Market May 14. Battle of New Market May 15. Hunter's Expedition to Lynchburg May 26-July 1. Harrisonburg June 4. Piedmont, Mt. Crawford, June 5. Occupation of Staunton June 6. Staunton June 10. Midway June 11. Cedar Creek June 12. Piney River near Amherst C. H. June 12. Near Glasgow June 14. Lynchburg June 17-18. Retreat to Kanawha Valley, thence to Parkersburg and Martinsburg June 19-July 15. Catawba Mountains and about Salem June 21. Martinsburg July 17. Snicker's Ferry July 17-18. Ashby's Gap and Berry's Ford July 19. Ashby's Gap July 21. Near Kernstown July 23. Kernstown, Winchester, July 24. Bunker Hill and Martinsburg July 25. Ordered to Harper's Ferry July 30. Duty at Halltown, Pleasant Valley and Cumberland, Md., until December. Expedition from Winchester to Gordonsville December 19-28. Madison C. H. December 21. Liberty Mills December 22. Near Gordonsville December 23. Sheridan's Expedition from Winchester February 27-March 25. Swoope's Depot and Staunton March 2. Waynesboro March 2. Goochland C. H. March 11. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Dinwiddie C. H. March 30-31. Five Forks April 1. Scott's Cross Roads April 2. Tabernacle Church or Beaver Pond Creek April 4. Sailor's Creek April 6. Appomattox Station April 8. Appomattox C. H. April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Expedition to Danville April 23-29. March to Washington, D.C., May. Grand Review May 23. Consolidated with 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry June 17, 1865, to form 1st Provisional Cavalry.
* June 17, 1865 - Consolidated with 2nd Pennsylvania Cavalry to form 1st Pennsylvania (Provisional) Cavalry
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Upon taking the field, it reported to General Sigel, who was in command of the army in the Shenandoah Valley. On the 15th of May, Sigel encountered a superior force of the enemy under Breckenridge, at New.Market, and after a severe battle, in which he lost some prisoners and.guns, was forced to retire to Strasburg. The Twentieth sustained a loss of three in this engagement. Sigel was soon after succeeded by Hunter, who at once opened an active campaign, advancing in the direction of Lynchburg, encountering obstinate opposition on the way. The cavalry was kept actively, employed in this advance, the Twentieth sustaining a loss of three at Staunton, on the 10th of June, and of two at New Glasgow, on the 14th, and losing in the various encounters almost daily. Hunter arrived in front of Lynchburg on the 17th, and during the two succeeding days, the fighting was severe, the regiment being actively engaged, and losing heavily in killed and wounded. Hunter was obliged to retire, after having made a vigorous assault, without success, and retreated into the Kanawha Valley, whence he proceeded by transport with his army to Parkersburg, and thence by rail to Martinsburg. The Twentieth shared the hardships of this retreat, and in an action at Salem, on the 21st, sustained a loss of four.
General Crook succeeded General Hunter in command of the army, which was subsequently known as the Eighth Corps, and on the 18th of July, met the forces of Early and Breckenridge, at Snicker's Gap, in the Blue Ridge, and defeated them, taking three hundred wagons. In this engagement the regiment actively participated, and sustained a loss of fourteen. It was engaged on the 24th, at Winchester, making a daring charge down the Winchester Pike, in which Captain John C. Henry was mortally wounded. A few days later the regiment was sent, by order of General Crook, to attack the rear of General Early's forces, by way of Ashby's Gap, and in the engagement which ensued, it sustained a loss of one hundred and eighteen killed, wounded, and missing.
In the meantime, the command in the valley had been reinforced by the Sixth and Nineteenth corps, and two divisions of cavalry, and on the 7th of August, General Sheridan was placed in command of the combined forces. In the re-organization of the cavalry, which soon after took place, the Twentieth was assigned to the Second Brigade, of the First Division, General Devin in command. A month later, Sheridan inaugurated an active offensive campaign, in which a series of brilliant victories were gained, and the power of the enemy in the valley was completely annihilated, the subsistence of any considerable hostile force being rendered impossible. So complete was this destruction, that it was humorously declared, "'If a crow wants to fly down the valley, he must carry his provisions with him." In this campaign the Twentieth participated, and at its conclusion, went into winter-quarters with the brigade, where it was engaged in severe guard and scout duty, and in occasional expeditions inforce against bands of the enemy's cavalry, which still maintained a bold and defiant attitude. Upon the retirement of Colonel Wynkoop, Lieutenant Colonel Middleton was promoted to succeed him.
On the 27th of February, 1865, Sheridan, who had remained during the winter in the valley, opened the spring campaign by a grand cavalry raid.With a force of ten thousand horse, he led in the direction of Lynchburg. At Waynesboro, he again encountered Early, whom he routed after a spirited engagement, and striking the James River Canal, and the Virginia Central Railroad, effected immense destruction; and moving in by White House, on the 27th of March, just one month from the time of starting, reported to Grant in front of Petersburg.
Grant was now upon the point of moving upon the rebel position with all his forces, and Sheridan was immediately put in motion with the cavalry towards Dinwiddie Court House. The enemy's advanced lines were pressed back behind his intrenchments, and a part of the cavalry was sent out towards Five Forks. But the enemy who had been reinforced, struck heavily the Union infantry which had come into position on his front, and pushed the cavalry back towards Dinwiddie, Sheridan dismounting his men, and disputing the ground stubbornly. General Grant, in his report, says of Sheridan's action:
"Here General Sheridan displayed great generalship. Instead of retreating with his whole command on the main army, to tell the story of superior forces encountered, he deployed his cavalry on foot, leaving only mounted men enough to take charge of the horses. This compelled the enemy to deploy over a vast extent of woods and broken country, and made his progress slow."
In the meantime, Devin's command, in which was the Twentieth, had been temporarily separated from the rest of the corps, but again effecting a junction, it united in the attack which was made on the morning of the 1st of April, by which the enemy was driven by impetuous charges from one line of works after another, until he finally took shelter behind his main fortifications, on the White Oak Road. "The courage displayed," says General Sheridan, " by the cavalry officers and men, was superb."
When the enemy had been thus driven to cover, the cavalry was ordered to make a feint to turn his right flank, while the Fifth Corps was brought into position for a powerful assault upon his left. The opening of the infantry fire was to be the signal for the cavalry to attack in earnest.
"As stated before,"says General Sheridan, "the firing of the Fifth Corps was the signal for General Merritt to assault, which was promptly responded to, and the works of the enemy were soon carried at several points by our brave cavalrymen. The enemy were driven from their strong line of works and completely routed, the Fifth Corps doubling up their left flank in confusion, and the cavalry of General Merritt dashing on to the White Oak Road, capturing their artillery and turning it upon them, and riding into their broken ranks so demoralized them, that they made no serious stand after their line was carried, but took to flight in disorder. Between five and six thousand prisoners fell into our hands, and the fugitives were driven westward, and were pursued until long after dark, by Merritt's and M'Kenzies cavalry, for a distance of six miles."
"I cannot speak too highly," says Sheridan further on in his report, " of the conduct of the troops in this battle, and of the gallantry of their commanding officers, who appeared to realize that the success of the campaign and the fate of Lee's army depended upon it."
In the heroic conduct by which this brilliant result was secured, the Twentieth, led by Colonel Middleton, shared, and won by its steadiness and resolution, the commendation which was thus freely given; but not without serious loss. Lieutenant Henry Lebo was killed, and Lieutenant Albert S. Ely was mortally wounded, and a large number of killed and wounded in addition, shows the fiery ordeal through which it passed. Until the final surrender, which took place on the 9th, the regiment was kept constantly in motion and in action, and sustained losses almost daily. At the close of the campaign, it returned to the neighborhood of Washington,where, on the 17th of June, it was consolidated with the Second Pennsylvania Cavalry, under the name of the First Provisional Cavalry. It remained in service scarcely a month longer, and was finally mustered out on the 13th of July, at Cloud's Mills, Virginia
== Regimental Roster ==
 
