USA > Michigan > An historical sketch of the Seventh regiment Michigan volunteer cavalry from its organization, in 1862, to its muster out, in 1865 > Part 3
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Wednesday, May 4. 1864, tents were struck. and. in light marching order, our column was headed for the Rapidan. At Stony Mountain we bivonacked, where we broke up our Burnside carbines and received Spencer repeating earbines in their stead.
On the 5th of May the Rapidan was crossed at Ely's Ford, and, after marching all day, a halt for the night was made on the Fredericksburg plank road near
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SEVENTH REGIMENT
Chancellorsville, a little in advance of General Grant's headquarters. About two o'clock, on the morning of · the 6th. we were in the saddle, mov- ing into the Wil- derness. The burn- 5 ing furnace was by turns a pillar of fire and cloud. Near daylight, the intersection of the Furnace road and Brock's pike was reached, where a 1 lively engagement with the enemy was already in pro- GENERAL PIHLIP SHERIDAN. gress. Turning off to the right the regiment was placed in the open as a support to a battery of Gregg- division, which position was ocen- pied nearly all day. mounted. in full range and view of the enemy's guns. Our brigade had an engage- ment with White's rebel brigade, driving it from the field and capturing a number of prisoners. At night we were drawn off in haste to the Furnace, where we were treated to a bagle concert, that continued for a long time and scemed spread over all creation.
At daylight. the morning of the 7th, we were again on the battle ground of the preceding day. where
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
the rebels were found waiting to contest the field. Although they made a stubborn fight, toward the middle of the afternoon, they were whipped, and were driven from the field, with a loss of many prisoners. Bivouac for the night was made upon the battle- field, the air un- pleasant with the odor of decompos- ing horses. The lullaby to sleep was . . the song of the bullet : since, under DAVID SARGENT, Captain Company " II." cover of darkness. the " JJohnnies" had returned, and, pushing their picket line up close to ours, were engaged in short- range picket-firing.
Sunday, May S, we were moved farther to the left, as an infantry support : but the Sixth Corps pushed back the enemy, and we marched to Locust Grove and camped for the night.
Monday, May 9, the Cavalry Corps being massed. we moved round the right flank of Lee's army, on the march toward Richmond. At Beaver Dam Station an immense amount of rebel supplies was captured
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SEVENTII REGIMENT
and destroyed, together with two railroad trains. About four hundred of our men, under rebel escort to Richmond, were recaptured. It was after dark before we bivouacked. During the night we were several times disturbed by attacks upon our pickets. and once we were compelled to shift location by a lively cartridge fusillade from a rebel ammunition- wagon that had been captured and set on fire.
Before daylight of the 10th we were again on the move, but proceeded more slowly on account of the work of destroying the railroad and of the attacks of the rebel cavalry upon our rear, going, at last, into bivouac for the night on the south side of the South Anna river. At dawn. the morning of the 11th. our pickets were sharply assailed, but the enemy quickly drew off. and the line of march toward Ashland was resumed.
About to o'clock, at the intersection of the Tele- graph road with the Brock pike. the battle of Yellow Tavern was opened by Smart, who had interposed his corps to the left and front of our advance upon Richmond. At the beginning, the regiment was sent into the woods dismounted, as a reserve for the Fifth and Sixth Michigan; but, as they pushed the enemy. it wa- withdrawn, remounted, and followed by four- in the wake of the First Michigan in its charge upon the rebel battery. From the hill. whence the battery was dislodged and a portion of it captured, we were ordered by General Custer to charge up the Telegraph road into the woods. The
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
charge was executed right gallantly, Major Granger leading : and a rebel column behind a barricade in the road was driven back in disorder. But here-by some order from the rear that has never been explained- sheer poltroonery, or a monstrous blunder on the part of the second in command-the regiment was wheeled about and retired, leaving perhaps twenty or twenty-five men to continue the charge, with the Major commanding. Lieutenant Isham, of Company " F," was in command of the first squadron, the left being in front, by inversion, and he therefore rode by the side of Major Granger. The rebel forces, giving way in our front, left an isolated group of horsemen about a battle flag about one hundred yards to our left. on higher ground than the road we were moving along. This GEORGE W. HILL .. First Lieutenant Company " G." group formed a good target for our revolvers: for. from the dust and battle smoke in our immediate front, we could scarcely distinguish friend from foe. There is little doubt that General
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Stuart was in this group; and it was on that spot, and during our charge, that he fell mortally wounded, as will appear later.
