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Massachusetts State Seal
Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Fire and Thunder: The 5th Massachusetts Cavalry


Organized to fight on horseback, the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry served with distinction in Virginia and Texas.


A photograph depicting the ruins of Richmond, Virginia, after its capture by Union forces in 1865. Confederate soldiers burned everything of military value, leaving much of the city in ruins. Document from the Lawrence Collection, courtesy of the Medford Historical Society.
Photograph of the ruins of Richmond, Virginia
The capture of Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, was an important victory for the North. When Confederate soldiers abandoned the city in 1865, they burned everything thought to be of military value, leaving much of the city in ruins.
- Lawrence Collection, Courtesy of Medford Historical Society
A telegram from the War Department in Washington, D.C., authorizing Governor John Andrew to enlist a regiment of African-American cavalry. Document from the Massachusetts Archives.

Telegram

Letter from Charles Francis Adams, Jr.

Letter from Charles Francis Adams, Jr.,

The 5th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry
was organized in the Commonwealth in early 1864. The unit arrived in Virginia and fought in the opening battles around the Confederate stronghold of Petersburg. After performing guard duty over prisoners of war in Maryland, the 5th returned to Virginia and had the honor of being among the first troops to ride into Richmond, the captured capital of the Confederacy. After the end of hostilities in Virginia, the regiment was transferred to Texas before returning to Massachusetts for discharge in November 1865.