of the little force, dashed their horses against the circular brush fence, which was only breast high, with infuriated shouts and curses. But the Michigan troops were cool and determined; they loaded fast and aimed well, and, as the troopers rushed on upon all sides, they were met with staggering volleys almost at the muzzle of the muskets. Horses and riders recoiled again and again until they despaired, and soon swept away through the dense forests, leaving over fifty of their dead upon the field, which were buried by our forces. The ground all around that small circle of brush was strewn with dead horses of the rebel troopers, and with their clothing, guns, &c. Truly this was one of the most gallant affairs of the campaign.

Mr. Greeley, in his excellent work, "The American Conflict," notices Col. Innes' extraordinary defence at Lavergne, and says:

"On the whole, the enemy's operations in the rear of our army during this memorable conflict, (battle of Stone river,) reflect no credit on the intelligence and energy with which they were resisted. The silver lining to this cloud' is a most gallant defence made on the 1st January by Col. Innes' 1st Michigan engineers and mechanics, only 391 strong, who had taken post on high ground near Lavergne, and formed such a barricade of cedars, &c. as they hurriedly might. Here they were attacked, at 2 P. M., by Wharton's cavalry, whom they successfully resisted and beat off. Wharton's official report is their best eulogium. He was in command of six or eight regiments. Wharton.' A regiment of infantry, under Colonel Dennis, (Innes,) also was stationed in a cedar brake and fortifications near this point. I caused the battery under Lieut. Pike, who acted with great gallantry, to open on it. The fire, at a range of not more than 400 yards, was kept up for more than an hour, and must have resulted in great damage to the enemy. I caused the enemy to be charged on three sides at the same time by Colonels Cox and Smith and Lieut. Col. Malone, and the charge was repeated four times; but the enemy was so strongly posted that it was found impossible to dislodge him.'"

The regiment lost only two killed and twelve wounded, while the rebel loss, as estimated at the time, was something over a hundred in killed and wounded.

General Rosecrans, in his official report, gave the regiment credit for having successfully repulsed ten times its own number on that occasion.

During the residue of the year the regiment was actively employed in its ordinary duties, building bridges, repairing railroads, &c., with its headquarters in the neighborhood of Elk River Bridge. In the early part of 1864 the regiment, in command of Col. John Yates, was with the advance of Sherman's army on Atlanta, and on the 30th of September had its headquarters there. On the 16th of November it marched from Atlanta as a part of the engineer force of General Sherman's army, performing with remarkable promptness its arduous and important duties on that great march. It is estimated that during that campaign, besides making and repairing a great distance of corduroy road, the regiment destroyed and twisted the rails of thirty miles of railroad tract and built eight or ten important bridges and crossings. At Edisto it constructed a bridge under a severe fire from the enemy's sharpshooters; continuing its faithful and important services throughout the rest of the campaign and until the arrival of Sherman's army at Washington. Early in June it was ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, and thence to Nashville, where it was mustered out of service on the 22d of September.

THE CAVALRY BRIGADE,

CONSISTING OF THE 1ST, 5TH, 6TH, AND 7TH REGIMENTS.

The 1st regiment of cavalry was organized during the summer of 1861, by Col. T. F. Brodhead, and left its rendezvous in Detroit on the 29th of September for Washington, in command of that officer. It lay in camp at Frederick, Md., a considerable portion of the winter, and its principal service was on the upper Potomac, in the Shenandoah Valley, and near the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge. It was in action at Winchester, March 23, 1862; at Middletown, March 25th; at Strasburg, March 27th; at Harrisonburg, April 22d; at Winchester again, May 24th; at Orange CourtHouse, July 16th; at Cedar Mountain, August 9th; and at Bull Run, August 30th. At the latter action its commanding officer, Colonel Brodhead,* was mortally wounded, and died September 2d, and its casualties in that engagement showed 7 killed, 13 wounded, 7 prisoners, and 106 missing.

During November and December following, and the early part of 1863, the regiment, in command of Colonel Charles H. Town, was engaged on grand guard duty in front of the defences of Washington, on a line extending from Edward's Ferry to the mouth of the Occoquan.

During the raid about the Union lines, made by the rebel Gen. Stuart, in February, 1863, a detachment of fifty-six men of this regiment were sent out to watch his movements. Near Occoquan the enemy came in range of the carbines of this party, and fell back in confusion at the first fire. Discovering the weakness of the force opposed to them, the rebel cavalry recov ered and charged vigorously with a large force, before which the detachment retired, fighting from behind bushes, &c., during a pursuit of several miles, with a resulting loss to Stuart's troopers of fifteen in killed and wounded, and to themselves of none. On the 27th of June, the regiment took up its line of march northward in the Gettysburg campaign.

