Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 4.djvu/315

Rh me!&quot; The regiment participated in Stuart’s Pennsylvania raid, and reaching the field of Gettysburg on July 3d, engaged in the desperate hand-to-hand cavalry fight on the right of the army. In this bloody action Hampton was twice wounded, and Colonel Baker was given command of the brigade during the subsequent important work of protecting the retreat of the army, including fighting about Hagerstown and Falling Waters. After the army had crossed into Virginia, Colonel Baker was assigned the duty of picketing the Potomac from Falling Waters to Hedgesville, and had frequent skirmishes with the enemy until withdrawn to the line of the Rappahannock. Here, on July 3ist, the Federal cavalry crossed the river in force and advanced toward Brandy Station, stubbornly resisted by Hampton’s brigade of cavalry under command of Colonel Baker, General Stuart also being at the front. In his report of this affair, Gen. R. E. Lee wrote: &quot;Hampton’s brigade behaved with its usual gallantry and was very skillfully handled by Colonel Baker. Our loss was small, but among our wounded, I regret to say, are those brave officers, Colonel Baker, commanding the brigade; Colonel Young, of Cobb’s legion, and Colonel Black, of the First South Carolina cavalry.&quot; On the same day General Lee recommended Colonel Baker for promotion to the rank of brigadier-general, which was promptly confirmed, and in the subsequent reorganization of the cavalry he was assigned to the command of a brigade composed exclusively of North Carolina regiments, the First, Second, Fourth and Fifth. But the wound he had received at Brandy Station was a serious one the bones of his arm being completely shattered, and the use of it lost to him, in consequence of which he was unable to continue his service with the cavalry. When General Wade Hampton became chief of the cavalry in the spring of 1864, he desired General Baker to accept division command under him with promotion to major-general, but the disability