History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

1020 FORTY-FOURTH REGIMENT-FIRST CAVALBY. 1863
and come safely in, bringing some prisoners and contraband property. On the
8th of May, abandoning the position which the regiment had held, it moved
to Falmouth,, and on the 28th, to Warrenton, doing picket duty in the mean.
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Moving to Kelly's Ford, it crossed on the 9th of June, and was immediately
engaged in the battle of Brandy Station. The Cavalry Corps was commanded
by General Pleasanton. At two P. M. the First and Fourth Divisions, under
Buford, moved to Beverly Ford, and the Second and Third, under Gregg, to
Kelly's Ford, where they bivouacked for the night. Crossing the river early
on the following morning, Gregg moved out four miles to Stevensburg, where
he left Colonel Duffy with the Second Division, to protect his flank, and proceeded with the Third Division direct to Brandy Station. The Second Brigade,
composed of the First Pennsylvania, First New Jersey, and the First Maryland,
under command of Colonel Wyndham, took the advance, followed by the First
Brigade, Colonel Kilpatrick. On arriving at Brandy Station, the enemy
opened with his artillery, which was promptly answered, and the First Maryland, in two battalions, charged upon his baitery. At the same time, wheeling
his regiment to the right, Colonel Taylor led a desperate charge upon the left
and rear of the foe, reaching the Barbour House, where were General Stuart,
his staff, and body guard, surrounded by cavalry Here a desperate encounter
ensued, the men using the cavalrymen's true weapon, the sabre, with terrible
effect. A number of prisoners were brought off, including Stuart's Assistant
Adjutant General. At this point the enemy was heavily re-inforced and the
command was obliged to withdraw, but disputing the ground manfully as it
went, until it reached a new line of battle. Here it wasjoined by Duffy. The
enemy failing to attack, Gregg moved toward Rappahannock Station, where
he was again engaged, the First Pennsylvania supporting a battery. An artillery duel was kept up for nearly two hours, when Colonel Taylor was ordered
to report, with his command, to General Buford, at Beverly Ford. Upon its
arrival it was ordered to the extreme right, where it was hotly engaged, displaying its usual skill and gallantry. The loss in this engagment was three
killed and eleven severely wounded. The enemy was grievously broken and
dispirited.
After a day's rest, receiving rations forage, and ammunition, the regiment
moved with the corps over the Bull Bun battle ground, to Aldie. Here, on the
21st, Stuart's whole force was again met, and after two days' desperate fighting,
was forced back a distance of fourteen miles, our victorious squadrons routing
and scattering his columns, and pushing him back into the gaps of the Blue
Ridge. The First Pennsylvania was held in reserve, and was not engaged until
the 22d, when it was ordered to the front, and Covered the retiring forces friom
Upperville back to Aldie. It held the left of the pike while the First New Jersey held the right, and was several times vigorously attacked, but hurled back
the charging columns in confusion. Pleasanton had given Stuart a stuning
blow at Beverly Ford. At Aldie and Uppervillehe gave him a finishing stroke
from which he never recovered. The regiment was the last to quit Aldie, acting as extreme rear guard to the army, now moving towards Pennsylvania.
At nine A. M. of the 2d of July, it reached the Gettysburg battle-field, and wasdetailed for duty at General Meade's headquarters, where it remained during
the campaign.
Resuming the march on the 5th, the regiment acting as guald to the reserve