The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-10-20
FAMOUS CAVALRY DASHES
M quad, n pe,ro., Free Press.

ned Tn verse, and IS remembered be- cause of the bunder that led to it. The American civil war furnished at lea,, a score of cavalry dashes fully as desper- ate, but in the roar of the greater battles they passed almost unnoticed. Custer $ charge on the lei, of the Cashtown road during the great Gettysburg hgh, was, perhaps. the mt 4 desperate undertaking of that brave commander. The con federates had been driven through Eunters,own and beyond, and were Tn force or the highways leading to Ge,tys- burg. Busters skirmishers had been held at bay for considerable time by what seemed no greater force than two or three companies of infantry. Com pany A of the Sixth Michigan was or- dered to form and charge up the road. and other companies were dismounted and stationed in the fields 10 repulse oounter-charge if made. All the com panies in the First, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Michigan cavalry regiments. then under Custer, were greatly reduced in strength.
 When Company 4 had formed. Custer rode up and took his place with the captain a, the front. There was d yell of deiish, from the company, cheers from the entire command. and away went the ht;le band |, furious gallop, Custer holding the relns in hIs lett hand and carrying his naked saser in his right, and charging straight down the middle of the road.
 What was supposed 10 be a force of perhaps 20 men turned out to De in- fan,ry and calvary 10 the number of 6oo or more. They filled the road for a quarter of mile in m almost solid mass and they were prepared for the charge. Company \ rode straight at the mass. entered II like wedge driven into sand. and Tn another moment ooo men were shooting and slashins at sixty. Custer pressed on. and was closely followed un- til he found two lines of dismoun.ed men drawn across the road. Then the bu .le sounded the recall. l, had the presence of a, eas, Seo cavalry. and every inch of the way was running iight and l des- perate one. Men slashed and cut and shot and yelled. and those waiting down the road towards Hun;erstown saw mob bearing down upon them. Sabres flashed. streams of fire dar,ed through the smoke. and horses fell and obstructed the way. When the mob reached the troops stationed in the fields Company A shook itsei ou. of the melee and fire was opened which drove the confederl:es back.
 The federals loss in killed and wounded was about thirty men-one half the com mand. The conf derate loss was more than double. some ot the wounded on either side were slishcd twice and three times with sabres. and there was not a man in company \ who could not show close call from a bullet. It was in this charge that young Churchill, of the Firs, Michigan. detailed himself from his com- mlnd and charged with the company. Custer had his horse shot under him. and m the confusion confederate leveled a carbine within SIX feet of his head and was on the point of iirng when the young man sho, him dead The captain was wounded and his horse received three bullets, but both go, back to the federal iines. Probably there was never another instance m modern warfare of ; brisadier- general leading single company into acton. and the incident serves 10 show the make up of the man. He shared ln the personal danger of his command. and his men came ,o believe that he bore charmed life.
 On the si of July. during the terrible lighting at Gettysburg, Fitzpatrick was spying around 10 locate Lees ammuni- ton train. When he found 1t he also dis covered tha, II was protected by heavy force of cavalry. and hardly had skirmsh ing begun when brigade or more of in fAntry was sen, down to strengthen the cavalry. The confederate position was terribly strong. Along the front was a Quaker fence-a stone wall three fee, hign with strong rail fence abou, the same high, running along the top. Forty rods Tn rear of this was a second. The occupied ground being a farm, and all the helds divided oft, the confedera,es had both Hanks covered by other walls and took over the ground was enough to convince one iha, any ordinary attack would meet with <epulse. But Fitzpatrick was playing for big stake. Nothing would cripple Lee so much as the loss oi his ammunition train.
 The troops detailed to charge the walls m front were composed of the Firs, Yer. mont, First Virginia, part of the Eigh scenth Pennsylvania and a few squadron: of Wisconsin cavalry. General Farms worth put himself at the head of the pennsyivanians. who were instructed ic dismount at the wall and tear the fence down, and away the entire body went Up to the moment the fence was dowr the confederates stood firm, and killee man after man with their muskess restius on the wall. When the cavalry began ts leap into the field the gray lines fell bacl or broke up into squads, and the fgh continued
 h charging at the second wall the fed erals received fire from in front as vel as on both Hanks, and for five minute ranks were broken and veteran trooper were confused and bewildered. Then al of sudden blast of the bugle restored srder and sent the whole body at ans over the fence. Here men were hackes with sabres and prodded with bayonet and the fight meant kill.
 Fansworth lost his horse, but not hi cool spirit. A mile and a half away h,