The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-10
A DRAMATIC CAVALRY CHARGE.

cavalry onargc6, 30 TAR a6 cur
civil war was concerned, began at the very
outsst, andsths first regiment to GROSS ga
bres with the southern horsemen on Viz
ginia soil was probably the last one Mr..
Jefferson Davis imagined would be promi-
nent against him-the Fifth regulars. He
had selected its officers when ii WAS organ
lied in 1855, most OF them pets Of his own
from the sunny south, and famous troopers
they wers. With few exceptions the south
srn born OF the their number had resigned
: and gone with their states bnt, VirRinian
though he was, nothing could daunt the
loyalty Of George H. Thomas, who had
risen from major to colonel commanding
when Sidney Johnston and Robert E. Leo
stepped down and ont. II was Thomas
who remounted and prepared the regiment
for ths field on its arrival from Texas, and
half its force was thrown at once into
Washington, guarding the White house
and treasury building until near the end OF
May. '61, whom the dash was made over
the long bridge. On the morning
of June l b troop, led by Lieutenant Charles
II. Tompkins, now assistant quarter MASTER
general of the army, charged three times
through the town of Fairfax Court House,
killing and %wounding twenty-five of their
antagonists and losing only five men and
thirteen horses shot. II was a brilliant
dash, the first cavalry exploit Of the war,
but was speedily forgotten in the whirl OF
events that followed. Bull Run was fought
July q, and. the few cavalrymen on tho
field had little to do beyond supporting
batteries and covering the retreat. Then
came the long months Of organization and
drill under Mcclellan; the advance on
Manassas in March. 80, only to find It
abandoned; then the transfer to the Penin-
sula; the halt of d hundred thousand men
in front of Magruder with little more than
a division; the tedious siege Of Yorktown;
to the Chickahominy and the ~stradling
thereof. and then the four %squadr0ns of
Fifth cavalry not employed on orderly or
escort duty had some genuine cavalry work
20 do.
A born trooper was the veteran brigadier
who commanded the little force of union
horse, Philip st. George Cooke, but among
the powers that were in the army of the Po-
tomAo in June, '62. he was neither appre-
ciatsd nor treated as he deserved. When
toward the close of June Mcclellan had de-
termined to change base from tho Pamun-
kew to the james and Gen. Fitz John Por-
ter's corps was still to the north of the
Chickahominy, down came that wonderful
Tanker and marcher. Stonewall Jackson,
from the Shenandoah, and. acting in con-
swooped upon Porter's less than thirty
thousand with not less than sixty Thousand
fighting men. And the desperate battles OF
Meehanicsville and Gaines Mill were the
result. jackson was not in the first named,
: but most emphatlcally he was in the second
for Nil he was worth. And 80 were what
were left of Hill and Longstreet's people
after their savage handling at Beaver Dam
creek the previous day. I.
Like every other battle about Richmond
In the campaign OF '62, Gaines Mill bega n
after - o'clock. In those days the mill it
self was a fine fve-story structure hardly
two miles north of the Chiokahominy, it's
mill race emptving into Powhits creek. a
little stream which ran due south into the
Chiokahominy. All around east and south
heavy. Old Gold Harbor lay = mile and a
half to the east; New Cold Harbor half a
mile to the southeast, and, sweeping around
in almost a complete semicircle, a little
stream rose half a mills south of Old Gold
Harbor, flowed westward through the
and eventually dropped into the Chicka-
hominy in the densely wooded bot
tom east of where Duane and Wood
bury of the engineers had built their
bridges. All on the north and west of
this little branch was forest; all to the east
elAN bOueA OCdubAAAAAy uANuAApAAk uAN
cleared land-the farms Of MCGEE, Watt
and Adams. And all this open plateau
terminated in bluffs overlooking the little
stream, and here On this curving, COM
manding ridge Porter had made his stand.
With the regulars of Sykes division on his
swept around upon the crest, the brigades
of Buchanan, Warren, Griffin, Martindale
and Butte field in order covering the ground
from east to southwest. the frowninp,
black muzzled batteries pseping through
every gap. Farther in rear IN the low hills
overlooking the valley of the Chickahominy
were the supports under Mccall n a mass
Of batteries held in reserve. II was a strong
position, chosen and manned with consum-
mate skill, but with force far too small to
hold against such fighters as jackson, Hill
and Longstreet.
1t was Hill who began the attack about
two p. m. and got a most unmeroiful
pounding for two mortal hours. Then
Longstrest assaulted the extreme left, and
the batteries deluged him with case fhot
and canister. Then Jackson, who seems to
have counted on Hills easily driving the
union force into his welcoming line, found,
in the language Of Mai. Dabney, chief OF
cent" Ewell was well-nigh worn out fight
ing Buchanan's regulars and had to be
heavily reinforced. D.. H. Hilrs five con-
federate brigRdes Tapped completely around
the union right and were drawing steadily
up on the beautiful batteries Of Weed. lib
dali and kingsbury, all regulars. The siz
brigRdes strung out on Jackson's rear that
he mover thought to have to use at all were
sent plunging into the fight wherever they
found the enciicling line thinned by that
terrible fire from the crest. Slocum'e
division, in the union blue, came cheering
over the C~hickahominy in time to fill the
growing gaps in Porter's sturdy ranks, and
n, Tim hat{taixBnr an. until vnorIv uovnr