ucceeded in escaping with their lives.

This charge which Kilpatrick in his official report characterized as
"the most gallant ever made," was described by a confederate eye-witness
who was on the hill with Pettigrew and who wrote an account of the
affair for a southern paper several years ago, as "a charge of
dare-devils."

[Illustration: PETER A. WEBER]

In the meantime, just as Weber's command was repulsed, the other
squadrons of the regiment began to arrive, and were hurried across the
field to the foot of the hill, and there dismounted to fight, dressing
to the left as they successively reached the alignment and opening fire
with their Spencers at once. But having disposed of the two mounted
troops, the confederates filled the earthworks, and began to send a
shower of bullets at those already formed or forming below.

My troop was the fourth from the rear of the regiment, and consequently
several preceded it on the line. When I reached the fence, along the
side of the field next the woods, I found Lieutenant A.E. Tower, who
since the death of Jewett had been acting adjutant, at the gap giving
orders. He directed me to take my command across the field, and form on
the right of that next preceding. I had ridden so rapidly that only a
few men had kept up the pace, and the remainder were strung out for some
distance back. But taking those that were up, and asking the adjutant to
tell the others to follow, I dashed into the field, and soon found that
we were the targets for the enemy on the hill, who made the air vibrant
with the whiz of bullets. It was hot, but we made our way across without
being hit, and reached the place where the regiment was trying to form,
under fire of musketry from the hill, and getting badly cut up. Reining
up my horse, I gave the order, "Dismount, to fight on foot" and,
glancing back, saw my men coming in single file, reaching to the
fence--probably an eighth of a mile--and the rear had not yet left the
woods. The two leading sets of fours which alone were closed up obeyed
the order and, dismounting to direct the alignment, I stepped in front
of my horse, still holding the bridle rein in my right hand, when a
minie bullet from the hill in front with a vicious thud went through my
right foot, making what the surgeon in Washington afterwards said was
the "prettiest wound I ever saw."

I tried to stand but could not. The foot was useless. Private
Halleck--the same who was eating wheat at Ha