11th Michigan Cavalry Grouping

Item DOC-7297

Description

11th Michigan Cavalry Grouping of 6 documents related to Captain James P. Cadman of the 11th Michigan Cavalry. Documents include:

1. 2nd Lieutenant Commission for the 11th Michigan Cavalry

2. 1st Lieutenant Commission for the 11th Michigan Cavalry

3. December 9, 1863 - Mustering as 2nd Lieutenant.

4. War Department, Adjutant General's Office to Cadman documenting a record of his service with the 11th Michigan Cavalry

5. 11x 17 Muster in Roll as Captain. (Archival tape on center seam)

6. 11x 17 (2 page - November 15, 1873) hand written in ink (by Cadman) responding to Adjutant General of Michigan - a report of his activities in the Civil War; including prisoner exchange of Confederate Captain Morgan, brother of General John Hunt Morgan. (Archival tape on seams) listed below:

Military Department, Michigan
Adjutant General’s Office
Detroit

November 15th 1873

James P. Cadman
Born September 30th 1842 at Adrian, Lenawee County, Michigan

I recruited 28 men.

Company I, 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant October 26th 1863 as rank from August 1st 1863. Mustered as a 2nd Lieutenant December 9th 1863 at Kalamazoo, Michigan (place of regimental rendezvous) by Captain R. C. Duryea, USA.

Commissioned as 1st Lieutenant, Company I, 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, January 13th 1865.

Mustered as 1st Lieutenant, Company I, 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry January 16th 1865.

Commissioned as Captain in 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, March 20th 1865 to rank from January 21st 1865. Mustered as Captain of Company M, 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, July 17th 1865.

Regiment consolidated 11th and 8th Michigan Cavalry. Mustered out 1865 at Jackson, Michigan and pay stopped.

I was given my final papers at Detroit, October 23rd 1865.

Mustered out by reason of Special Order No. 57, Headquarters Department Tennessee, August 31st 1865.

Was also regimental adjutant for some months under Lieutenant Colonel C. E. Smith, LtCol.

Served in no other regiment, unless the consolidation of the 8th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry and the 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry may be called such. After the consolidation, I commanded what was previously companies C and D, 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry.

Was Acting Assistant Adjutant General of Brigade No. ?. Consisting of 11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry and 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry (Mounted), commanded by our Colonel S. B. Brown at Louisa, Kentucky. After a while, Colonel Brown was post commandant at Louisa and I was post adjutant.

In summer of 1864, I was detailed with two orderlies and had charge of Confederate General John Morgan’s 5 or 6 staff officers (embracing General Ni’s brother, Captain Calvin Morgan, also General Morgan’s Surgeon General. Also, Major Hensworth and others). And was with them about two weeks. I took them from Lexington, Kentucky via Louisville, Cairo and the Mississippi River to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Where I turned them over to Major General Slocum to be sent 12 miles out to the enemies’ line. These Confederate Officers had come through the lines under flag of truce to confer with our authorities concerning an exchange of our General Hobson, who had been captured by General Morgan and then released on parole. My orders came from the Washington War Department through Major General Burbridge. General Burbridge’s aide from with whom I received my paper, was one Captain Vance of a Kentucky regiment. This officer insisted on a number of little petty restrictions. At my hands, in my dealings, with the Confederate officers that were mortifying to me and such as I looked upon as quite unnecessary and such as no northern man would have demanded of an enemy and such as only could emanate. From a border state officer where our civil strife was unfortunately bitter and was often the scene of petty little personal spites.

When I received this detail, I was on a previous detail as Assistant Provost Marshal of Lexington, Kentucky. On returning to Louisville from Vicksburg, I was ordered to my regiment at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky and my company, Company I. (I was then mustered as Captain and commanding Company I). was selected as Provost Guards and I was detailed as Provost Marshal.

In the winter of 1864 and 1865, Major W. H. George was appointed to command of the dismounted men of the Division and I was appointed Acting Quartermaster, Commissary and Adjutant. We had 1500 to 2000 bare footed and sore footed and ragged men under us. We were returning to Kentucky from the capture of Saltville, Virginia, by Generals Stoneman and Burbridge. And are reaching the neighborhood of Pound Gap near the Kentucky line. The mounted and ablest men went over land direct to Mt. Sterling but the dismounted men above referred to were separated from the others and we were sent south. Down the headwaters of the Big Sandy to Catlettsburg, Kentucky, thence to Lexington via Covington. For four or five days, the dismounted men suffered intensely. Men walked for hours with bleeding feet and on frozen ground and left the blood stain often on the ground. We lived on parched corn. I used a foot sore pack mule to cross streams on and usually one old horse would answer for 5 or 6 men in crossing the cold and icy streams. My own boots were worn out entirely on the bottoms and one of my feet was raw and at times bleeding. Our sufferings seemed endless and several fainted and laid down by the road side and died. But I never heard a murmur and deemed the conduct of our men to have been extraordinarily heroic. There were 6 or 7 officers besides Major G and myself but they were mainly Kentuckians of the poorer sort and the burden of the command was principally upon our regiment. No man in our regiment could excel Major George in any truly place.

I was detailed (as above at Louisa) when our regiment fought at Mr. Sterling and Cynthiana, Kentucky. My first engagement was on my 23rd birthday, September 30th 1864. On our advance on Saltville, under General Burbridge, our advance guard drove in the enemy’s scouting party. I was at the unsuccessful assault on Saltville and was under a severe triple fire. Eighty men of our regiment were killed there. I was at the skirmish when on our same raid, our beloved and gallant Lieutenant Colonel Mason was killed. We were on the retreat. Surgeon Thompson and myself assisted in carrying off the dying man. Colonel Mason gave me his watch to send home.

I was in all the engagements and skirmishes of our regiment after this. I was in our charge at Dillsboro, NC (April 18th 1865). Myself and Captain John Edwards of Company D, were the farthest in advance at S. of any officers. Captain E. was about a rod from me when he fell mortally wounded.

I dismounted 18 rebel cannoneers and secured their pieces of artillery with the help of one sergeant of Company D. (His name is now forgotten. I drove these prisoners to the rear and my company took in all at least over 100 prisoners. Lieutenant Fitzsimmons, (commissioned 2nd/1st Lieutenant) of Company I, here took nearly 20 of the prisoners.

Names of officers in CSA under my charge July 1864:

Thomas J. Cheneworth, Major, 10th Kentucky Cavalry
Richard R. Good, Surgeon on Morgan’s Detachment
C. C. Morgan, Captain and A.D.C.
William L. Blanchard, Major, and ADC
G. T. Voorhies, Private, 10th Kentucky Cavalry
J. M. Daugherty, Private, company F, 2nd Kentucky Battalion

My old Captain (afterwards Major by commission) W. H. George (M. D.) is I think now living near Decatur, Michigan. He was one of the best men our regiment contained. He was brave and humane and was a man of unusually good judgement. If you do not hear from Major George, I will write you up his military history as well as I can.

Lieutenant W. C. Fitzsimmons referred to above is now in Topeka, Kansas. He graduated at West Point in 1870(?) as the 6th in his class.

Lieutenant George F. Sinclair of Company I, is at Climax Prairie, Michigan. Sinclair was a brave and true soldier.

[Signed]. James P. Cadman
1510 Lafayette Avenue
St. Louis, MO

I will gladly render you any assistance about any of my late brother officers that I can.

Yours,

J. P. C.