Credit: Library of Congress
Called "Kill-Cavalry" by his men, Hugh Judson Kilpatrick was one of the Union Armies most reckless officers. "So many lives were sacrificed by him for no good purpose whatever," said James Harvey Kidd, an officer who served with Custer's 6th Michigan. Kilpatrick commanded the Third Cavalry Division at the battle of Hanover on June 30, 1863. Although Kilpatrick's cavalry performed heroically during the entire Gettysburg campaign, historian Gregory J.W. Urwin notes that Kilpatrick "had earned a reputation for riding to glory over the graves of his men…while emerging from any fracas unscathed to garner the acclaim their blood had purchased."
