The unit participated in Frederick Steele's expedition to Little Rock in 1863, fighting at Brownsville, Ashley's Mills, and Bayou Fourche.

[1] The Blackhawk Cavalry organized at Henderson and Laclede, Missouri (Camp Morgan) between 14 November and 31 December 1861.

The other field officers were Lieutenant Colonel William Bishop and Majors Andrew H. Linder and David McKee.

[3] Huston graduated from the United States Military Academy and had 12 years experience serving in the US Army.

[1] At the First Battle of Independence on 11 August 1862, Buel commanded about 350 Union soldiers, including a detachment of the 7th Missouri Cavalry.

Approximately 800 Confederates and bushwhackers under John T. Hughes, Upton Hays, Gideon W. Thompson, and William Quantrill surprised the Federals at dawn, driving off the troops at the jail and surrounding Buel at the bank building.

The attackers overran the camp, but when they turned aside to loot the tents, the Federals rallied behind a nearby stone wall.

Fearful of being massacred by Quantrill's men, Buel insisted on surrendering his entire force to Thompson with the promise that they would be treated as prisoners of war.

[6] Shocked by the bold attack on Independence, Union forces converged on the area in an attempt to drive out the Confederates and bushwhackers.

They were supposed to cooperate with Fitz Henry Warren with 500 Union soldiers from Clinton, Missouri and James G. Blunt with a 2,500-strong column from Fort Scott, Kansas.

[8] Foster's troops arrived in Lone Jack, Missouri on the evening of 15 August, unaware that the other two columns were still distant.

Having heard that the bushwhackers gave no quarter, Foster's soldiers fought desperately until late afternoon.

[1] When the Army of the Frontier entered Arkansas on 17 October, many soldiers in the regiment protested that their terms of enlistment prohibited them from serving outside Missouri.

Colonel Huston appealed to the men "in the name of God and patriotism and the state of Missouri" to perform their duty, but a body of troopers still resisted.

Four companies of the 20th Wisconsin Infantry were summoned and, in the face of this threat, the soldiers finally consented to serve in Arkansas.

[10] After a night march on 27–28 October, the 7th Missouri Cavalry and other 2nd Division units occupied Fayetteville, Arkansas.

[12] At the Battle of Prairie Grove on 7 December 1862, the regiment was part of John G. Clark's 1st Brigade in the 2nd Division.

[4] Starting on the morning of 4 December, the 2nd Division force marched 105 mi (169 km) on bad roads in bitterly cold weather in response to Blunt's appeal for reinforcements.

Unknown to the hapless Union cavalrymen, Thomas C. Hindman's army bypassed Blunt's division and marched north to crush Herron's approaching force.

Scouts quickly detected Bredett's column and Confederate cavalry division commander John S. Marmaduke assigned the brigades of Joseph O. Shelby and Emmett MacDonald to attack.

After a brief halt for breakfast on 19 January, Clayton's force skirmished with Confederate cavalry about 8 mi (13 km) south of Bayou Bartholomew.

After their opponents withdrew, the Union cavalry pursued 7 mi (11 km) to Branchville where they occupied a Confederate camp.

[1] Steele at Camden sent Francis M. Drake with 1,200 Federal infantry, 240 wagons, and some cavalry and artillery to Pine Bluff on 23 April in order to get more supplies.

That day, Drake's column was ambushed at Marks' Mills by Confederate cavalry under James F. Fagan, Joseph O. Shelby, and William Lewis Cabell and compelled to surrender after a five-hour fight.