Shortly after passing the barricade, Major Granger was missed, but it was not known that he had fallen, instantly killed by several bullets, that must have struck him simultaneously. The charge of the squad continued up to the bridge, from which the enemy was beginning to remove the planks, when Lieutenants Isham and Hill, with but tive men left, three of whom were wounded. being completely surrounded and about to be annihilated, surrendered.
Major HI B. MeClellan, -Stuart's chief of staff .- in his work on the " Campaigns of Stuart's Cavalry," referring to the charge of the First Michigan, says, page 413 :
" The enemy'- charge captured our battery on the left of our live and drove back almost the entire left. Where Captain Dorsey was stationed-immediately on the Telegraph road-about so men had collected, and amongst these the General (Stuart) threw him- self, and by his personal example held them steady while the enemy charged entirely past their position.
" With these men, he fired into their flank and rear as they payed him in advancing and retreating, for they were met by a mounted charge of the First Virginia Cavalry and driven back some distance. As they retired, one man, who had been dismounted in the charge and wa- running ont on foot, turned as he passed the General, and. di-charging his pistol,
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
inflicted the fatal wound. When Captain Dorsey discovered that the General was wounded. he came at once to his assistance. and endeavored to lead him to the rear ; but the General's horse had become so un- manageable, that he insisted upon being taken down and allowed to rest against a tree."
This disposes of the story that Stuart was killed by private Jno. A. Huff, of Company ". E." Fifth Michi- gan Cavalry. If Huff produced the exhibition of a " spread eagle" for Colonel Alger's diversion, he practiced his marksmanship upon another officer than General Stuart. The pistol ball that ended the career of the rebel cavalry chief was fired by a dis- mounted or mounted man of either the First or the Seventh Michigan Cavalry. That it was the latter appears more probable from the following cireum- stances : The First. after capturing the guns bevond the Telegraph road. passed over the hill into a ravine and held its ground. Here, while it had full occupa- tion, it was never forced back to the Telegraph road. where-according to his chief of staff-Stuart had stationed himself : and, consequently. it is not prob- able that any of its dismounted men would have come within pistol range of him. On the other hand, the Seventh, which followed the First closely to the hill, whence the battery was dislodged, charged down the hill, across a ravine, and immediately up the Telegraph road into the woods, those in the van encountering a rebel column of fours in the road, which they drove back on the dead run and became
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SEVENTH REGIMENT
mixed up with. It was into the " flank and rear" of this column that the fire was poured as it passed, and any dismounted man of the Seventh " running out " must directly have passed Stuart's position had he been on the Telegraph road, where his staff officers have located him. In further corroboration is the fact that to the
left of the Sev-
enth's line of
charge was a group of mounted men about a bat- tle flag, as already
mentioned. Im- mediately after
Lieutenant I .- hi-
am's surrender
near the bridge. a rebel soldier came riding up
through the
woods from the
direction of the
battle flag. spread-
ASA B. I-HAV, First Lieutenant Company " F."
ing the intelli- gence that Stuart was shot. Upon asking Lieutenant Hogan-serving as an aide to the General-if it was true. he responded " Yes:" and on further inquiry as to the location. he pointed toward the battle flag and said. " Right down there in the woods." This
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
spot, as near as could be judged of the distance tra- versed in the excitement of a charge, was at least a quarter of a mile to the left of the First Michigan's line of charge.
An incident of the engagement that came under observation pertained to Sergt. Samuel Post, of Com- pany " H." Fully six feet high, dark complexioned, broad shouldered, and of powerful muscular develop- ment, he proved himself a veritable lion in battle, and died a hero. Only sudden glimpses could be had of him in the dust and smoke, but, from the time we struck the rebel column. his imprecations and sabre blows could be heard as he rode in advance of all others, and the weight of his sword arm, as it dealt blow upon blow, cansed many a trooper in gray to bite the dust. After the regiment had fallen back across the brook and re-formed, Captains Loomis and Fisher advanced their squadrons, dismounted, on either side of the road over the route pursued by the squad with Major Granger, past the bridge and to the top of the hill beyond. In returning they brought back the body of Major Granger, and gave it burial in the grove in front of Yellow Tavern.
