Episode 44: MAJ James H. Kidd and the 6th Michigan Cavalry at the Battle of Yellow Tavern

At the Battle of Yellow Tavern, 11 May 1864, MAJ James H. Kidd, commander of the 6th Michigan Cavalry faced the Confederate Cavalry under MG J.E.B. Stuart. After a fight that lasted several hours, MG Sheridan, commander of the Union Cavalry Corps, ordered his men to charge.

Sources used for this episode:

Kidd, James H. Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman with Custer’s Michigan Cavalry Brigade in the Civil War. Ionia: Sentinel Printing Company, 1908. https://www.loc.gov/item/09002245/.

Scott, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records on the Union and Confederate Armies. ser. 1, vol. 36, pt. 1: Reports. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1891. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924097311744&view=1up&seq=3.

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Looking in that direction.
We saw the entire fifth cavalrywas climbing the fence and
starting for a charge across thefield.
The sixth instantly caught theinfection, and before I could
say I, yes or no, both regimentswere yelling and firing and
advancing on the enemy in theopposite woods.

(00:46):
hello everyone.
My name is Bill Coghlan andwelcome to First Person Civil
War Podcast, which retells thestories of the soldiers and
officers on the ground in thebattles of the Civil War.
Episode 44 is entitled MajorJames H.

(01:06):
Kidd in the sixth MichiganCavalry at the Battle of Yellow
Tavern, and Relies on his book.
Personal recollections of acavalry man with Custer's
Michigan Cavalry Brigade in theCivil War, which he published in
1908.
The war cloud that burst uponthe country in 1861 was no

(01:29):
surprise to Sagacious observers.
For many years, it had beenvisible at times, a mere speck
in the sky.
Again, growing larger and moreangry in appearance, it would
disappear.
Sanguine Patriots hoped forever.
Only to come again full of direportent and evil menacing.

(01:52):
James Harvey Kidd was born in1840 in iia, Michigan, which is
between Lansing and GrandRapids.
By the age of 15, he was anassistant postmaster.
And he obtained a subscriptionto the New York Weekly Tribune,
which he claims primed manyyoung men through the 1850s for

(02:12):
the Civil War.
The boys who read the Tribune inthe fifties were being
unconsciously molded into themen who a few years later rushed
to the rescue of their country'sflag.
The seed sewn by Horace Greeley,that is the newspaper's owner
who helped found the Republicanparty.

(02:35):
And others like him broughtforth a rich crop of loyalty, of
devotion and self-sacrifice thatwas garnered in the war A.
James Kidd was in his secondyear at the University of
Michigan when the Civil Warbroke out of the initial
regiments of infantry, cavalry,and batteries of artillery, both

(02:56):
nine month and three years, Aman was hard pressed to find
themselves in the ranks as somany rushed to enlist.
The state was one vastrecruiting station.
There was scarcely a town ofimportance which had not
accompanied forming for someoneor other of the various
regiments that were organizingall through the year.

(03:19):
The latter part of the year,1860, the air was full of
threatenings.
The country was clearly on theverge of civil war, and the
feeling almost as intense as itwas in the following April,
after the flash of EdmundRuffin's gun, who was often
credited with firing the firstshot against Fort Sumpter had

(03:40):
fired the Northern heart.
It was in the summer of 1862during the second call for
troops that James Kiddvolunteered for service.
He returned home to Ionia andtold his father who had
political connections that hedesired to be an officer in the
cavalry.
Shortly thereafter, he receiveda letter for his appointment.

(04:05):
Headquarters, sixth MichiganCavalry, grand Rapids.
August 28th, 1862 to CaptainJames H.
Kidd.
You are hereby authorized toraise a company of mounted
riflemen for this regiment oncondition that you raised them
within 15 days from this date.

(04:25):
And report with them at therendezvous in this city.
Signed FW Kellogg ColonelCommanding.
Captain Kidd recruited 99 menfrom Ionia in the surrounding
area, and in October becametroop E of the sixth Michigan
Cavalry.
By December of 1862.

(04:47):
The sixth, Michigan was inWashington, DC and alongside the
fifth and seventh MichiganCavalry Regiments formed the
Michigan Brigade.
At the outbreak of the CivilWar, the antiquated muzzle
loading rifle was still theweapon of choice for arming
infantry regimens, both northand south.

