hey were certainly made as required. General Custer's reports
cover that regiment, of course, as they do the others in the brigade,
but it is unfortunate that these are not supplemented by those of the
regimental commander. Until the volumes successively appeared, he was
not aware of this defect; nor did he ever receive from any source an
intimation of it, or have opportunity to supply the deficiency. Hence,
it appeals to him as a duty to remedy, so far as it can be done at this
late day, the omissions in the record as published of this gallant
regiment.

From the beginning to the end of the campaign of 1864, in Virginia--from
the Wilderness, May 4, to Cedar Creek, October 19--except for a single
month when he was in command of the brigade, the writer was present with
and commanded the Sixth Michigan cavalry. Not a single day was he
absent from duty, nor did he miss a battle or skirmish in which the
regiment was engaged. Reports were made, but as we have shown they did
not find their way into the war department. No copies were retained, so
there is a hiatus in the record. There are numerous cases of a similar
kind. Some officers, there is reason to believe, were smart enough to
seek and were given the opportunity to restore the missing links.

The Trevilian raid resulted from the seeming necessity of drawing the
confederate cavalry away from the front of the army of the Potomac while
the movement of the latter from the Chickahominy to the James was in
progress. Sheridan was ordered to take two divisions and proceed to
Charlottesville, on the Virginia Central railroad. Incidentally he was
to unite there with the force operating under General Hunter in the
direction of Lynchburg. He decided to take the First and Second
divisions (Gregg and Torbert). Wilson with the Third division was to
remain with the army, taking his orders directly from General Meade.

As we have seen, the expeditionary force, before making the start, was
at Newcastle Ferry, on the south bank of the Pamunkey river. Three days'
rations to last five days were ordered to be taken in haversacks; also
two days' forage strapped to the pommels of the saddles; one hundred
rounds of ammunition--forty on the person, sixty in wagons; one medical
wagon and eight ambulances; Heaton's and Pennington's batteries; and a
pontoon train of eight boats. The brigade commanders were: Custer,
Merritt, Devin, Davies and Irvin Gregg. In the Michigan brigade there
had been so