The Cavalry Buys Time
July 1, 1863 - First Day
"The First Brigade maintained this unequal contest until the leading division of General Reynolds' corps came up to its assistance, and then most reluctantly did it give up the front."
Brig. Gen. John Buford, U.S.A.
Cavalry Corps, 1st Division
Cavalry soldiers traditionally fought on horseback, but by 1863 they were also fighting on foot. Although the infantryman's rifle-musket was more deadly at long range than the cavalryman's carbine, dismounted cavalry could effectively harass and delay foot soldiers.
Along this ridge (to your left and right), the Union cavalry of Brig. Gen. John Buford's Division held off the attacking Confederate infantry of Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Davis on the morning of July 1. When the pressure became too great, the troopers fell back to the ridge in front of you.
General Buford's cavalry slowed the attacking Confederates for two critical hours, time enough for the Union infantry to arrive on the battlefield.
Marker is on Buford Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
