Formed in the spring of 1862, the 2nd Cavalry took part in many battles of the western theater in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee before surrendering in April 1865.

As part of General Earl Van Dorn's cavalry corps, the 2nd Regiment fought in the Battle of Thompson's Station in Tennessee in March 1863.

Under orders from General Nathan B. Forrest, the 2nd took part in the capture of a Federal fort at Brentwood, Tennessee the same month,[2] and fought at the First Battle of Franklin in April.

[3] During the Vicksburg Campaign, the regiment was sent to the Big Black River and covered the retreat of General Joseph E. Johnston's troops to Jackson.

After the Confederate defeat in Georgia, the regiment took part in General John Bell Hood's Tennessee Campaign, fighting at Columbia, Spring Hill, Franklin, and Murfreesboro.