| 1st West Virginia Cavalry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 West Virginia honorable discharge medal | |
| Active | July 10, 1861, to July 8, 1865 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance |  Union West Virginia |
| Branch | Cavalry |
| Engagements | Battle of Kernstown I (6 co.) Battle of Hanover Battle of Gettysburg Battle of Hagerstown Battle of Boonsboro Battle of Mine Run Battle of Cove Mountain Battle of Lynchburg Battle of Rutherford's Farm Battle of Kernstown II Battle of Moorefield Battle of Opequon Battle of Fisher's Hill Battle of Cedar Creek Battle of Waynesboro, Virginia Battle of Dinwiddie Court House Battle of Five Forks Battle of Sailor's Creek Battle of Appomattox Station Battle of Appomattox Court House |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel | Henry Anisansel 1861–62 |
| Colonel | Nathaniel P. Richmond 1862–63 |
| Colonel | Henry Capehart 1863–64 |
| Lt. Colonel | Charles E. Capehart 1864 |
| Major | Harvey Farabee 1864–65 |
The 1st West Virginia Cavalry Regiment served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although it started slowly, it became one of the most active and effective of the West Virginia Civil War regiments—and had 14 Medal of Honor recipients, the most for any West Virginia regiment during the war. It was originally called the 1st Virginia Cavalry, not to be confused with the Confederate 1st Virginia Cavalry. Some reports added "Union," "Loyal" or "West" when identifying this regiment. After the Unionist state of West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union in 1863, the regiment became the 1st West Virginia Cavalry Regiment. The National Park Service identifies it as the 1st Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry.
The regiment was organized in Wheeling, Morgantown and Clarksburg in 1861 and consisted of 13 companies, plus an additional company that was attached for most of the war. Members were predominately recruited from Ohio and Pennsylvania and the western Virginia counties of Marshall, Monongalia, Harrison and Ohio. The regiment was often split during the first two years of the war, with detachments spending time guarding the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and hunting bushwhackers. During July 1863, ten companies of the regiment fought at the Battle of Gettysburg as part of a division.
The regiment began fighting in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley during the second half of 1864. At the beginning of 1865, it became part of the 3rd Brigade in General George Armstrong Custer's Third Division, Cavalry Corps—which, along with another division was under the command of General Philip Sheridan. Sheridan's two cavalry divisions were responsible for eliminating Confederate General Jubal Early's Army of the Valley from the war, and also played an important part in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. After the war, the 1st West Virginia Cavalry participated in the Grand Review of the Armies, and was mustered out on July 8, 1865.