THE CHARGE OF COOKE'S CAVALRY AT GAINES'S MILL
By Philip St. George Cooke, Brevet Major-General, U.S.A.

IN "The Century" for June, 1885, there is an article on the battle of Gaines's Mill, signed by Fitz John Porter, in which appear singular errors of statement regarding the action of the "Cavalry Reserve," affecting also the conduct and reputa- tion of its commander. He says [see p. 340 of the present volume]:

"We lost in all twenty-two cannon: some of these broke down while we were withdrawing, and some ran off the bridges at night while we were crossing to the south bank of the Chickahominy. The loss of the guns was due to the fact that some of Cooke's cavalry, which had been directed to be kept, under all circumstances, in the valley of the Chickahominy, had been sent to resist an attack of the enemy upon our left. The charge. executed in the face of a withering fire of infantry and in the midst of our heavy cannonading as well as that of the enemy, resulted, as should have been expected, in confusion. The bewildered and uncontrollable horses wheeled about, and, dashing though the batteries, satisfled the gunners that they were charged by the enemy. To this alone I always attributed the failure on our part longer to hold the battle-field, and to bring off all our guns (with few exceptions) in an orderly retreat. Most unaccountably this cavalry was not used to cover our retreat or gather the stragglers, but was peremptorily ordered to cross to the south bank of the river." [Foot- note: "See 'Official Records.' Vol. XI., Part II., pp. 43, 223, 273, 282.--- F. J. P."]

To silence forever the injurious statements and insinuation of the last sentence, I give here evidence of two witnesses who were present, and whose high character is known to all. Major-General Wesley Merritt, colonel Fifth Cavalry, superintendent United States Military Academy, writes me, April 8th, 1885:

"The cavalry remained, with you in immediate com- mand, on that portion of the field, until after midnight on , 1862. It provided litter-bearers and lantern-bearers for our surgeons who went over the field of battle, scoring and attending the wounded.... The cavalry was the last force to leave the field and to cross the Chickahominy, and the bridge on which it crossed, between 12 midnight on the 27th and 2 A. M. on the 28th of June, was, I think, rendered impassable by your order."

Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel J.P. Martin, assist- ant adjutant-general United States Army, wrote me from Fort Leavenworth, April 30th, 1885:

"The artillery did not drive the enemy from his front: the enemy was not driven from his front, but the charge of your cavalry did stop the advance of the enemy, and this enabled Porter's troupe to get off the field. I am by no means alone in the belief that the charge of the cav- alry at Gaines's Mill, on June 27th, 1862, saved Fits John Porter's corps from destruction. .. .. . You did nut direct your command at once to cross the river. There were no frightened men in your vicinity. All the fright- ened men were far to your right: you could not have reached the retiring crowd: and if you could have stopped them, you could have dune more than Porter himself did do, and he was amidst them, for I saw him. Your command, at least a part of it, was the very last to cross the river."
It should be observed that in the short extract from " The Century," above, General Porter repeats the assertion that the cavalry caused the loss of the (22) guns,---emphasizes, makes plainer, the meaning of the opening sentence: to the charge "alone I always attributed the failure on our part to longer hold the battle-field and to bring off all our guns in an orderly retreat."

Captain W. C. Weeden, commanding Battery C, 1st Rhode Island Artillery, reports, Vol. XI., Pt.II., p. 282, " Official Records," the loss of a section by stress of the enemy's attacks; the two other sec- tions "held in support in rear of Griffin's brigade" opened fire; "The smoke had filled the whole field to the woods, and it was impossible re. The batteries were limbering to the rear in good order" when, he says, the cavalry fugitives ran through them, but he only lost one more piece "mired in the woods." But General Griffin re- ports that the artillery "opened fire upon the enemy advancing upon our left; but it was too late; our infantry had already begun to fall back, and nothing being left to give confidence to the artillerymen, it was impossible to make them stand to their work." And that was just when the cavalry did go in and give confidence to the three batteries on the left, and the saving work was done.

I have examined the "Official Records" and found reports of about twenty batteries engaged in the battle, and the above is the only mention of the cavalry fugitives to be found in them; their losses are attributed to other causes. Here I will give the account of the loss of whole batteries:

General Truman Seymour reports, p. 402, of Captain Easton, " This gallant gentleman fell and his battery was lost with him."

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^Insertion by General Porter in the revision of his article for the present work.-- EDITORS.

^^ Major William H. Powell, of the 4th Regular Infantry. wrote to the Editors on September 8th, 1885 : "' Probably not mach credit attaches to the particular organized force which was the last to cross the Chickahominy River after the battle of Gaines's Mill: but in order to settle the question I desire to state that the cavalry was not the last to cross the river --- even if they did leave at the time General Merritt states. The 4th United States infantry was the last organization which crossed. and that regiment passed over about two hours after daylight on the morning of the 28th, and a bridge had to be partly relaid to enable it to do so. This regi- ment was posted on the extreme right flank of the army at the battle of Gaines's Mill, and was ordered to support Weed's battery.. Weed was afterward reenforced by Tidball's bat-- tery. and the 4th Infantry held ,to position from the commencement of the engagement (about 11 A. M.) until twilight of the 27th, without receiving an order or stirring from its position until Weed reported that he had no more ammunition, and retired from the field by way of the Cold Harbor road, covered by the 4th infantry.. night came upon the regiment as it was retiring on this road. It went into bivouac in time of battle, in the Chickahominy Valley, on the road by which it retired from the field. When daylight came we ex- pected ordered to renew the engagement. and took up our march to return to the battle-field, about a mile and a half distant. It was then that some wounded were met, who in- formed us that all the army had crossed during the night. We then marched from Grapevine Bridge to Alexander's Bridge. in sight of the enemy's pickets, and when we arrived on the south side we were astonished to end that it was thought we bad been captured.. We learned afterward that orders had been sent to the 4th Infantry during the action, but the officer who started with them was killed: another who took them was wounded before they could be delivered. and an ordsequently dispatched with them did not arrive at his destination, and was never heard of afterward."
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