icer, Lieutenant Colonel Brewer, who commanded it, and who later in
the day, laid down his life.

The First Michigan was then ordered up to make the attempt. That
regiment moved in column down the road to the foot of the hill at the
left and halted. Two squadrons, commanded by Captain George R. Maxwell,
an officer of the most undoubted courage, were detailed as an advance
guard to lead the charge. Some minutes passed and the sharpshooters
began to annoy the mounted men of the First. Major Howrigan, of that
regiment, thinking that the Sixth ought to occupy the attention of the
enemy so completely as to shield his men from annoyance, galloped up to
where I was, and excitedly asked if we could not make it hotter for
them.

"They are shooting my men off their horses," he shouted. As he halted to
deliver this message, a bullet struck the saddlebag in rear of his left
leg. Reaching back he unbuckled the strap, lifted the flap, and pulling
out a cork inserted in the neck of what had been a glass flask,
exclaimed: "Blankety blank their blank souls, they have broken my whisky
bottle." Saying which, he wheeled and galloped back through a shower of
whistling bullets.

General Custer then sent orders by a staff officer for the Sixth to
advance dismounted and support the charge of the First. The Seventh was
also brought up mounted to charge the ford at the same time.
Preparations for this final attack were just about completed when it was
discovered that the confederates were leaving their cover and falling
back. Lowell had effected a crossing at another ford and was threatening
the flank of the force in our front. The Sixth moved forward with a
cheer. All the regiments advanced to the attack simultaneously, and the
crossing of the Opequon was won. A sharp fight followed on the other
side with Early's infantry in which a portion of the First Michigan led
by the gallant Captain Maxwell made a most intrepid charge on infantry
posted in the woods behind a rail fence.

The cavalry soon had the force opposed to it fleeing toward Winchester,
but making a stand from time to time, so that it took from daylight in
the morning until nearly three o'clock in the afternoon to cover the
distance of three or four miles between the crossing of the Opequon and
the outskirts of the town after which the battle has been named, though,
perhaps, it is more correctly styled "The battle of the Opequon."
Breckinridge's infantry and Fitzhugh Lee's cavalr