(05:08):
But the cavalry could not relyon this weapon.
One of the latest innovations inweaponry on the battlefield was
the introduction of repeatingrifles and the ordinance
department equipped the entireMichigan brigade with the rifle
and eventually Carine variant ofthe Spencer Rifle loaded from
the breach.
It was an effective tool on thebattlefield as James Kidd

(05:31):
attested.
The Michigan Cavalry Brigadearmed as it was with repeating
carbine, was never whipped whenit had a chance to use them.
In arming the infantry, thegovernment was 50 years behind
the times.
There seemed to also becontroversy in the rifle's
issuance toward a politicianfrom Maine by the name of James

(05:55):
g Blaine, how much truth theremay be in the assertion.
I don't know.
But if Mr.
Blaine was instrumental inbringing about the adoption of
dispenser for the use of thecavalry, he ought to have a vote
of thanks of Congress for abetter gun had never been
issued.
And if the entire army had beensupplied with it, the war could

(06:16):
not have lasted 90 days, and Mr.
Seward would've been a prophet.
James Kidd goes on to describethe weapon dispenser was a
magazine gun carrying eightcartridges, all of which could
be discharged without taking thearm from the shoulder against
such arms.
The old fashioned muzzle loaderswith which the infantry was

(06:38):
equipped were ineffective.
James Kidd promoted to the rankof major in May of 1863, and it
was in late June as the menmaneuvered around Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania that the MichiganBrigade received.
Its new Commander BrigaderGeneral George Armstrong Custer.

(07:00):
On three July, despite beingoutnumbered, he led the Michigan
DURs in a charge that bluntedJeb Stewart's cavalry advance
upon the union rear.
In the wake of the battle of thewilderness, in early May, 1864,
major general Philip Sheridan,commander of the Army of the
Potomacs Cavalry Corps desiredto detach from the army and ride

(07:25):
south on nine May.
Major General Sheridan got hiswish and major.
James Kidd now commander of thesixth Michigan Cavalry rode in
the Michigan Brigade, stillcommanded by Brigadier General
Custer in the first division,commanded by Brigadier General
Wesley Merrit of the CavalryCorps.

(07:45):
With the purpose to engage theConfederate supply lines and
draw out Jeb Stewart and hiscavalry.
The movement began at an earlyhour.
The start was made beforeDaylight general Custer, who was
to lead, ordered that the sixthMichigan move out first, and

(08:05):
thus it fell to my lot to be inthe van at the outset of that
historic expedition.
As Major Kidd in the sixthMichigan Road South.
They encountered detachments ofConfederate Cavalry, but the two
sides only Skirmished on nineand 10 May.
As the Union cavalry continuedtheir ride, Jeb Stewart finally

(08:28):
formed a defensive line atYellow Tavern, approximately six
miles north of Richmond.
It was on 11 May, 1864 that thelead elements of the Union
Cavalry met the Confederates atYellow Tavern, posted on the
left flank of the union advancemajor kid in the sixth Michigan,

(08:48):
along with the fifth dismounted,and formed the front rank of the
brigade while the remainingMichigan regimens stayed mounted
in reserve.
Major.
Kidd just received an order fromBrigadier General Custer to
shift his regiment to the leftflank of the fifth when he heard
shouting from that regiment.
Looking in that direction.

(09:10):
We saw the entire fifth cavalrywas climbing the fence and
starting for a charge across thefield.
The sixth instantly caught theinfection, and before I could
say I, yes or no, both regimentswere yelling and firing and
advancing on the enemy in theopposite woods.

(09:31):
There are no Confederate reportsfor the battle included in the
official records volume, butBrigadier General Custer did
include his assessment of thedefensive line he faced, and
there was a reason why he wantedthe sixth Michigan to shift its
position.
The enemy was strongly posted ona bluff in rear of a thin skirt

(09:52):
of woods.
While they had obtained perfectrange of my position, the edge
of the woods nearest, my frontwas held by the enemy's
dismounted men who poured aheavy fire into my lines.
This flanking fire forced thefifth Michigan to change the
front of one of its battalionsto deal with this unforeseen

(10:13):
threat and the sixth Michiganshifted to the left flank, which
successfully dislodged theConfederates from the woods who
retreated to their main line.
Brigadier.
General Custer deployed hisentire brigade in line of
battle.
With the fifth and sixthMichigan on the left and the
first and seventh Michiganregiments still mounted on the

(10:36):
right.
Once a raid, major kid and thesixth Michigan cavalry joined in
the attack.
As soon as our line appeared inthe open.
Indeed before it left the woods,the Confederate artillery opened
with Shell and Shrapnel.
The car beers and Sharpshootersjoined with Zest in the fray.

