The histories I've read show that the when the 50th VA Infantry was formed in 1861, it had 3 cavalry companies. Within a year, these companies plus cavalry companies from other regiments were combined into a single regiment and became the 8th Virginia Cavalry.

In reading some of the histories from both the 50th infantry and the 8th cavalry it seems that the men of these regiments continued to have some sort of informal interaction through out the War. I had ancesters in both units (brothers and cousins) and so, it's probable that they made it a point to look each other up when the two units were near each other.

My great grandfather (Matthew Henry Deatherage) and a couple of his cousins enlisted with Co K of the 50th in June of 1861 but, ggrandad was released in November of that year for medical reasons (hernia). The compiled service history cards show that Matthew Henry later re-enlisted in the 8th Va Cavalry (Co B) in February, 1863.

Letters in the family history describe how Matthew Henry talked about how much he admired Gen. Stonewall Jackson and "was there (Chancellorsville) when the general was killed ... " . But, something doesn't jive with the location of the 8th cavalry at that time. Jackson's attack and his wounding occurred on 2 May 1863; according to the history I can find on the 8th Va Cav, they were not at Chancellorsville at the time but were enroute to the Shenandoah valley from western Virginia.

However, the 50th Va Infantry was under Jackson's command at Chancellorsville and was in the forefront of his flank attack on May 2nd. The regiment's location on the battle field was very near Jackson at the time of his wounding.

Does anyone know if it would have been a common practice for soldiers to move back an forth between 'related' infantry and cavalry regiments?

Or was ggrandad just reciting war stories what he heard from his cousins that stayed in the 50th ...