DANIEL NICHOLS -- 16th CAVALRY and 3rd PROVISIONAL CAVALRYCLOSE CALLS WITH THE GREY GHOST - On January 17, 1863, the SpragueCavalry received permission to form. In July 1863, authority to recruitthe Washington Light Cavalry was given. At the end of July and after the20th Infantry's term of service expired; the three organizations wereconsolidated to become the 16th Regiment of Cavalry. They organized inPlattsburg and were mustered into service for three years and left forWashington as each company formed.Daniel Nichols enlisted in February 1864, in Mooers with seven othermen. They were recruited to help fill out the ranks after the 16thsuffered 18 casualties at Dranesville, VA, about 15 miles west of thecapital on the Potomac River.Until the end of the war, the regiment was repeatedly in action innorthern Virginia and fought a number of engagements against JohnSingleton Mosby, the Grey Ghost, and his partisan rangers. After theBattle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, Mosby and his senior officerJ.E.B. Stuart led raids behind Union lines in Prince William, Fairfax,and Louden Counties all within 50 miles of Washington. They were seekingto disrupt federal communications and supplies between the capital andFredericksburg, as well as provision their own forces.The 16th had 24 engagements in 1864 andthree more in March 1865, the last being at Vienna, VA, a few miles westof Washington. In August 1865, the regiment was consolidated into the3rd Provisional Cavalry, and they mustered out at Camp Barry innortheast Washington on September 21, 1865. Although the regiment had197 casualties during its three years, Daniel escaped being one of the144 who were captured by the enemy. Daniel and his wife, Julia Grigware,moved to Massachusetts for work and lived near her parents in Ludlow.Julia Died in 1906 and was buried in the Island Pond Cemetery with herparents. Daniel lived until he was 83 years old, died in 1926 and wasburied beside Julia.
