egiment
in a skirmish and charge near Dranesville, Virginia, on November 26,
1861, and, strange to relate, the first man killed was our assistant
surgeon, Dr. Alexander. The regiment's first experience of heavy firing
was in the battle of Dranesville, on December 20. This engagement was
fought by a brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, commanded by
General E. O. C. Ord, my regiment supporting Eastman's battery. The
enemy had the same number of regiments and guns that we had, and their
commanding officer was General J. E. B. Stuart, but Ord outgeneraled
him and gave us the victory, the rebels retreating from the field.

The campaign of the spring of 1862 showed what some, at least, of the
cavalry did before General Hooker offered his liberal reward for a
"dead cavalryman."[1] Those who served in the Army of the Potomac will
remember that from the fall of 1861 to the summer of 1862 the cavalry
were for the most part scattered about and used as escorts, strikers,
dog-robbers, and orderlies for all the generals and their numerous
staff officers from the highest in rank down to the second lieutenants.
The cavalry force under General George D. Bayard, then colonel of my
regiment, consisting of the First New Jersey, Second New York, and
First Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiments, was the first brigade organized
in that branch of the service in the United States army. The campaign
began with easy marches to Catlett's Station, on the Orange and
Alexandria Railroad, and scouting to Warrenton and Rappahannock
Station.

[1] In this connection it may be well to quote the following
extract from an article in the _Century Magazine_ of May, 1888,
by Colonel William F. Fox, entitled "The Chances of being hit in
Battle": "The muster-out rolls of the various mounted commands
show that there were ten thousand five hundred and ninety-six
'dead cavalrymen' who were killed in action during the war, of
whom six hundred and seventy-one were officers, the proportionate
loss of officers being greater than in the infantry."

On the morning of the 17th of April we left Catlett's Station and moved
in the direction of Falmouth. In this movement we were supported by a
brigade of infantry commanded by General Augur. On the morning of the
18th, about three o'clock, we charged upon the heights of Falmouth,
drove the enemy from their position, and captured the quaint old town,
but we were unable to save th