Orders are in for the late afternoon and infantry is about to clash again around Tulip Creek. Before they do, however, it is worth noting the skill with which both commanders have used their cavalry. Cavalry is organized as a division reporting to the corps commander. From the very beginning, the Corps Commanders have used cavalry in its traditional role of scouting and screening. Brigades were detached from the division and sent out on various missions to find the enemy. At times, individual regiments have been detached by both sides for special duty.
As infantry concentrated at Tulip Creek, the Federals detached a single regiment from Herling's Brigade and sent it to Princeton. A single regiment was not going to stop, or even slow, an approaching force. It did, however, provide information. It alerted Maj. Gen. Ormsby to the approach of Randall's Brigade from the south and gave him enough time to redeploy Hollosetter's and Herling's Brigade.
The Confederates also were using cavalry to good advantage. Randall's Brigade was an hour or two ahead of Gowan's Division. The Federal cavalry regiment observing from Princeton was forced to retire on the approach of Randall and able to alert headquarters, but could not see Gowan's Division coming up behind it. Gowan had been successfully screened.
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