ing. And then we sat around the fires discussing the events of
the day. One subject of general anxiety, I remember, was when Longstreet
would be up. As well as things had gone this day, we all knew well, how
much his Corps would be needed for tomorrow's work. It was generally
regarded as certain that he would get up during the night, and we lay
down to sleep around our guns confident that all was well for tomorrow.

Next morning we were up early. I don't remember that we had anything to
eat, and as the getting anything to eat in those days made a deep
impression on our minds, I infer that we didn't. However we got a
_wash_, a small one. We did not always enjoy this refreshment; then had
to be content with a "dry polish" such as Mr. Squeers recommended to
Nicholas Nickelby at "Dotheboys Hall," when the pump froze. But on this
occasion we had, with difficulty, secured one canteen of water between
three of us, wherein we were better off than some of the others. The tin
pan in which we luxuriated during winter quarters had been relegated to
the wagon, both as inconvenient to carry, and as requiring too much
water. It always took two to get a "campaign wash." One fellow poured a
little water, out of the canteen, into his comrade's hands, with which
he moistened his countenance, a little more poured over his soaped
hands, and the deed was done. On this occasion when one canteen had to
serve for three, and no more water was to be had, our ablutions were
light; in fact, it was little more than a pantomime, in which we "went
through the motions" of a wash. But we were afraid to leave the guns a
minute, after daylight, for fear of a sudden movement to the front, so
we had to do with what we had.

Soon after this, our cares about all these smaller matters suddenly fell
out of sight. That fierce musketry broke out again along the lines, in
the woods, in front. It increased in fury, especially on the right. Very
soon reports began to float back that the Federals were heavily
overlapping A. P. Hill's right, and things looked dangerous. Then it was
rumored that some of Hill's right regiments were beginning to give way,
under the resistless weight of the columns hurled upon him and round his
flank. We could quickly perceive this to be true by the sound of the
firing, which came nearer to us and passed toward the left. This
immediately threw our crowd into a fever of excitement; the idea of
lying there, doing nothing, when our men were