8th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry - Confederate
Brief History
- Organized early in 1862 with nine companies but increased its number to eleven in July.
- The unit confronted the Federals in western Virginia, fought in East Tennessee then returned to western Virginia.
- Later it participated in Early's Shenandoah Valley operations and the Appomattox Campaign.
- This regiment contained 225 effectives in April 1864. However, none were included in the surrender at Appomattox because it had cut through the Federal lines and disbanded.
- Field officers: Colonels James M. Corns and Walter H. Jenifer; Lieutenant Colonels Thomas P. Bowen, A. F. Cook, Henry Fitzhugh, and Albert G. Jenkins; and Major P. M. Edmondson.
Companies
- Many of the men were recruited in Smyth, Nelson, Kanawha, and Tazewell counties.