opportunity to come into
action. The situation was apparently critical in the extreme.

The only available regiment at the time to throw into the breach was the
Sixth Michigan and that was just starting to move out of the woods where
it had been encamped during the night. It was not supposed then that the
battle was joined and, indeed, the expectation was that the march was to
be a continuation of that of the previous day, although the picket
firing in the early morning indicated the close proximity of the enemy.
But that had been the case for a morning or two before. Before mounting,
the officer in command had thoughtlessly acceded to the request of a
brother officer to ride a spirited and nervous black horse belonging to
the latter, as he expressed it, "To take the ginger out of him." In
place of the regulation McClellan saddle the horse was equipped with one
of those small affairs used by jockeys in riding race horses. This had
been picked up en route. Horse and saddle certainly made an attractive
looking mount, but not such an one as a cavalry officer with a sound
mind would select for close work on the battle line. The narration of
these circumstances will enable the reader to judge of how little the
subordinate officers knew of the real impending situation. It can be
stated with absolute certainty that the officers of the Sixth were
innocent of any knowledge of the fact that Custer had started out for a
fight, up to the moment when they were ordered to mount and move out of
the woods into a road running along the east side.

The commander of the regiment, mounted as described, and leading the
column of files, not having yet formed fours, on account of the woods
and brush, had barely reached the edge of the woods by the road, when a
member of the brigade staff brought the order to, "Take the gallop and
pass the battery." It is probable that this order was sent at the same
time that the Fifth was sent forward to capture the train. Custer of
course supposed that the Sixth was in column of fours in the road behind
the battery. The commanding officer of the Sixth had moved out in
compliance with orders and knew nothing about the conditions in front.
The command, "Form fours, gallop, march" was given and a touch of the
spur sent the black steed flying toward the front, followed as quickly
as possible by the leading squadron of the regiment. A regimental staff
officer remained to repeat the order to the other squadrons