"The 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry included the only organized group (five companies totaling 502 men) from California to fight in the east during the Civil War. Led by a young Boston aristocrat, Colonel Charles R. Lowell, these men began their wartime careers in Northern Virginia in 1862, clashing with the partisan rangers of Major John S. Mosby in a deadly world of guerrilla warfare.

In August of 1864, the regiment was assigned to Major General Phil Sheridan's Army of Shenandoah and served through all of the battles in the victorious campaign to clear the valley of Confederates, witnessing the final surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.".

"This account tells what these men from California and Massachusetts accomplished, how they worked together, and how they viewed themselves. The book contains three appendices that list the battle casualties of the regiment during its largest engagements. Photographs and a bibliography are also included."--BOOK JACKET.