Journal of the U.S. Cavalry Association from Leavenworth, Kansas • 5

THE CAVALRY AT CHANCELLORSVILLE. 109 be with them." And this was the case at Chancellorsville. The reports of that engagement written since the war, give but little attention to the work done by the cavalry at that, time. General Hooker, was then commanding the Army of the Potomac, saTs: "The cavalry under General Pleasanton saved the army from annihilation." Upon entering the Chancellorsville campaign, General Hooker detached the cavalry, with the exception of the brigade commanded by General Pleasanton, and sent them under command of General Stoneman to make a raid on the enemy's lino of communication. This command accomplished nothing.

There were left with Pleasanton the Sixth New York, Eighth and Seventeenth Pennsylvania regiments of cavalry, with Penninoton's regular and Martin's volunteer batteries. As Stoneman's column moved out leaving us behind, we felt how uujust had been the detail that kept us from sharing in what all thought would bring so much glory to those who should ride with them but the work done by our little brigade was the commencement of what gave our cavalry the name which has been unequaled by that of the cavalry of any other country. In the advance to Chancellorsville I will follow only that partot my own regiment that led the advance of the Twelfth Corps under General Slocum, which was the right wing of the army; the Eighth Pennsylvania leading the advance of General Meade's column and the Seventeenth Pennsylvania doing the same duty for General Howard, theremainder of the Sixth New York being assigned to other divisions but joining the cavalry command before tho buttle was over. On Wednesday morning about two hundred of the Sixth New York, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel McVicar, were ordered to report to General we crossed the Rappahannock river at Kelloy's Ford, and soon after were engaged with a North Carolina cavalry regiment, driving them and taking some prisoners, among them a captain, whose lieutenant commanded the guard that a few-days later escorted me to Richmond. The lieutenant remarked when he found out that it was the same command that had captured his captain "that the captain was in the habit of being taken without much trouble." We skirmished all that day with cavalry in our front, reaching Germania Ford on the Rapidan late in tho afternoon, a heavy force in rifle pits on the other side preventing our crossing.

Wo took possession of an old mill on the banks of the river, exchanging shots with them until tho infantry came up, and a battery put in position shelled the rifle pits, while the infantry crossed and captured all the defenders of tho works. Crossing the ford we again.