Isaac O. Best, History of the 121st New York State Infantry

[91] and pointed to the position of the enemy's skirmish line, said, “Captain, the sun is now an hour high, and you must occupy that ledge before sunset.” Some minor instructions followed, and immediately after the line was deployed and moved forward on the run with orders not to fire until the last fence was passed. The men were obliged to scale fences and run through the standing wheat and on reaching the last fence were nearly exhausted. Here a halt was ordered to correct the line and then a bold sally followed, and the position was ours. Seven or eight of the 121st were wounded, five in Company E. Three Rebels were found among the slain. The above facts are from Colonel Cronkite's account of the affair. The next day was spent in skirmishing, throwing up rifle pits and preparing for an assault in the morning. But when morning came no enemy was there. General Lee had succeeded in again escaping across the river with his shattered army in spite of what seemed an insurmountable difficulty on account of the swollen condition of the water. A small detachment at Dam No. 4 was attacked and captured.

Two changes were made in the staff of the regiment during June. Chaplain Sage resigned and was honorably discharged and Dr. John 0. Slocum was commissioned and assigned to the 121st, vice Dr. E. C. Walker resigned. General Meade has been considerably criticized for not renewing the battle on the repulse of Pickett on the ground that the Sixth Corps had come up and had not been engaged in the battle, and so might have been used to Lee's utter defeat.

To any Sixth Corps man it is sufficient answer to their criticism that General Sedgwick advised against such an attack, on the ground of the absolute exhaustion of his men by the previous forced