chivalry towards Richmond, the rebel forces directly in his rear were pursuing a portion of our forces toward the Chickahominy. I then received orders to withdraw my men if possible. With great difficulty they succeeded in filing off to the left in the woods toward White Oak Swamp, retreating along the edge of the swamp back to our second line of defences. After fighting with his regiment in final days of the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, Mitchell was commissioned as a second lieutenant on January 15, 1863. Now part of the 3rd Corps of the Army of the Potomac, he and his men were next engaged in the Chancellorsville Campaign from April 30 to May 6. After the Battle of Chancellorsville, Mitchell was advanced in rank again (on May 9, 1863; alternate date May 4) with a commission to first lieutenant. On May 27, Brigadier-General Daniel Sickles presented him with the Kearny Badge (the Kearny Cross), “a red diamond that was the very symbol of courage in the Army of the Potomac,” according to historian Charles LaRocca. While assigned with his regiment to the Gettysburg Campaign, Mitchell was then wounded in action again during the Battle of Gettysburg, where he and his fellow 105th Pennsylvanians were on the front lines of the intense fighting at Little Round Top from July 2–3. Following his second period of recuperation, he returned to service with the 105th Pennsylvania. In a post-battle letter, Colonel Calvin A. Craig of the 105th Pennsylvania wrote: The One Hundred and Fifth never fought so well as at Gettysburg. We rallied some eight or ten times after the rest of the brigade had left us, and the boys fought like demons. Their battle-cry was “Pennsylvania”. I could handle them just as well on that field of battle as though they had simply been on drill. This is a state of perfection in discipline that is gained by but few regiments. After recuperating from his wounds, Mitchell again returned to his regiment, which continued operations against Confederate troops in Virginia from the late summer through early winter. Briefly under heavy fire near Locust Grove in November 1863, they then participated in the Mine Run Campaign from November 27 to December 2. Moved to winter quarters at Brandy Station later that month, the majority of 105th Pennsylvanians were then awarded veterans’ furloughs after re-enlisting. Departing winter quarters on May