It was about five o'clock in the afternoon when our charge was concluded. Then there was a general advance all along the line, and the Confederates, beaten at all points and dejected by the fall of their chief, beat a precipitate retreat. Thus ended the battle of Yellow Tavern, and the command took a
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well-earned rest for a part of the night on the field it had won.
An invaluable officer was lost to the regiment through the death of Major Henry W. Granger. Physically up to the highest mark of a soldier-straight as an arrow and well proportioned -he was not lack- ing in any of the attributes required for field service in the face of an en- terprising foe ; but was cool in action, resolute, vigilant. and bold. So highly was he valued by MAJOR HENRY W. GRANGER. General Custer that, in order to fill his place. he was constrained to detail that heroic officer. Major Melvin Brewer, of the First Michigan Cavalry, to command the regiment, and who became ours not only nominally, but in fact, by promotion to the lieutenant-coloneley in June, 1564. Major Brewer was once before in command of the regiment during the Kilpatrick raid, just after Colonel Litchfield was captured. Ile was at that time assigned to the command on account of Captain
..
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
Sproul's refusing it because he was not the ranking Captain.
In this signal discomfiture of Stuart's corps the main object of the expedition was accomplished ; for Meade-after Sheridan's remonstrances in the Wilderness about the misuse of his cavalry-had testily directed Sheridan to take his force off and whip Stuart, which Sheridan declared he could do. But although he had done a thorough job, he was not content to return until he had thrown Jeff Davis and the whole of rebeldom into consternation by menacing Richmond, and, accordingly, about one o'clock on the morning of the 12th of May, the com- mand took up its line of march over the Brock pike for Meadow Bridge on the Chickahominy. Here. after a severe engagement. in which the Seventh took a prominent part, a crossing was effected and the enemy routed with a heavy loss-in dead, wounded and prisoners. The brigade then moved to Gaines' Mills and bivonacked.
May 14th we marched to Malvern Hill and remained in that vicinity until the 17th. While here. communication was established with General Butler's army. On the evening of the 17th we were again on the move, to effect a junction with the Army of the Potomac. On the 18th we recrossed the Chick- ahominy. at Jones' Bridge, reaching Baltimore cross- roads the middle of the afternoon, where we remained until the 20th, when the brigade was detached to sever railroad connections about Hanover Court-Honse.
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SEVENTH REGIMENT
After destroying two trestle bridges and a mile of railroad track, besides capturing a considerable amount of stores, we encamped at Hanovertown, re- turning to Hanover Court-House on the morning of the 21st ; but, as the enemy was gathering in strong force, we marched over to White House Landing. crossed the Pamunky, and rested for the night about one mile from the river.
On the 23d of May we moved over near Dunkirk, where we passed the night, and on the 25th rejoined the Army of the Potomae.
May 26th we were again in the saddle, on the way to Darney's ferry, on the Painumky, which was reached about midnight and found occupied by Butler's Brigade of Cavalry. The river was crossed in the face of the enemy, that. after a sharp fight. was driven away, leaving a number of prisoners in our hands. The Seventh, together with the Fifth Michigan, then marched to Hanovertown, and pro- ceeded in the direction of Hawe's shop; but. after going a short distance, was called to the assistance of the First and Sixth Michigan, which had been assailed by a superior force of the enemy. Coming in upon the enemy's rear by a cross road, the Seventh made a sabre charge upon their left with such spirit that the enemy tled across Crump Creek and was driven three miles, with the loss of four killed. seven wounded, and thirty-even captured, together with the loss of a large number of horses which fell into our hands. It was the Maryland Independent Cavalry
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY
Brigade that was treated so unchivalrously. We bivouacked at Crump Creek, and on the morning of the 28th marched to Eanon church, by way of Hawe's shop, to the relief of Greggs' division, which was engaged with the
enemy. The troops fought dismounted, owing to the thick woods and under- brush. The engage- ment was very hot, the Seventh especially being exposed to a severe fire; but the enemy was defeated with terrible loss. Butler's Brigade of South Carolina Cav- alry was roughly J. Q. A. SESSIONS, First Lieutenant Company " D." handled, and the loss- es, in some of the seven regiments composing it, were so great as to nearly annihilate them. They had exhausted their ammunition, were huddled together, and, as they would not surrender, were shot down in droves. Possession of the ground was held until after dark. when we marched back to the Pamunky and en- camped near Tolopotomy creek. Our loss in this engagement was one killed and eighteen wounded : one, E. A. Hawly, suffering the loss of a leg.