The 5th cavalry was organized under the authority given by the War Department and the Governor to Colonel J. T. Copeland, then in the 1st cavalry. Its organization began in July, 1862, and it was mustered into service as a regiment on the 30th of August, at its rendezvous in Detroit. The regiment was subjected to a long delay in procuring its arms and equipments, and left the State only partly armed, but fully equipped, mounted, and clothed, on the 4th of December following, for Washington. A number of men were lost by desertion previous to its departure, and its rolls show that down to that period it had carried the names of 1,305 officers and A battery of light artillery was raised in connection with this regiment, which was classed as the 9th Michigan battery, and originally known as Daniel's. This battery was afterwards designated as Battery "I," 1st Michigan light artillery.

On November 29, 1862, Colonel Copeland was appointed a brigadiergeneral of volunteers, being succeeded in the command of the regiment by Colonel Freeman Norvell, who was promoted from lieutenant-colonel on the 31st of December. He served in command of the regiment in the field until the 27th of February following, when he resigned. Major R. A. Alger,

*Report of Major Charles H. Town, commanding 1st Michigan:

Thornton F. Brodhead, mo tally wounded at Bull Run, Va., August 30, 1862, while gallantly leading his men to the charge."

*

*

*

*

*

While on his death-bed in the field, almost the last words to his attending surgeon "The Old Flag will triumph yet."

were,

In his letter to his wife, he writes: "I fought manfully and now die fearlessly."

of the 2d cavalry, was commissioned as colonel on the 28th of the same month, and served in that capacity down to September 20, 1864, when, on account of ill health, he was compelled to resign.

The 6th regiment of cavalry was organized at Grand Rapids, under authority granted to Hon. F. W. Kellogg by the War Department, sanctioned by the Governor. It was rapidly filled, and mustered into service on the 13th of October, 1862, its rolls carrying the names of 1,229 officers and men. It left its rendezvous on the 10th of December following, in command of Col. George Gray, taking the route to Washington, fully mounted and equipped, but not armed.

The 7th regiment of cavalry was also raised at Grand Rapids, under the same authority. Two battalions of this regiment left the State for Washington on the 20th of February, 1863, and the remaining companies joined them in May following. The regiment entered the field in command of Col. W. D. Mann.

These regiments served to the end of the war, bearing so important a part in the great struggle for union and freedom as to become eminently famous throughout the length and breadth of the land, as the "Michigan Cavalry Brigade."

The 1st cavalry, while in command of Colonel Brodhead, served in the command of General Alpheus S. Williams, of Michigan, in 1862, and covered the retreat of General Banks' army from the Shenandoah Valley, serving with much distinction, and rendering very important service in that affair, being continuously under fire.

Following the surrender of Lee and Johnston, and consequent collapse of the Southern Confederacy, this brigade, which had served during the war with the Army of the Potomac, was sent West to St. Louis, Mo., thence to Fort Leavenworth, where the 5th cavalry were mustered out of service, except the men having two years or more to serve, and these were transferred to the 1st and 7th. The regiments then crossed the Plains to the Rocky Mountains, for the purpose of aiding in suppressing the war which was then being waged by several Indian tribes on citizens of the United States in the Territories of the far West. These orders caused much justifiable dissatisfaction in the brigade, indicating as they did the commencement of another arduous campaign, which, in consideration of past long and faithful services, they thought might have been spared them, especially as the campaign was for an object foreign to their contract of service. But remembering their noble record, and adhering to their uniform high degree of discipline and subordination, and having in view the honor of a State whose troops had never disgraced it, obeyed the orders and crossed the plains.

After reaching the Rocky Mountains, the men of these regiments, with certain exceptions, were, in violation of the orders of the War Department, consolidated into one regiment, designated as the 1st regiment Michigan veteran cavalry, four companies of which were stationed at Fort Bridger and eight companies were sent forward to Camp Douglas, at Salt Lake City. The regiment garrisoned these two stations until March 10, 1866, when it was mustered out of service, paid off, and disbanded.

Owing to gross injustice done these troops by the officers of the Government in Utah, in the settlement of their transportation account, the War Department was asked by the State authorities to make certain additional allowance, which was refused, when an appeal was made to Congress. The claim having been promptly and properly presented, it was supported and insisted upon by the Michigan representatives of both Houses of Congress,

then composed of Chandler and Howard in the Senate, and in the House, Beaman, Driggs, Ferry, Longyear, Trowbridge, and Upson, who, ever true to the interest of the soldier, determined that this claim should be secured and justice done, and therefore united their influence and effort for that purpose, and with commendable zeal and great ability, together with close attention and much tact, procured an enactment for their relief.

While these Michigan troops were engaged in this service, Captain Osmer F. Cole, of the 6th cavalry, was killed in action with Indians at Tongue river, M. T., August 30, 1865.

