The Photographic History of The Civil War: in ten volumes, Thousands of Scenes Photographed 1861-65, with Text by many Special Authorities, Volume 4: The Cavalry
Francis Trevelyan Miller, Ed.

A distinguished officer of the same arm of the service, said of him that as a captain of dragoons “he was considered,” in a regiment famed for its dashing and accomplished officers, “as the soldier par excellence.” He adds in loving admiration, that “no man could be more popular or sincerely beloved by his fellow officers, nor could any officer be more thoroughly respected by his men, than he was. His company had no superior in the service.” The same distinguished officer, writing after his career had closed in death, says, “He was a splendid cavalry officer, and one of the most successful in the service; was modest, yet brave; unostentatious, but prompt and persevering; ever ready to go where duty called him, and never shrinking from action however fraught with peril.” . . .

Speaking many years after of the part taken in this great day's work¹ by Buford's cavalry, General F. A. Walker, in the “History of the Second Army Corps,” uses the following language: “When last it was my privilege to see General Hancock in November, 1885, he pointed out to me from Cemetery Hill the position occupied by Buford at this critical juncture, and assured me that among the most inspiring sights of his military career was the splendid spectacle of that gallant cavalry as it stood there, unshaken and undaunted, in the face of the advancing Confederate infantry.” No higher commendation for the cavalry can be found. Its services have been generally minimized, if not entirely ignored, by popular historians, but no competent critic can read the official reports or the Comte de Paris' “History of the Civil War in America” without giving the cavalry the highest praise for its work on this day, and throughout this campaign. “To Buford was assigned the post of danger and responsibility. He, and he alone, selected the ground,” says that trustworthy historian, “upon which unforeseen circumstances were about to bring the two armies into ”