8th New York Cavalry Opens the Battle
The 8th NY Cavalry, the “Rochester Regiment” was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William L. Markell. At Gettysburg the regiment fought in Gamble’s brigade, Buford’s division, which opened the historic battle. It’s casualties at Gettysburg amounted to 3 killed, 10 wounded and 21 missing .
From the unit’s monument at the Gettysburg battlefield: Pickets of this regiment were attacked around 5 a.m., July 1, 1863, by the advanced skirmishers of Heth’s Confederate Division. The regiment engaged the enemy west of Seminary Ridge, with the brigade stubbornly contesting the ground against great odds until about 10:30 a.m., when it was relieved by the advance regiments of the 1st Corps.
COL Markell’s comments on the battle follow. Taken from the New York State Monuments Commission, 1902. Link below.
“Late in the afternoon of June 30th, the regiment, leading the advance of the First Brigade, First Division, Cavalry Corps, entered Gettysburg, passed through the town, and bivouacked near the Seminary in an open field on the left of the Cashtown Pike, from which one squadron advancing about a mile established a picket line across and on both sides of the Cashtown Road. About 7 o’clock on the next morning, July 1st, the officer commanding the squadron on picket gave notice that the enemy in strong force was advancing on his pickets from the direction of Cashtown. The brigade was formed in line of battle as soon as possible about a mile in front of the Seminary, and three squadrons deployed as skirmishers were advanced to the support of the picket line now being driven back by the enemy.”
“The fighting soon became general and sharp along the whole line, our skirmishers stubbornly resisting every inch of the enemy’s advance although the Confederates were there in overpowering numbers. In a short time the line was compelled to fall back to the next ridge, less than a quarter of a mile in the rear. The skirmishers fighting stubbornly in the meantime behind fences and trees, and our artillery doing good execution, the advance of the enemy was retarded, and this line was maintained until about 10 o’clock, when the First Corps, the advance of our infantry, came up and relieved the Cavalry Brigade in its unequal contest with the enemy. When we consider that two divisions of Hill’s Corps were held in check for three hours by so small a cavalry force, it becomes unnecessary to say anything more about their gallantry and fighting qualities. The regimental monument of the Eighth New York now stands on the spot the regiment occupied when relieved by the First Corps, on what is now known as Reynolds Avenue, and a few rods in rear of the spot where General Reynolds was killed.”
“In the afternoon the enemy, being strongly reinforced, extended his flanks, and made a desperate attempt to turn our left. They advanced in three strong lines, when our brigade was ordered forward at a trot and deployed. Half of the command was dismounted and placed behind a portion of a stone wall on a ridge of woods, with the Seminary on our right. The enemy being close upon us we opened an effective, rapid fire with our breech-loading carbines, which killed and wounded so many of their first line, that after a short heroic struggle to continue the advance, they could stand it no longer and fell back on the second line. Our men kept up the fire until the enemy, in overwhelming numbers, approached so near that in order to save our men and horses we were obliged to mount and fall back rapidly to the next ridge, carrying our wounded with us. The stand we there made against the enemy prevented our left flank from being turned, and saved a division of our infantry.”
https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/cavalry/8th-cavalry-regiment/historical-sketch