(10:56):
And the man who thinks they didnot succeed in making that part
of the neighborhood aroundYellow Tavern, an uncomfortably
hot place was not there at thetime.
It was necessary to takeadvantage of every chance for
shelter.
Every Wolverine who exposedhimself was made a target of
many men were hit by bullets.

(11:18):
The artillerist did not timetheir fuses right, and most of
the damage was done in the treesbehind us, or they were on too
high ground to get the range.
As the Michigan Brigadeadvanced.
They discovered and occupied aditch that paralleled the
confederate line that provided adegree of protection from rifle

(11:39):
and artillery fire.
It was here that major kids, menengaged the Virginians of Lo
Max's brigade alongside stillmore union cavalry forming on
his left.
After several hours, majorGeneral Sheridan ordered an
assault upon the Confederateline and placed Brigadier
General Custer in tacticalcommand.

(12:00):
Major.
Kidd noticed the squadrons ofthe first Michigan preparing for
a charge and anticipated whatwas about to happen.
Custer Staff passed the wordalong for the entire line to
advance.
There was no hesitation.
The fifth and sixth andChapman's regiments on their
left sprang forward with ashout.

(12:23):
There was a gallon advance ofthe slope.
Fitz Hu Lee's men held on grimlyas long as they could, but there
was no check to the charge.
During this melee major generalJeb Stewart, who was rallying
his men against the fifthMichigan, was shot in the
abdomen.

(12:43):
He was rushed from thebattlefield and eventually to a
hospital in Richmond where hedied the next day, 12 May, 1864.
The Battle of Yellow Tavern wasa union victory.
But the death of Jeb Stewart,arguably the Confederacy's most
capable cavalry commander, was adevastating blow to the Southern

(13:06):
war effort.
Major General Sheridan continuedhis ride south, but ultimately
shied away from attackingRichmond itself and instead
linked up with the army of theJames.
By late May, the Cavalry Corpsreturned to the army of the
Potomac, where a continuedservice in the Overland
campaign.

(13:27):
After the Battle of YellowTavern, James Harvey Kidd
promoted to the rank of Coloneland commanded the sixth Michigan
Cavalry through the end of thewar.
Following the Grand Review whenseveral Union armies paraded
down the streets of WashingtonDC that included the army of the
Potomac, Colonel Kidd and thesixth Michigan Cavalry did not

(13:49):
disband, but received orders outwest to Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas.
While there in June of 1865,James H.
Kidd promoted to the rank ofBret Brigadier General and
Mustered out of service on sevenNovember, 1865.
James Harvey Kidd published hisbook in 1908 entitled, personal

(14:14):
Recollections of a Cavalrymanwith Custer's, Michigan Cavalry
Brigade in the Civil War, thoughit took him approximately 20
years to write.
James Kidd made it clear thathis work would not serve as a
brigade history.
The narrative contained in thefollowing pages is a story of

(14:34):
personal recollections of one ofthe troopers that rode with
Custer and played a part small.
It is true, but still a part inthe tragedy of the Civil War.
As such, it is modestly putforth with the hope that it may
prove to be an interesting storyto those who read it.
The author also trusts that itmay contribute something albeit,

(14:56):
but a little to giving Custers,Michigan cavalry men the place
in the history of their country,which they so rightly earned on
so many fields.
Thank you for listening to the44th episode.
Links to major kids book and tosocial media accounts are
available on the podcastwebsite.

(15:17):
First person Civil Warpodcast.com.
On Facebook, Instagram, x, andLinkedIn.
This week you'll find a pictureof James H.
Kidd sometime after the war.
Just a quick note about mysource material.
Every primary source used for anepisode of this podcast are open

(15:39):
source and available for freeonline.
The men who wrote these bookshave just as in-depth
perspectives about more battlesthan I have covered, and I
encourage you to take a look.
In two weeks time, captainWilliam Valmore, Isla of Company
G 25th South Carolina, providesnext episode's first person

(16:04):
account at the battle.
Of Globe Tavern.
My name is Bill Coghlan.
And thank you for listening toFirst Person Civil War podcast.
I.