brave old colonel
(Steedman) of the Sixth Ohio said that they could stand all the shot
and shell the d--d rebels could give them, but not a hornets' nest.
Thus were some of the bravest of our soldiers ignominiously put to
flight.

And here let me call attention to another instance of the way in which
some of our generals gained reputation. When Gregg made his dashing
attack upon the enemy at Culpeper Court-House our brigade, being on the
left of his line, made a half-wheel, swept down on the flank of the
enemy, and drove away the cannoneers from their battery as well as its
supports. While we were busy in front in pursuit of these people,
having passed the guns, a brigadier-general commanding one of the other
divisions, with his staff and orderlies, rode up and had the guns
quietly hauled off the field. A few days after this I bought a copy of
a New York paper, with a flaming header in large type, announcing the
gallant and desperate charge of Kilpatrick's cavalry division, and how
its commander had led it in person and captured a battery from the
rebels. General Gregg, with his usual modesty, never protested, and we
who had done the capturing were the only ones who did the growling for
him. There is nothing like newspaper glory for promotion in time of
war, and there were only too many of such newspaper generals among us.
Gregg would never permit a newspaper correspondent about his command,
and hence our division was not appreciated, outside of army circles, as
it should have been.

In the month of October came our retrograde movement to Centreville and
Fairfax, and another great cavalry charge was witnessed between
Culpeper Court-House and Brandy Station, where we repulsed a fearful
onslaught of the rebel cavalry and drove them back upon their infantry
supports.

After we had crossed over to the north side of the Rappahannock we had
a severe dismounted engagement, and during the day, which was election
day in Ohio, the troops belonging to that State voted for State
candidates. I was detailed to personally superintend the voting in the
Sixth Ohio Cavalry. We relieved one company at a time for the purpose,
then sent them back to the front and retired the next, and so on until
the whole regiment had voted. I doubt if many of the "statesmen" of the
present day would care to mix in "practical politics" under similar
circumstances.

A few days after this I was severely hurt at Bristow Station and sent
to hospital for