On the afternoon of July 3rd, Captain William E. Miller, of Company H,
2nd Brigade, of Gregg’s Division of Union Cavalry, made a charge against
the Confederate Cavalry, in command of Major-General J. E. B. Stuart, in
their movement from Cress Ridge, East Cavalry Field, to reach the rear
of Meade’s line at the time of Pickett’s Charge.
The incident is described by Captain William Brooke Rawle, a participant
in the charge, in his “History of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry.”
“When the cavalry fighting began, Captain Miller’s squadron was
stationed in Lott’s woods to the west of the Low Dutch Road, beyond the
Hanover Road, and was deployed, mounted as skirmishers, along the
western edge of the woods. There was considerable long-range firing
before the climax of the fighting came. About 3 o’clock in the afternoon
... a large body of cavalry, which proved to be Hampton’s and Fitzhugh
Lee’s brigades, was seen approaching in magnificent order, mounted, from
the northern side of the field. Captain Miller and I rode out a few
yards in front of our position to a slight rise in the ground to get a
good view. The enemy quickened his pace, first to a trot, then to a
gallop, and then the charge was sounded. The nearest available compact
body of Union Cavalry at hand to meet the enemy was the 1st Michigan
Cavalry of General Custer’s brigade, which was serving temporarily under
General Gregg. It was ordered to meet the enemy’s charge by a
counter-charge, although the Confederate brigade greatly outnumbered the
Michigan regiment. Captain Miller and I saw at once that unless more men
were sent against the enemy the Michigan regiment would be swept from
the field. He said to me, ‘I have been ordered to hold this position at
all hazards, but if you will back me up if I get into trouble for
exceeding my orders, I will make a charge with the squadron.’ This was
in order to make a diversion in favor of our troops, and help the
Michigan men. I assured him in an emphatic manner that I would stand by
him through thick and thin. He then ordered me to rally the left wing of
the squadron while he did the same with the right. When this was done
the squadron fired a volley into the Confederate column, which was
within easy range. The men were very impatient to begin their charge,
and the right wing, headed by Captain Miller, started off at a gallop.
“A stone and rail fence divided the line of the squadron front, running
at right angles to it, and I had to make a slight detour to get around
it with the left wing of the squadron. This, and the fact that the head
of the squadron was headed to the right oblique, caused a gap of some
thirty yards or so between the rear of the portion of the squadron under
Captain Miller and myself with the left of the left portion. Meanwhile
the two opposing columns had met, and the head of the Confederate column
was fast becoming jammed, and the men on the flanks were beginning to
turn back. Captain Miller, with his men struck the left flank of the
enemy’s column pretty well towards the rear, about two-thirds or
three-fourths of the way down, and as the impetus of the latter had
stopped while his men had full headway on, he drove well into the column
and cut off its rear and forced it back in the direction whence it came,
and the captain and some of his men got as far as the Rummel house. As
to this last, I learned from the men engaged. Captain Miller was wounded
in the arm during the fight.
“I myself with the rear portion of Captain Miller’s squadron did not
succeed in getting all the way through. Just as I and my men reached the
flank of the enemy many of the latter were getting to the rear and we
were swept along with the current and scattered, some of us, including
myself, though narrowly escaping capture, succeeding in working our way
in one’s and two’s to the right, where we got back into our lines again.
“The gallant conduct and dashing charge made by Captain Miller and his
men were commented upon by all who saw it. A fact that made it all the
more commendable was that it was done upon his own responsibility,
without orders from a superior officer.”
In July, 1897, a Congressional Medal of Honor was bestowed upon Captain
Miller by direction of President McKinley, through the Secretary of War,
General Russell A. Alger. The conferring of this tribute was especially
appropriate, inasmuch as General Alger himself had participated on the
right flank as the Colonel of the 5th Michigan, and was therefore
eminently competent to decide.