 
 Field and Staff Officers
 
 
 Company A
 
 
 Company B
 
 
 Company C
 
 
 Company D
 
 
 Company E
 
 
 Company F
 
 
 Company G
 
 
 Company H
 
 
 Company I
 
 
 Company K
 
 
 Company L
 
 
 Company M
 
 
 Unassigned
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== Regiment Statistical Information ==
* Regiment lost during service 3 Officers and 22 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 100 Enlisted men by disease. Total 128.
== Legacy ==
* The following pertinent personal papers are in the Institute's Manuscript Archive:
** Landis, William J. - CWMiscColl (Enlisted man's diary, Jul l863-Oct l865)
** Leonard, Benjamin C. - CWMiscColl (Enlisted man's summary of service, discharge, and pension records, Dec 29, l863-Jul l865)
** Michael, Cyrus M. and George Smith Papers - CWMiscColl(Enlisted men's newspaper
** Morrow, Isaac & Joseph - HCWRTColl (Enlisted men's transcribed letters, Aug l8, l862-Mar 8, l865)
== Notes ==
== Sources == 
* Bates, Samuel P. History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5. Wilmington, NC:Broadfoot, 1993. Vol. 9, pp. 32-76 (23 photocopied pages). E527B32.1993v9 (Brief history and roster of the regiment).
* (Page 1568)
* Sauers, Richard A. Advance the Colors!: Pennsylvania CivilWar Battle Flags. Vol. 2. Hbg, PA:Capitol Preservation Comm, 1991. pp. 479-81 (3 photocopied pages). E527.4S38.1991v2.(Brief unit history with emphasis on the regimental flags).16th Pennsylvania Cavalry (p. 2)
* Taylor, Frank H. Philadelphia in the Civil War. Phila: By the City, 1913. pp. 183-84 (2 photocopied pages). E527.97P54T39. (Brief history ofthe unit).
* The Institute's Archive includes images of individuals of this unit.
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