At the request of the Governor of the State, a special report was made by the Adjutant-General, covering the unlawful and unauthorized consolidation of the Michigan cavalry brigade, consisting of the 1st, 6th, and 7th regiments, into an organization to be known as the 1st regiment of Michigan cavalry, detailing the ill-treatment and injustice attending the detention in service and muster-out and payment of that regiment. On this report a claim was made to the War Department for an additional allowance of transportation. The claim was rejected on the ground that the parties for whom the allowance was asked had already received from the Government all that existing law provided for in such cases. It therefore became necessary to apply to Congress for special relief. Accordingly, the matter was referred to Senator Chandler for presentation to Congress, and which received at his hands the fullest attention, aided by Senator Howard and our members of Congress-Beaman, Ferry, Upson, Driggs, Trowbridge, and Longyear. These gentlemen, as before stated, properly concerned for, and true to the interest of the Michigan soldiers, by their concerted action in Congress, ultimately succeeded in securing the passage of the following enactment, rendering the justice so essentially due to those who had never faltered in the soldier's line of duty:

"And be it further enacted, That there is hereby appropriated for the payment of the travelling expenses of the members of the 1st regiment of Michigan cavalry from the place in Utah Territory where they were mustered out of service, in the year 1866, to the place of their enrollment, a sum sufficient to allow to each member $325, deducting therefrom the amount paid to each for commutation of travel, pay and subsistence, by the Government, when thus mustered out, and that the accounts be settled and paid under the direction of the Secretary of War."

The selection of special engagements in which these regiments most distinguished themselves respectively, has been abandoned, because of their services in the field being so united in the operations of the Michigan cavalry brigade. It has, therefore, been deemed best to take official reports of General Custer, covering certain movements, as illustrating more fully than any others on file the brilliant and important achievements of these gallant regiments during the rebellion. To these have been added extracts from reports of other officers, while in command of the brigade and of regiments respectively.

Following is General Custer's report, made August 22, 1863, covering the operations of his cavalry during a portion of the battle of Gettysburg:

"In compliance with instructions received from the headquarters of the 3d division, I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by my command in the engagements near Gettysburg, July 3, 1863: "At an early hour on the morning of the 3d, I received an order through a staff-officer of the brigadier-general commanding the division, to move at once my command, and follow the first brigade on the road leading from 'Two Taverns' to Gettysburg.

"Agreeably to the above instructions, my column was formed and moved out on the road designated, when a staff-officer of Brigadier-General Gregg, commanding 2d division, ordered me to take my command and place it in position on the pike leading from York to Gettysburg, which position formed the extreme right of our line of battle on that day. Upon arriving at the point designated, I immediately placed my command in position, facing towards Gettysburg. At the same time I caused reconnoisances to be made on my front, right, and rear, but failed to discover any considerable force of the enemy. Everything remained quiet till 10 A. M., when the enemy appeared on my right flank, and opened upon me with a battery of six guns. Leaving two guns and a regiment to hold my first position and cover the road leading to Gettysburg, I shifted the remaining portion of my command, forming a new line of battle at right angles to my former line. The enemy had obtained correct range of my new position, and were pouring solid shot and shell into my command with great accuracy. Placing two sections of battery M, 2d regular artillery, in position, I ordered them to silence the enemy's battery, which order, notwithstanding the superiority of the enemy's position, was successfully accomplished in a very short space of time. My line, as it then existed, was shaped like the letter L, the shorter branch formed one section of battery M, supported by four squadrons of the 6th Michigan cavalry, faced toward Gettysburg, covering the Gettysburg pike; the long branch, composed of the remaining two sections of battery M, 2d artillery, supported by a portion of the 6th Michigan cavalry on the left and the 1st Michigan cavalry on the right, with the 7th Michigan cavalry still further to the right and in advance, was held in readiness to repel any attack the enemy might make coming on the Oxford road. The 5th Michigan cavalry was dismounted and ordered to take position in front of my centre and left. The 1st Michigan cavalry was held in a column of squadrons, to observe the movements of the enemy. I ordered fifty men to be sent one mile and a half on the Oxford road, while a detachment of equal size was sent one mile and a half on the road leading from Gettysburg to York, both the detachments being under the command of the gallant Major Webber, who, from time to time, kept me so well informed of the movements of the enemy that I was enabled to make my dispositions with complete success. At 12 o'clock an order was transmitted to me from the brigadier-general commanding the division, by one of his aids, directing me, upon being relieved by a brigade from the 2d division, to move with my command and form a junction with the 1st brigade on the extreme left. On the arrival of the brigade of the 2d division, commanded by Col. McIntosh, I prepared to execute the order. Before I had left my position Brigadier-General Gregg, commanding the 2d division, arrived with his entire command. Learning the true condition of affairs in my front, and rightly conjecturing that the enemy was making his dispositions for vigorously attacking our position, Brigadier-General Gregg ordered me to remain in the position I then occupied.

"The enemy was soon after reported to be advancing on my front. The detachment of fifty men sent on the Oxford road were driven in, and at the same time the enemy's line of skirmishers, consisting of dismounted cavalry, appeared on the crest of the ridge of hills on my front. The line extended beyond my left. To repel their advance, I ordered the 5th Michigan cavalry to a more advanced position, with instructions to maintain their ground at all hazards. Colonel Alger, commanding the 5th, assisted by Majors Trowbridge and Ferry, of the same regiment, made such admirable disposition of their men behind fences and other defences as enabled them to