National Archives has the official documents on the Confederate Cavalry. JEB Stewart was fighting Indian’s in the S. W. when he jumped ship and several of the Southern Boys he served with joined him on his journey back to Virginia. I don’t recall if he officially resigned or not. They volunteered their services to General Jackson. Stewart’s men help train Jackson’s cavalry. Just about any book on General Wheeler or the Confederate Cavalry Corps should do. None of the enlisted troopers were worried about being treasonous. They considered them yankee invaders as the treasonous lot. All were pardoned after the war and some even rejoined the U. S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars. Some of the Cavalry Offices also returned to the U.S. Cavalry but they could not hold a command position. If your into the hours soldier history, may I suggest you pick up the tree volume’s of Randy Steffen’s book The House Soldier.

Half or better of the Confederate Army Officers use to be in the US Army as did most of the Confederate Navy Captain’s use to be in the US Navy. The enlisted and some of the West Point Cadets headed South to protect their homes, from the invading yankees. Just finished the History of the Confederate States Navy by J. Thomas Scharf 1894. Confederate Military History Vol. 3 1899, is another good one, just need to find volume 5 & 10.

None of the Cavalry Regiments were at full strength, per Army regulations. The 6th was designated as the training regiment by Congress. All Troopers had to know how to read and write. Most of the farm boys and city boys from up north, didn’t have the riding skills & reading skills, thats why the Army had schools at some of the forts to teach reading & writing. It took two years to train a Trooper and Congress didn’t add more Cavalry Regiments during the war. The ranks of the regular Cavalry sometimes were filled with State Cavalry Volunteers, i.e., the 7th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, Custer’s old Regiment. Those flags survive in the Michigan archives. I gave the museum number in an earlier post. Also gave the break down on the reorganization of the old Hours Soldier’s regiments to the new Cavalry regiments.

After the war, the Cavalry had the same problem with filling the ranks, for the Indian Wars.

The 6th got beat up by ex Federal Cavalry Officer’s & ex Federal Troopers, under the command of JEB Stewart.

For you & all that read this, there are some good sources available on the net, for books google books is good. For newspaper articles, the New York Times has an online archives. I think they are going to put up a pay wall soon, as of now, a lot of the articles are free. Footnote is a great newspaper search site. As is the Newspaper archives. The last two are pay sites.

Happy Trails!
Tom Martin