JoAnne,

As you suspected, you are talking about a different unit than the others. I was hoping someone who knew about these things better than I would answer this query and the 24 April one you placed in the Rootsweb MO-CW forum about the "Old Third," but that didn't happen.

First, I believe these other guys are referring to the 3rd MO Cavalry Regiment, but that doesn't matter for our discussion. There was also the 3rd Cavalry Missouri State Militia Regiments (the "old" and the "new" ones), and several other MO Union regiments numbered "third" and several Confederate ones, too.

The Missouri State Militia program was organized and recruited during late winter 1861/1862 under approval and auspices of the federal government to provide Missouri with it's own active duty protection force to hold the state against southern challenges. These troops were "federalized," for pay, equipment, subsistence, and other purposes, which also gave federal authorities some say in the MSM program. They exerted this "say" in the MSM program in early 1863 by insisting MO Union authorities consolidate the program and eliminate some partial regiments and odds and ends into viable regiments of the prescribed size. For the "old" 3rd Cav MSM regiment, this meant on 4 Feb 1863 in Special Order # 12 that the regiment be broken up with some companies going to the 6th and others going to the 7th Cav MSM Regiments. The existing 10th Cav MSM Regiment was redesignated as the "new" 3rd Cav MSM Regiment. Clear as mud, right? If you want more details contact me at Mapmaker3@aol.com.

Since you had an ancestor in the "old" 3rd Cav MSM, he could possibly have also performed duty in the 6th or 7th Cav MSM, and you could only be sure if your requested a copy of his military service record from NARA in Washington, D.C. and/or MO State Archives in Jeff City.

Bruce Nichols