John Harrison Wilson, The life of Charles Henry Dana

[345] field of duty I spent a day with Dana at Washington, arranging for his co-operation in supplying me with such remounts, equipments, and improved fire-arms as might be needed. It was through his assistance that I had a few weeks before been enabled to completely rearm the Third Cavalry Division with the Spencer repeating magazine carbine, and thus to give it the distinction of being the first division of troops in the world to carry a full supply of such arms. As the gun at Kearneyville and Winchester had abundantly proven itself to be easily the best cavalry fire-arm so far invented, my desire to have all that could be furnished by the Ordnance Bureau for the Western cavalry received Dana's hearty approval, and it was through his cordial assistance that I was enabled that winter to completely furnish three divisions with these admirable weapons. It is worthy of note that these divisions operated together as the Cavalry Corps, Military Division of the Mississippi, to the end of the war, and were the first army corps in the world to carry such arms. It may also be truthfully said that no part of that corps using these arms was ever repulsed or ever failed in attacking the enemy, whether he was in the open or behind intrenchments.

I had hardly got to my destination in upper Georgia when I received a note from Dana, dated October 10th, running as follows:

Perhaps you can suggest to General Sherman to ask for General Smith. It is a great pity that his eminent abilities should be left unemployed.

Everything going on well. Sheridan has perfectly devastated the Valley for a distance of ninety miles from Winchester south.

It is greatly to Dana's credit that, notwithstanding his clear perception of Smith's shortcomings, he had not lost