In an interview in later life, Rowand said of his service tenure: "It was my duty to be in every engagement in which my regiment participated, and I was in every one with Sheridan, from the time he came into Shenandoah Valley until the wind-up at Appomattox." The first of his regiment's early engagements was the First Battle of Kernstown, Virginia (March 23, 1862). Afterward, according to Roth, senior Union military leaders grew to appreciate Rowand's intellect and courage, and began assigning him to scout and spy duties. In April 1863, while engaged with his regiment in combat near Fisher's Hill and Strasburg: