nce, from my baptism of fire at Falling Waters on July
1, 1861, down to Jetersville, April 5, 1865, I never was under such a
terrific fire of shot, shell, and musketry as in this movement in
General Franklin's front. The shot and shell seemed to make the
atmosphere blue. Our loss in men was very small, but in horses large.
Poor Martin was wounded and made a cripple for life.

In this battle of Fredericksburg fell mortally wounded my beau-ideal of
a cavalry general. Quick to act, brave to a fault, careful of his men,
and dearly beloved by his whole command was General George D. Bayard,
the Sheridan of our army in the early days of the war. His last words
to his adjutant-general (Captain H. C. Weir) were, "Give my compliments
to General Burnside, and say that I desire Colonel Dave Gregg to
command my cavalry," and then he expired.

A few days after this our old stand-by, General David McM. Gregg,
assumed command of our brigade. He was well dubbed "Old Reliable." He
proved himself to be the Stonewall of our cavalry corps.

Early in the year 1863 the cavalry was organized into a corps under the
command of General Stoneman, the First Division under General
Pleasonton, the Second under General Averell, and the Third under
General Gregg. Our duties during the winter were not very arduous. On
April 1 an order came from the War Department detailing me for duty as
inspector-general on the staff of General Gregg.

On April 29 we moved out of camp, crossed the Rappahannock and Rapidan
Rivers, pushed boldly into the enemy's country, and soon came back
faster than we went. As a stupid failure "Stoneman's Raid" was a
complete success. Our only accomplishments were the burning of a few
canal-boats on the upper James River (at Columbia), some bridges,
hen-roosts, and tobacco-houses.

This campaign of Stoneman's put a damper upon Bayard's old cavalry
command. Many times have I had a quiet laugh when remembering
conversations with brother officers about our new corps commander, who
promised to show General Hooker a few dead cavalrymen. His career,
however, was happily soon cut short, and he was succeeded by General
Pleasonton, who, afterwards, at Gettysburg, according to his own
account, offered to give General Meade a lesson as to how to make a
great general out of himself.

Under the new leadership came the cavalry battle of Brandy Station, or
Fleetwood, as it is called by the rebels. This was the beginning of the
Gettysburg camp