This company enrolled June 4,1861 under Captain Patrick H. Lee and was
then, ten days later,
mustered into the Virginia forces for one year.
It’s third captain, who would later become the company’s
last Colonel
of the regiment, was Alexander Savage. In August of 1861 the company
had a total of 62 men. The company
served on “Picket Duty” during the
first year of the war, with other companies who would later form the
13th Virginia. It was often called the Nansemond Cavalry and it
became Company I if the 13th Virginia Cavalry in June
1862
The 13th Virginia Cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia did not
officially come into existence until july 29, 1862. The regiment
consisted of ten companies of which seven were
members of the
5th Virginia Cavalry Regiment from June 1861 to 1862. The last
company, Company K, was organized
on August 13, 1862,
after the regiment was formed. For one month the seven companies
formed the 16th Battalion of
Virginia Cavalry. The 13th was part of the
brigade originally commanded by Brigadier General W.H.F. “Rooney Lee.
The brigade included the 2nd North Carolina and the 9th, 10th, 13th,
and
15th Virginia regiments for most of the war. The regiments companies
were from the City of Petersburg and the
counties below Petersburg
forming what is generally referred to as Tidewater Virginia.
Coincidentally, the companies
were from the counties which generally
are located from Petersburg south to Portsmouth along present
United States
Route 460
