apparent merits.

When Custer approached the station he found Rosser in his way on his
front and right flank. Fitzhugh Lee, coming from Louisa Courthouse, also
attacked his left flank. For a time there was a melee which had no
parallel in the annals of cavalry fighting in the civil war, unless it
may have been at Brandy Station or Buckland Mills. Custer's line was in
the form of a circle and he was fighting an enterprising foe on either
flank and both front and rear. Fitzhugh Lee charged and captured a
section of Pennington's battery. The Seventh Michigan led by Brewer
recaptured it. Fragments of all the regiments in the brigade rallied
around Custer for the mounted fighting, of which there was plenty, while
the First and Sixth dismounted took care of the rear. Custer was
everywhere present giving directions to his subordinate commanders, and
more than one mounted charge was participated in by him in person.

Torbert's attack with Merritt's and Devin's brigades was at length
successful in routing Hampton, whose men were driven into and through
Custer's lines. Many of them were made prisoners. An officer and twelve
men belonging to the Seventh Georgia cavalry, making for the rear as
they supposed, came into the arms of the Sixth Michigan skirmishers at
one time. The officer gave up his revolver to me and it proved to be a
very fine five shooting arm of English make.

In the final stages of the battle, Gregg concentrated against Fitzhugh
Lee, Torbert effected his junction with Custer, and the latter was
extricated from his difficult and dangerous predicament, after
performing prodigies of valor. The lines changed front and the
confederates were driven across the railroad, Hampton towards
Gordonsville, Lee to the eastward. The two did not succeed in coming
together that night, and Lee was obliged to make a wide detour in order
to reunite with his chief on the afternoon of the next day, Sunday, June
12.

The entire command encamped on the battle field in the neighborhood of
Trevilian Station for the night. The next morning Gregg was set at work
tearing up the railroad toward Louisa Courthouse. The First division was
given a rest until the afternoon when, at about three o'clock, although
it was Sunday, the order came for the First division to proceed in the
direction of Gordonsville. In the meantime, the forces of Hampton and
Lee had united and, as will be seen, had planned to stop Sheridan's
further progress at all haz