Union monuments - New York Artillery & Cavalry

8th New York Cavalry Regiment

The monument to the Eighth New York Cavalry Regiment is west of Gettysburg on Reynolds Avenue. (see map) It was dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the battle in 1888. It was originally located 1,000 feet to the north, nearer Chambersburg Pike, but was moved to its present location and replaced with the monument of the 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment in 1890.

The 8th New York Cavalry was commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg by Lieutenant Colonel William L. Markell. It brought 623 men to the field.

From the front of the monument:

8th N. Y. Cavalry
1st Brigade, 1st Division
Cavalry Corps

From the rear:

Casualties:
3 killed,
10 wounded,
21 missing.

Pickets of this regiment were attacked
around 5 a.m., July 1, 1863, by the advanced
skirmishers of Heth's Confederate Division.
The regiment engaged the enemy west of
Seminary Ridge, with the brigade stubbornly
contesting the ground against great odds
until about 10:30 a.m., when it was relieved
by the advance regiments of the 1st Corps.

See more about the 8th New York Cavalry Regiment in the Civil War