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SEVENTHI REGIMENT
On the 29th of May we crossed the creek and made camp near New Castle ferry and there remained until three o'clock in the afternoon of the 30th, when we marched to Old Church, where General Merritt, with the reserve brigade, was engaged with the rebels. The Seventh was sent dismounted, with the First Michigan on the left ; and, after a hard fight. the enemy decamped, leaving his dead and wounded and a large number of prisoners. At Parseley's Mills, on the Matadequin. we went into camp. The middle of the afternoon of the 31st we marched toward Cold Harbor, where the reserve brigade, under Merritt, had encountered a heavy force of rebel cavalry, infantry and artillery, strongly posted. With the assistance of Custer's troopers they were routed, leaving their dead and wounded on the field.
All that night we remained in position, sleeping on our arms. On the morning of June 1st, we were attacked by a superior force of the enemy's infantry, which made a determined attempt to dislodge us, but were repul-ed with great slaughter. This was a strategic point that the General of the army had no idea the cavalry could take or hold ; but, after he dis- covered we had it, we were ordered to hold it at all hazards; and we maintained ourselves against Ker- shaw's and lloke's rebel infantry at great odds until relieved by the Sixth Corps, when we marched back to Parseley's Mills.
The ed of June we moved to Bottom's Bridge and encamped, going thence on the 4th to Old
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
Church tavern ; on the 5th were at Shedley's near Hawe's shop, and at Newcastle ferry on the 6th. On the 7th we crossed the Pamunky near Avletts, where we lay until the morning of the Sth. when we marched to Henning Creek. On June 9th we moved to Young's Bridge, and reached within a few miles of Louisa Court-House on the 10th.
About dawn, on the 11th of June, the Seventh was attacked on the Court-House road by Wickham's rebel brigade of cavalry. Being supported by the First Michigan, the Seventh maintained its ground. and the enemy drew off. The brigade then marched over a wood-road to Trevilian Station, where it was expected to unite with the other brigades of the division under Torbert. Merritt and Devin, with their brigades, moving by the direct road, encountered the enemy in dense timber about three miles from the station ; while our brigade, on reaching the station, was in the rear of Hampton's division -- between it and Fitzhugh Lee's division, which was on the Louisa Court-House road, and marching to join Hampton. The Fifth Michigan, in a mounted charge, captured Hampton's train of horses and wagons; but, in his zeal to make captures, Colonel Alger proceeded too far with his regiment, and was cut off by the enemy, who took advantage of the gap in the line made by the Fifth, rushed in, and began a desperate struggle for the possession of his captured property, that he finally succeeded in retaking. Custer was now surrounded and invested by Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee.
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SEVENTH REGIMENT
The Seventh made a number of sabre charges, driving the enemy baek, relieving the pressure, and giving time to adjust the lines. By spirited dashes it saved the guns of Pennington's battery several times when the battery was hard pressed, and recaptured considerable part of the brigade train that had fallen into the hands of the enemy, and also secured a large number of prison- ers at the close of 1 the action. The other brigades of the division, to- gether with Greggs division. JOHN B. MASTEN. First Lieutenant Company " MI." succeeded in rout- ing the enemy after we had been for some time en- gaged, and thereby relieved us from a warm position, besides enabling us to secure about five hundred prisoners in the flight of the enemy.
We had been fighting in an irregular circle extend- ing over a large territory, a circle the bounda- ries of which were continually changing. The enemy was energetically and constantly contracting it, at all points, while we were as industriously engaged in ex-
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
tending it here. there, and everywhere; and there was no place of safety anywhere. . To illustrate the close and desperate nature of the fighting, it is but neces- sary to mention the fact that Lieutenant Carver, of the Seventh, and the Confederate General, Wade Hamp- ton, emptied their revolvers at each other over one of the guns of a Rebel battery. And that neither received a serateh, although both were good marks- men with the pistol and were not more than ten feet from each other, further attests the difficulty of hitting 2 mark when on horseback. with both men and horses in a state of wildl excitement.
