THOMAS W. DOWNS -- 2nd VETERAN CAVALRYFOUGHT IN ARIZONA - In May 1863, Thomas W. Downs was a 22-year-old masonwhen he was placed on the Draft Registration List for Keeseville in the16th Congressional District of New York. Less than a year later, heenlisted in the 2nd Veteran Cavalry in Keeseville in February 1864. Hewas the son of Irish immigrants Edward Downs, also a mason and Ann Lacy,and had an older brother, who was a mason like his father.In its 2-year existence the regiment, known as the Empire Light Cavalry,recruited 1,894 to join its ranks. Thomas was assigned to Company I andjoined the regiment while they were at the Cavalry Depot in Washington.They almost immediately left by boat to join the Army and Department ofthe Gulf in Louisiana.In April and May the regiment was on the Red River Campaign with theobjective of capturing Shreveport so that the Confederacy could nolonger export sugar and cotton. The expedition was a failure and endedthe career of General Nathaniel Banks.For the rest of 1864, the 2nd Veteran Cavalry was engaged in raids andscouting expeditions along the Mississippi in Louisiana and Mississippiand accumulated over 90 casualties. In 1865, they moved to southernFlorida and Alabama with a foray into Georgia under BG BenjaminGrierson. The regiment finally mustered out at Talladega, AL, in earlyNovember.After the war he enlisted in the regular Army and went West. In Arizona,the 21st Infantry protected transportation routes, escorted US maildeliveries, scouted Indian movements and built new wagon routes. Theregiment\'s troops frequently clashed with Apache Indians. Thomas wasdischarged in 1869 at Fort Grant in Arizona.
