, a distance of about six miles. By that time, Lomax
had his entire division up and when we started to fall back again, gave
us a Roland for our Oliver, following sharply, but always declining the
invitation to come on, when we halted and faced him. It was particularly
annoying to the Fifth which brought up the rear and distinguished itself
greatly by the stubborn resistance which it offered to the attacks of
the enemy. Captain Shier's squadron of the First, supported the Fifth
with much spirit.

On the morning of the 9th, Sheridan told Torbert to go out and whip the
cavalry that was following us or get whipped himself. It was a short job
and the battle of Tom's Brook is regarded as one of the humorous
incidents of the war. With slight loss, in a very brief engagement,
Rosser and Lomax were both routed and the pursuit of the latter on the
pike was continued for about twenty miles. The battle known in history
as that of "Tom's Brook," was facetiously christened "The Woodstock
Races," and the confederate cavalry cut little figure in Virginia
afterwards. The Michigan brigade had a prominent part in the battle,
being in the center and forming the connecting link between the First
and Third divisions. In the opening attack the confederate center was
pierced by the mounted charge of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Michigan,
assisted by the Twenty-fifth New York. The First being on picket during
the previous night had not returned to the command. I believe I am right
in claiming that the first impression made on the enemy's line of battle
was by these regiments, though the line was rather thin, for the reason
that the heaviest part of Rosser's force had been massed in front of
Custer and on the pike, making the center an especially vulnerable
point. When the flight began, they took to the roads, and the Michigan
men being in the woods did not get very far into the "horse race," as it
was called. The First, coming from the picket line, trailed the leaders
along the pike and managed to get a good deal of sport out of it with
very little danger.

I must now pass over the few intervening days to the crowning glory of
the campaign, The Battle of Cedar Creek.

CHAPTER XXII

THE BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK

The engagement which took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, on
the nineteenth day of October, 1864, will take its place high up in the
list of the decisive battles of history. Like Blenheim and Balaklava,
Cedar Cree