Cavalry, Carbines and Cold Steel at Egypt Station

Edwin M. Main is one of the rare individuals whose Civil War service spanned some of the first and last operations of the Civil War. He is also unusual that he served for five years as a volunteer soldier. In July 1861, Main was a special orderly to Gen. George B. McClellan during the Battle of Rich Mountain, Va. Later, as a sergeant in the 4th Illinois Cavalry, he distinguished himself in the battles of Fort Donelson and Shiloh. But it was his last stint, as the major of the 3rd U.S. Colored Cavalry from 1863-1866, that prompted him to write his autobiography. Here's an excerpt.
"Life on the Civil War Research Trail" is hosted by Ronald S. Coddington, Editor and Publisher of Military Images magazine. Learn more about our mission to showcase, interpret and preserve Civil War portrait photography at militaryimagesmagazine.com and shopmilitaryimages.com.
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[@conradnelson5283]

That guy can write. Very compelling story.

[@happychildhood591]

Thank you Ron for another very interesting account of an action that I was not at all familiar with!

[@peterschief9778]

It’s interesting to hear a cavalry engagement we don’t cone across many of them outside records of the rebellion

[@oldgeezerproductions]

Congratulations on yet another extremely interesting personal history giving insight into another important, if lesser known, aspect of Civil War combat and an otherwise forgotten hero of that war. Edwin Main's apprenticeship as a sergeant in the Illinois Cavalry gave him the experience and training to become a major in the 3rd U.S. Colored Cavalry. He must have had a remarkable personality to overcome the common prejudices of that age and to gain the respect of his troops so that he could successfully lead them in battle. In a previous posting, I mentioned how I, a cavalry re-enactor myself, met up with a group of black cavalry re-enactors and how pleased and proud I was to be in their company. Of course, we have read of the great work the infantry and artillery always did, but it is my (somewhat prejudiced) opinion that the Union really didn't start winning and putting an end to the War until its cavalry arm was perfected. And indeed the Union Cavalry was a model of elaborate perfection in the second half of the War. By the same token, the early Confederate successes were do, in part, to their (initially) unquestionably superior cavalry that later degenerated to a shadow of its former self by lack of an organized remount service and little or no facilities for training recruit cavalry. Of course, heavy weight, large caliber, minie bullets fired from long range rifled muskets are certain death to massed formations of cavalry, but when the troops are dismounted and operating as dragoons, with breech loading or repeating carbines and 6 shot revolvers, these kinds of troops are very effective at rapidly plugging gaps, exploiting fast developing battlefield opportunities and slowing enemy movements under the principle of "he that fights and then runs away may live to fight another day." The cavalry with its highly trained troopers, its advanced and expensive equipment, its elaborate horse accoutrements and the superbly trained and very costly horses, are way too valuable to risk by staying planted and simply "slugging it out." Under the right circumstances, where practical and unobstructed by defenses, a mounted cavalry charge with sharp, gleaming, slashing and stabbing sabers, with 1,500 pounds of horse and soldier coming at you at a gallop and ready to dismember and chop you in pieces, then trample what's left of you to just a greasy spot where you had been, is a terrifying sight and enough to unnerve the most disciplined formations.

[@wmschooley1234]

Black soldiers in blue, armed with swords and carbines and fighting in Mississippi must have caused some of those rebels to re-think the irony of being killed, wounded or captured by a black man.

[@althesmith]

Probably scared the crap out of them. Payback can be a bitch.

[@wmschooley1234]

@@althesmithSo true. Armed blacks and slave uprisings were always a huge fear in the south.

[@MalzoneFan]

Major General Patrick Cleburne had proposed enlisting slaves in the Confederate army and in return making those who'd served "bravely" free men. Among those who disagreed was a fellow officer who opined (and I'm paraphrasing) "if the slave proves himself equal to the white man in battle then our position on slavery is wrong." I guess General Cleburne would have had the last word on the matter had he not been murdered along with almost two thousand other CSA soldiers by Hood at the battle of Franklin.

[@wmschooley1234]

Murdered?? battle casualties due to Hood's incompetency and stiff union resistance