At another ford, blue horsemen waded dismounted through neck-deep water with their Spencer carbines. “As the rebel bullets began to splash around pretty thick,” recalled a Union officer, northern soldiers discovered that they could pump the waterproof metal cartridges into the Spencer’s chamber underwater; “hence, all along the line you could see the men bring their guns up, let the water run from the muzzle a moment, then take quick aim, fire his piece and pop down again.”
