[38] The only order I had received at the time was to support the picket line with the entire brigade. See General Merritt's report, Official records, Vol. XLIII, series I, part I, page 449.
[39] The Fifth United States cavalry, General Merritt's escort. General Merritt's report.
[40] General Sheridan's report states that it was Getty's division of the Sixth corps only that was in this position when he came up—that the other divisions were farther to the rear but were brought up to the alignment.
"On arriving at the front, I found Merritt's and Custer's divisions of cavalry, * * * and Getty's division of the Sixth corps opposing the enemy. I suggested to General Wright that we would fight on Getty's line, and that the remaining two divisions of the Sixth corps, which were to the right and rear about two miles, should be ordered up, * * before the enemy attacked Getty."—Sheridan's report, Records, Vol. XLIII, part I, page 53.
[41] "The First brigade, in column of Regiments in line, moved forward like an immense wave, slowly at first, but gaining strength and speed as it progressed, overwhelmed a battery and its supports amidst a devastating shower of canister and a deadly fire of musketry from part of Kershaw's division, at short range from a heavy wood to our left. Never has the mettle of the division been put to a severer test than at this time, and never did it stand the test better. The charge was made on an enemy well formed and prepared to receive it with guns double-shotted with canister."—General Merritt's official report, Records, Vol. XLIII, Part I, page 450.
[42] Records, Series I, Vol. XLIII, part I, page 136.
[43] Records. Series I, Vol. XLIII, part I. pages 136-37.
[44] Records. Series I, Vol. XLIII, part I. page 453.