He had joined just in time to fight with the 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry during one of the Union Army's most significant phases of duty — the Overland Campaign in Virginia commanded by Lieutenant-General Ulysses S. Grant. Beginning with the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5–7, 1864), he and his fellow cavalrymen fought continuously in a series of battles at: Todd's Tavern (May 7), Spotsylvania Court House (May 8–21), Yellow Tavern (May 11), Haw's Shop (May 28), Cold Harbor (May 31–June 12), and Trevilian Station (June 11–12) before engaging in the Siege of Petersburg (June 9, 1864 – March 25, 1865) and its battles at: Jerusalem Plank Road (June 21–23), St. Mary's Church (June 24), Deep Bottom I (July 27–29), Ream's Station II (August 25), and Poplar Springs Church (September 30–October 2).