THE CHARGE OF THE EIGHTH PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY .
186
At last Jackson ’s men paused, for they had beenmarching and fighting since morning, and humannature could endure no more. But they were notallowed to hold the ground they had won; an ad-vance was now ordered on our side, and it wasmade with a vigor that avenged the discomfitureof our comrades. Though it was now midnightthe woods were lit up with the flame of the mus-ketry as the combatants came face to face amongthe trees, and the battle began anew. The artil-lerists pushed on their guns by hand a hundred
yards behind the infantry line, and shook thewoods in their depths, as they had the hills totheir foundations. At last, at 2 o’clock in themorning, we were told to sleep on our arms. B utwho could sleep while counting the dead of ourcommands ? Comrades were gone ; file-leaders andfile-closers were gone ; officers of every grade hadperished. Stonewall Jackson himself had gou 0down in his greatest charge; and his men neve 1again fought as on that day, nor came down on omflank with such fury.
THE CHARGE OF THE EIGHTH PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY. &
I. BY PENNOCK HUEY, BREVET BRIGADIER-GENERAL, U. S. V.
J ust as we reached Hazel Grove, at Scott’s RunCrossing, at half-past 0 o’clock p. M., May 2d,a staff-officer rode up in a state of great excite-ment and reported to General Sickles that theenemy had flanked General Howard ’s corps, andthat he had been sent for a regiment of GeneralPleasonton’s cavalry. General Sickles immediatelyordered General Pleasonton to send a regiment.General Pleasonton then ordered me to report withmy regiment as quickly as possible to GeneralHoward , whom I would probably find near the oldWilderness church. There were no other ordersgiven to me or to any officer of my regiment. |Ifound the regiment, standing to horse, on the op-posite or north side of Hazel Grove, near the road.The wood in front was so thick with underbrushthat a bird could scarcely fly through it; much lesscould a cavalry charge have been made. On in-quiring for the adjutant of the regiment, and onbeing informed by some of the men where he was,I rode to the point designated and found MajorPeter Keenan, Captain William A. Dailey, Adju-tant J. Haseltine Haddock, and Lieutenant AndrewB. Wells playing cards under a tree. When Iordered them to mount their commands they wereall in high spirits about the game, Keenan remark-ing : “Major, you have spoiled a good game! ”After mounting the regiment I rode off at itshead in my proper place, followed by four otherofficers, all of whom belonged in front exceptLieutenant Carpenter, who commanded the secondcompany of the first squadron, and might properlyhave been in the rear of the first company, wherehe undoubtedly would have been had I supposedthere was danger ahead. The officers in front were :Major Pennock Huey, commander of the regiment;Major Peter Keenan, commander of tho first bat-talion; Captain Charles Arrowsmith, commanderof the first squadron; Lieutenant J. Edward Car-penter, commander of the second company; andAdjutant J. Haseltine Haddock, whose place waswith me unless otherwise ordered. We rode throughthe wood toward the Plank road; there was nounusual stir or excitement among the men or offi-
& Extracted by permission and condensed from “ ATrue History of the Charge of the 8tli PennsylvaniaCavalry at Cliancellorsville,” by Pennock Iluey, Phila-delphia , 1885.—Editors.
cers of the regiment, the impression being that tb 0enemy were retreating, and all who had not heardof General Howard ’s disaster felt happy with tb 0thought that the battle was almost over. No on 0in the regiment, with the exception of myself, kn 01 'where we were going or for what purpose.
From the information I had received from G 011 'eral Pleasonton, and from hearing the aide mak 0his report before I started, I had no idea thatwould meet the enemy till after I had reported t 0General Howard . Therefore the surprise was aSgreat to us as to the enemy, as we were entirelyunprepared, our sabers being in their scabbard 0-When we arrived almost at the Plank road, we d 10 'covered that wo had ridden right into the eneK>y>the Plank road in our front being occupied bythem in great force, and that we wore completelysurrounded, the woods at that point being fiU ewith flankers of Jackson ’s column, who wf r ®thoroughly hidden from our view by the tbi 0undergrowth. It was here that I gave the coib_mand to “ draw sabers and charge,” which ord 01was repeated by Major Keenan and other offi ce '?'Tho charge was led by the five officers alreadynamed, who wore riding at the head of the re® 1ment when we left Hazel Grove. On reaching tbPlank road it appeared to be packed about aclosely with the enemy as it possibly could be.
We turned to tho left, facing the Confederatecolumn, the regiment, crowding on, both men anhorses in a porfoct frenzy of excitement, "'hi'nothing but death could stop. We cut ourthrough, trampling down all who could not eso&Pus, and using our sabers on all within reach, f°*distance of about 1 00 yards, when we receivedvolley from the enemy, which killed Major Keen 011 'Captain Arrowsmith, and Adjutant Haddock, tb 1of the noblest and most gallant officers of the"’ 8 ^besides a largo number of men. All three of tabove-named officers fell at tho same timefrom tho same volley, Major Keenan falling ag alJ1 ^me and lighting on the ground under my horse- ^few days aftorward his body was found nearspot wliero ho had fallen.