ss the
field toward our guns, the bugle rang, and we tumbled out from amidst
the cavalry, in short order, and took our posts around our respective
guns.

="Jeb" Stuart Assigns "A Little Job"=

Stuart was in front of the column of guns talking to Captain McCarthy;
next moment we moved. That is, the "Left Section" moved, the two
twelve-pounder brass "Napoleons," the "Right Section" had two
ten-pounder "Parrott" guns and stayed still. We did not rejoin them for
several days. It was our "Napoleons" that moved off, we took note of
that! Also, we took very scant gun detachments,--all our men, but just
enough to work the guns, stayed behind,--we took note of _that_ too!
These two circumstances meant _business_ to old artillerymen. We
_remarked_ as much, as we trotted beside the guns. "The little job" that
General Stuart had alluded to, with his bland and seductive smile, and
the merry twinkle of his eye, was, plainly, a very _warm_ little job;
however, away we went, "J. E. B." Stuart riding in front of the guns,
with the Captain,--apparently enjoying himself; _we reserved our
opinion_ as to the enjoyableness of the occasion, till we should _see
more_ and be better able to judge. Two guns of "Callaway's" and two of
"Carlton's" Batteries of our Battalion,--which had come up while we were
disporting with our cavalry friends, back there,--had pulled in behind
our two.

The six guns followed the road which turned around the farmhouse, and
ran on down toward the back of the farm. There were pine woods about, in
different directions, the fields lying between. We saw nothing as yet,
and wondered where we were going. We soon found out! About half a mile
from the house, the farm road, which here ran along with pine woods on
the left and a stretch of open field on the right, turned out toward the
open ground. As we passed out from behind that point of woods, we saw
"the elephant!" There, about six hundred yards from us were the
Federals, seeming to cover the fields. There were lines of infantry,
batteries, wagons, ambulances, ordnance trains massed all across the
open ground. This was part of Warren's Corps, which had been pushing for
the Spottsylvania line. They thought they had left the "Army of Northern
Virginia" back yonder at the "Wilderness," and had nothing before them
but cavalry, and they were halted, now, resting or eating, intending
afterwards to advance, and occupy the line, which was back up behind us,
where we had left