1879.1 LETTER FROM MCD. VAN WAGONER. 507 Kilpatrick rallied probably fifty men, and with them made several charges; and as for himself, being greatly excited, because of the lack of success of the charge, for a time he raved like a wild man, and fought like a tiger; but he was finally run back in the crowd, and the dust became so thick, a man couldn't recognize his own officer. The regiment (or that portion of it) crossed the river in squads, when it was formed, having lost only a few men. If General Kilpatrick made a mistake, it was in not starting the charging columns down towards the enemy at a trot, and then ordering a charge, when they would, no doubt, have swept the hill, for it was not a lack of courage that caused the men to fall back. At the battle of Bull Run, a few days after, when a charge was ordered by a staff officer, on the night of the first day, on the enemy, who were supposed to be retreating, though every one in the regiment knew it was almost certain death, when two companies, F and M, were ordered down the road, they did not flinch, but charged headlong, and as it was afterwards ascertained, actually charged a corps of the rebel army. The result .was, that out of the eighty men who made the charge, only four or five returned. The majority were shot down by a cross-fire of infantry, with grape from a battery in the road, directly in their front, and piled up with their horses on the road, killed and mortally wounded; two went clear through the rebel lines and were captured, and as before stated, four or five managed to get back. The record of the Harris Light Cavalry (afterwards the 2d New York), during the war, was of the best; and whether mounted or dismounted, they could be depended upon to do good work, as General Patrick, and also General Custer (under whom the regiment fought several battles), were free in saying. Knowing that you would not intentionally do injustice to so creditable an officer as Judson Kilpatrick, or to so excellent a regiment as the Harris Light Cavalry, I have written these facts for your perusal. Very truly, yours, MCD. VAN WAGONER, Private Co. F, Harris Light Cavalry, during the late War. In addition to the list of officers given in Chapter III, as members of the regiment while it was commanded by Colonel Fiero, the records in the Adjutant-General's office, at Albany, show that the following named persons held commissions in the Twentieth" between the time of Colonel Fiero's resignation and the departure of the regiment for the war, and whose names do not appear elsewhere in this narrative. It should be stated, however, that the regimental district had meantime been changed, and Greene County had been substituted for Sullivan. The additional list is as follows: Surgeon.-James O. Van Hovenbergh, Kingston, November, 1857, in place of Cornelius G. Harlow, of Esopus. Sidney L. Ford, Lexington, and David B. Dewey, Catskill, Surgeon's Mates. Chaplain.-Rev. Robert B. Fairbain, now Dean of St. Stephen's College at Anandale, N. Y. Captains.-George Hartman, Rondout; Daniel Gillett, John B. Davis, Olive; Samuel Penniman, Samsonville; James Diamond, Rondout; Anthony Van Bergin, Rondout; James Thompson, Esopus; John Weber, Rondout; Hezekiah Pettit, Lexington. First Lieutenants.-Adam Smith, Cairo; George W. Mead, Jr., Cairo; Lawrence H. Corbitt, Rondout; Joseph Zemiski, Rondout; Charles Shuman, Rondout William Golden, Rondout; John Kline, Rondon' Platt J. Rowley; Hiram Davis, Windham Centre; Second Lieutenants.-Philip V. Moderse, Green- APPENDICES. A. CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD, CONTAINING AN ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF THE MOVEMENTS OF THE REGIMENT DURING ITS ENTIRE SECOND TERM OF SERVICE-DISTANCES MARCHED PLACES OF ENCAMPMENT OR BIVOUAC-DUTY EMPLOYED ON-DETAILS OF OFFICERS AND MEN-PROCEEDINGS OF DETACHMENT ON VETERAN FURLOUGH-VISIT TO ALBANY-HON. JACOB LEFEVRE'S RESOLUTION-IN THE ASSEMBLY CHAMBER-PRESENTATION OF COLORS TO MASTER PRATT-ACCEPTANCE BY GOV. SEYMOUR-PRESENTATION OF COLORS BY MRS. KUGLER-SPEECH OF HON. GEORGE T. PIERCE-ADDRESS OF REGIMENT TO COLONEL GATES-COLONEL HARDENBURGH IN COMMAND-REGIMENT TO DEFENCE OF FORT SEDGWICK-GENERAL COLLIS' ORDER-REGIMENT IN RICHMOND-HOW OFFICERS AND MEN EMPLOYED GENERAL TURNER'S ORDER-REGIMENT AT NORFOLKCOLONEL HARDENBURGH IN COMMAND OF DISTRICT-MUSTERED OUTCOLONEL HARDENBURGH'S ADDRESS-RECEPTION AND FLAG-PRESENTATION AT KINGSTON-REORGANIZATION. THE history of the original organization of the regiment under Colonel Christopher Fiero, and its consolidation with the Twenty-eight regiment; the accession of Colonel George W. Pratt to the command, and its organization and departure from Kingston for its first service under the United States Government, is given in Chapters III, IV, and V of this work. The following chronological record, after brief reference to the three months' service, carries on its history from that time until its return in February, |