Civil War Union Major General. Known as "Kil-cavalry" during the war because he pushed his men and horses to the brink of fatigue. He was in constant combat during the Civil War, and emerged as one of the more controversial Union military figures. He was wounded in a skirmish at Big Bethel, Virginia in June 1861 (making him the first Regular Army officer to be wounded during the Civil War). He commanded the 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry in operations in Virginia until his promotion to Brigadier General. He directed troops in the fighting at Beverly Ford, General George Stoneman's botched Chancellorsville raid, and at Gettysburg. His unsuccessful February-March 1864 raid in Richmond resulted in the death of Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, and the discovery of controversial papers on Dalhgren's body. Sent Southward, he fought with General William Sherman and assisted him in his "March to the Sea". A brave combat leader, he nevertheless acquire a reputation for self-indulgence and self-promotion in his dispatched and press reports, as well as a reputation for having very loose morals in a highly religious era.

Civil War Union Major General. Known as "Kil-cavalry" during the war because he pushed his men and horses to the brink of fatigue. He was in constant combat during the Civil War, and emerged as one of the more controversial Union military figures. He was wounded in a skirmish at Big Bethel, Virginia in June 1861 (making him the first Regular Army officer to be wounded during the Civil War). He commanded the 2nd New York Volunteer Cavalry in operations in Virginia until his promotion to Brigadier General. He directed troops in the fighting at Beverly Ford, General George Stoneman's botched Chancellorsville raid, and at Gettysburg. His unsuccessful February-March 1864 raid in Richmond resulted in the death of Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, and the discovery of controversial papers on Dalhgren's body. Sent Southward, he fought with General William Sherman and assisted him in his "March to the Sea". A brave combat leader, he nevertheless acquire a reputation for self-indulgence and self-promotion in his dispatched and press reports, as well as a reputation for having very loose morals in a highly religious era.

Bio by: Russ Dodge