Cavalry were standing to horse, when Sheridan, Crook, and a number of
other general officers, both infantry and cavalry, came riding up to
examine the captured battle-flags. Among the colors was one presented
to General Fitz-Hugh Lee by his lady friends of Richmond, which, by the
way, I made a present to General Davies. The enemy, seeing these
officers around the colors, sounded the charge and came upon us with a
rush. Sheridan ordered me to mount my men and check the enemy until he
could send in more regiments to my support. Then ensued a phenomenal
display of shooting-stars by daylight, for the generals all scattered
to their various commands. We mounted and charged the enemy and
commenced a hand-to-hand fight, using pistols, sabres, and clubbed
carbines. The heaviest of the fighting was around our colors. The brave
old color-sergeant of the First Pennsylvania Cavalry, Antoine Wolf,
carrying aloft the colors of his regiment in one hand, and with his
sabre in the other cutting his way right and left, followed close at my
horse's heels. Many a good trooper fell in the track made by us that
day. That was my sixth and last charge during the engagement, and I
lost a horse killed in every charge. While lying under my horse with my
leg shattered by a carbine-ball, Colonel Janeway, at the head of the
First New Jersey, passed by at full charge, saying, "Cheer up, Tommy,
we are here with you," then instantly exclaimed, "My God!" and fell
dead from his saddle but twenty feet from me. Our brigade started that
morning with sixteen field officers, and at sundown but one was left,
the other fifteen having been either killed or wounded. After I was
wounded I turned my command over to Captain Holbrook, who led it
through several charges on the 6th, 7th, and 9th of April. He had the
satisfaction of planting the regiment across Lee's front on the
Lynchburg pike, with its colors in the middle of the road, there to
witness the surrender of the rebel army.
This ended my experience as a cavalryman.
And now I trust that I will be excused when I say that we cavalrymen
soon taught the other arms of the service to respect us and stopped
that old slurring remark, "Here comes the cavalry back; now there is
going to be a fight." Although we were criticised sharply at the
beginning of the war, yet at its close we of all the branches of the
service proved ourselves the most efficient under the command of that
prince among soldiers, "Cavalry Sheridan."
COLONEL HAMPTON S. THOMAS.