s.
We then retired within our lines near Wilcox's Landing. This retreat
would never have happened had it not been that Sheridan and the other
division were in entire ignorance of what was going on in their rear,
for the enemy had captured all dispatches sent to him by Gregg, several
officers and men being taken prisoners while performing this messenger
duty. Our losses in killed, wounded, and captured upon the field were
very heavy. But we did well, considering that the numbers opposed to us
were three or four to one, and did not lose a single wheel, though we
were pretty severely knocked about.

The cavalry corps were, on June 28, ferried across the James River to
the south side, and we moved up towards Petersburg, taking position on
the left and rear of our army at that point. During the months of July
and August, Sheridan was kept very busy marching his cavalry from the
left of the Army of the Potomac over to the right of the Army of the
James and back again. In every one of these movements we were hotly
engaged dismounted, and struck some severe blows, invariably killing
some general officer belonging to the enemy. On one of these occasions,
after moving over to the right, Sheridan was ordered to embark two of
his divisions upon transports, and instead of going up the James he
went down, crossed the bay and went up the Potomac to Washington, and
thence to the Shenandoah Valley. The history of his succeeding campaign
is familiar to all.

Gregg's division remained with the Army of the Potomac, covering its
left and rear, taking the advance in all reconnoissances in force made
by the army. During one of the engagements at Ream's Station, Colonel
Chamberlain, of the First Massachusetts Cavalry, was wounded in the arm
by a "tree-frog," or sharp-shooter. I asked him why he was limping
around in such a funny manner. His reply was, "Damn it, Tommy, if you
were wounded in the arm you would limp too." We saw the fellow who
fired the shot and ran some men to the bottom of the tree. Chamberlain
gave the order to fire, when down came Mr. Tree-Frog looking like a
bundle of rags. In this same engagement Mahone's division was repulsed
three times by the First District of Columbia Cavalry, dismounted. This
regiment was composed of Maine men and was shortly afterwards
consolidated with the First Maine Cavalry. It was armed with the Henry
rifle (sixteen-shooter), and was composed of veterans who could not be
excelled for coolness an