ur
guns. Then our bold Custer came dashing over the field at the head of
the First Michigan Cavalry, with his yellow locks flying and his long
sabre brandishing through the air. He looked like a fiend incarnate,
the fire of battle burning in his eyes. In the mean time the dismounted
men poured in a withering fire with their carbines upon both flanks of
the rebel columns. What a sight this was! The enemy's horses climbing
over each other, rearing and plunging, many of their men being struck
in the back by the fore feet of the horses in their rear. Then McIntosh
and his staff charged with their orderlies, sabring right and left.
Such a horrible din it was, amid the clashing of sabres and continuous
roll of the small-arms and the curses and demands to surrender. I do
not wish to be egotistical, but will quote from an account of the
fight: "For minutes, which seemed like hours, the Confederate column
stood its ground. Captain Thomas, of the staff, seeing that a little
more was needed to turn the tide, cut his way over to the woods on the
right, where he knew he could find Hart, who had remounted his squadron
of the First New Jersey. In the melee, near the colors, was an officer
of high rank, and the two headed the squadron for that part of the
fight. They came within reach of him with their sabres, and then it was
that Wade Hampton was wounded."

Captain William E. Miller, of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, and
Captain Hart, from the right of the field, charged their squadrons
through the rear portion of the columns, and the former almost reached
the rebel batteries. The desperate charging of these two squadrons
seemed to me to turn the tide of battle. In this charge of Hart's
squadron was another gallant though modest cavalryman, Lieutenant
Edward H. Parry, who as a staff officer rode side by side with me in
many severe engagements. Eventually the rebel cavalry were driven from
the field never to return except as guests of the victors, twenty-three
years after the battle, and as citizens of a country they tried to
destroy. It is not difficult to conjecture what would have been the
result had these seven thousand cavalrymen succeeded in reaching the
Baltimore pike, striking the reserve artillery and trains at the moment
when Pickett was moving up to the assault of Cemetery Ridge.

On the night of July 4 our brigade moved over to the left of the army
to picket in front of Round Top. I will never forget that night. It was
r