The 28th Cavalry fought in numerous battles of the Western theater of the American Civil War before surrendering in Alabama on May 4, 1865.

[1] Ferguson had previously served in the South Carolina militia and was one of the officers who received the surrender of the US garrison after the Battle of Fort Sumter in April, 1861.

In May, the Regiment was sent to Vicksburg under the command of General Martin Luther Smith to aid in the defense of the city during an attack by Federal gunboats.

Company I of the regiment, under Captain William H. Johnson, took part in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in December.

After the Confederate losses in the Tennessee campaign, the 28th Cavalry moved into Alabama and fought a series of skirmishes there before surrendering on May 4, 1865.