Our Assistant Surgeon, Dr. Geo. R. Richards, was in the hottest of the fray, giving atten- tion to the wound- edl. Amid a shower of balls, in which it seemed that nothing could escape alive, he stanched the GEORGE R. RICHARDS, Surgeon. blood-tlow from a wounded sergeant of Pennington's Battery " MI," Second U. S. Artillery, removed him to a more sheltered location. and amputated a leg. In every
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SEVENTH REGIMENT
engagement this devoted medical officer was ever at the front, giving succor to the injured. He bore a charmed life, and never received a seratch during his entire service, although under fire as often as any other member of the regiment.
Sleeping on our arms, we remained all night on the field and until four o'clock in the afternoon of the 12th, when the march was taken up toward Gordonsville. After proceeding a few miles the enemy was found in strong force and position. The Seventh was pushed forward, dismounted on the right of the rail- road, and hotly engaged the enemy. Soon the engagement became general ; but, the enemy being too strongly posted, our forces were withdrawn, after fighting for some time to no purpose and with heavy loss. About midnight we set out for the north branch of the North Anna river, which was crossed about daylight of June 13. Here we encamped.
An account of the battle of Trevilian Station by Private Daniel Eldridge. of Company " D," is here introduced :
" In the first day's fight at Trevilian Station. General Custer's command was surrounded on every side, the enemy numbering ten to our one. As the Seventh Michigan Cavalry followed the Fifth Michigan Cav- alry down, after they made the charge past the station, I was near the head of our regiment, and we halted on the left of our line some few rods south of the sta- tion, without an enemy in sight. Just then Custer and his staff came up and halted for a few minutes. I heard
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MICHIGAN VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.
General Custer tell our commander that we had the 'Johnnies surrounded,' and, pointing to the right, he said, . Torbert is over there on the next road. and we will soon make a charge.' Before the words were fairly out of his mouth our piekets were driven in upon us by a rebel column charging in open order. We were dismounted, resting, and so sudden was the onset that we had barely time to mount our horses before they were upon us. We were ordered to the left, and passed through a narrow point of woods out into an open field, and tried to form a line of battle. Just then a large force of rebels charged on us from the southeast, and there was spirited fighting on all sides. We met and resisted charge after charge. Custer's colors went down three times, and the last time, as the color bearer was shot. the General, after endeav- oring in vain to wrest the staff from the color-bearer's death grip, and being closely pressed by the enemy. tore the colors from the standard and thrust them in his bosom, declaring that the rebels would have to take his life before he would give up the flag. In one of the charges some sixty or eighty of us were ent off and forced to the south. I think there was a whole division of the rebels. and as soon as we were cut off from the main body of our command. they pursued us most vigorously. I had captured a flag. but did not think in the excitement to tear it off the standard. so I car- ried it about two miles and then threw it into the brush, only caring to save myself. We finally got away from the rebels, and, after wandering about all
1
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SEVENTH REGIMENT
day and all night, discovered our pickets about day- light in the morning, and rejoined our command, with which we took part in the second day's tight.
" The second day's battle was fought with the men entirely dismounted. The rebels had thrown up earthworks during the night. Their works extended across the railroad, and were on a high ridge in the open fields, with batteries in the rear of their works. In front of their works was a field ten or twenty rods wide, then dense woods about half a mile through. Our army was on the north side of the woods.
" On the morning of June 12, after drawing all the ammunition we could carry, our skirmish line began to advance through the woods, and drove the rebel skirmishers behind their works. We advanced up to the edge of the field, in front of the rebel works, and then began one of the hottest battles I saw during the Rebellion. Our men crawled up on their hands and knees to the rail fence that ran along the edge of the woods, when we opened on the enemy, the most of us lying flat on the ground behind trees and logs. We fought Indian style, every man to suit himself. Our foes were in easy range, and every time we saw one we tired, and the way they poured lead at us was terrible. Soon their batteries opened on us, and they tried to shell us out of the woods. We could not reach their gunners with our carbines, but kept pegging away at their men in the works. They en- deavored to get their batteries to fire on the rail fence. but only a few shells took effect. as the shells mostly
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