Chapter I: Introduction

During December, 1895, I received a letter from General Walter C. Newberry, of Chicago, who during the Civil War commanded the 24th New York Cavalry. In this the General wrote:

"MY DEAR MAJOR MEYER:

"You will remember how urgent the boys were last summer for a
history of the Regiment to be prepared. I resolved then to gratify
them and am engaged on it now. I want you to aid me to the extent
of giving me a detailed account of yourself--nativity, date of
birth, former service, engagements that you were in that led up to
your promotion, your service with us, your wounding and incidents
accompanying it, your period of treatment in the Hospital, your
civil record since, and be kind enough not to be at all modest in
setting it all forth. I shall not use your language, neither shall
I give you credit for the biography, and you may drop all modesty
with me and give it to me in full. You may have kept something of a
diary or there may be some old letters that you have written which
will give me some record by dates of the Regiment's service. I want
it all."

In 1896 I complied with this request to the extent of giving a brief account of my service in the Army. Since then, members of my family and a few personal friends have asked me to incorporate in this account incidents that I recalled, some of which they had heard me relate, asserting that they would be of interest to my grandchildren.

The following story is my attempt to accede to these requests. I am naturally proud of having had the privilege of serving under the Generals I have mentioned, and the story recited in the following pages is in accordance with my recollection of events that occurred over forty-five years ago.

HENRY C. MEYER.
NEW YORK, May, 1911.

CONTENTS

PAGE

CHAPTER I 1

Enlistment; Journey to Regiment; First Picket
Duty; Raid to Fredericks Hall.

CHAPTER II 8

Night after Battle of Cedar Mountain; Death of
Captain Walters at Rapidan; Retreat from
Rapidan; Battle at Brandy Station.

CHAPTER III 13

Second Battle at Bull Run; Destruction of Seymour's
Squadron; Death of Compton; A
Wounded Soldier's Heroism; Fitz-John Porter's
Message to Kilpatrick; Longstreet's Assault
on Left of Pope's Army; To Alexandria to
Refit.

CHAPTER IV 20

Refitting at Ball's Cross Roads; Skirmishing
around Centerville; Advance after Antietam;
Soldier's Opinion on McClellan's being Superseded;
Battle of Fredericksburg; Death of
Bayard.

CHAPTER V 23

Detailed at General Gregg's Headquarters; The
Stoneman Raid.

CHAPTER VI 27

Gettysburg Campaign; Battle at Brandy Station;
Wounded at Stuart's Headquarters.

CHAPTER VII 33

Battles at Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville.

CHAPTER VIII 42

Crossing the Potomac; Scenes in Frederick and
Liberty; Girls' Boarding School at New Windsor;
March to Gettysburg.

CHAPTER IX 47

Second and Third Days of Battle at Gettysburg;
Gregg's Cavalry Engagement on the Right;
Repulse of Stuart.

CHAPTER X 54

Day Following the Battle at Gettysburg; Compelling
Citizens to Assist in Burying the Dead;
Scenes in Gettysburg; Nick Finding John
Burns; Following up Lee's Army; Wounded
Confederates Left Behind.

CHAPTER XI 58

Return to Virginia; Crossing at Harper's Ferry;
Battle at Shepherdstown; Confederate Prisoner
Reporting the Condition of a Cousin in Confederate
Army; Advance from Sulphur Springs
to the Rapidan.

CHAPTER XII 62

Transferred to General Kilpatrick's Headquarters;
Battle on Retreat from Culpeper;
Battle at Buckland's Mills; Granted
a Furlough; Recommended for a Commission;
Appointed a Second Lieutenant; Leaving General
Kilpatrick.

CHAPTER XIII 71

Joined 24th New York Cavalry at Auburn,
N. Y.; Trip to Washington; At Camp Stoneman;
March to Join Army of the Potomac;
Experience at Battle of the Wilderness; First
Sight of General Grant.

CHAPTER XIV 78

At Spottsylvania; Finding Confederate Dead in
Breastworks; Selected to Guide a Division to
a Position for Night Assault; Sent to Washington
for Ammunition.

CHAPTER XV 86

Experience at North Anna and Cold Harbor;
General Grant and Confederate Prisoner;
Crossing the James; Assault on Works at
Petersburg; Wounded; At Field Hospital;
Journey to City Point and Seminary Hospital
at Georgetown, D. C.; Removal to Dobbs
Ferry; Convalescence.

CHAPTER XVI 96

General D. McM. Gregg, General Kilpatrick,
Colonel Henry C. Weir, General Walter C.
Newberry, Colonel William C. Raulston, General
L. G. Estes, General E. W. Whitaker,
Captain Theodore F. Northrop.

APPENDIX A 103

APPENDIX B 109

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

HENRY C. MEYER _Frontispiece_

CORPORAL HENRY E. JOHNS 6

GENERAL JUDSON KILPATRICK 16

COLONEL HENRY C. WEIR 24

GENERAL D. MCM. GREGG 34

GENERAL GEORGE A. CUSTER 48

GENERAL E. W. WHITAKER 62

CAPTAIN THEODORE F. NORTHROP 66

GENERAL L. G. ESTES 70

COLONEL W. C. RAULSTON 72

GENERAL WALTER C. NEWBERRY 93

Civil War Experiences