by the smoke of their shells. So
they could not get the _exact_ range. And that makes a great difference,
in artillery firing, as it does in a great many other things. To know
_just about_ and to know _exactly_, are two very different things in
effect, and in satisfaction to the worker. If those people could have
_seen_ our two guns, I suppose they could have smashed them both, and
killed, or wounded every man of us, and their columns could have moved
across our front, in peace, and accomplished this movement they were
trying to get across them for, and about which they seemed very anxious.
As it was, neither man, nor gun, of ours, was touched, though it was hot
as pepper all around there; and our guns stuck there a thorn in their
sides, and broke up that movement altogether.

It seems that those columns were a part of Warren's Corps, and were
trying to push into an interval between our Corps, and A. P. Hill's
Corps, which, under command of General Jubal Early (Hill being very
sick) began just on our left, our position being on the left of
Longstreet's line, near its junction with Hill's. This infantry was
pushing across our front to get into that gap, and make it hot for "Old
Jubal" over there in the woods. But, in order to get to that gap, they
were forced to pass close to us, and across that open field.

Now, at once, to insult us, and to hurt our friends, was a move that we
didn't at all approve, and were not going to stand. And as soon as we
discovered the meaning of this move, we were very earnest to stop it.

Well! we had stopped it once, and driven back the Federal columns of
attack. It remained to see what they were going to do about it. The
Federal artillery thundered at us through the trees. We quietly sat and
waited to see.

In about half an hour, (I suppose they thought we were pulverized by the
fire their guns had been pouring upon us,) we saw those three infantry
columns pouring out of the woods again, at a quick step. We manned the
guns, and waited as before, till they reached the middle of the field.
Then we began to plow up the columns with shrapnel. This time some of
our infantry tried and found it in range for their muskets and they
adjusted their rifle sights and took careful aim, with a rest on the top
of the works. Soon, the columns faltered, then stopped, then broke, and
made good time back to their woods. We could see their officers trying
to rally them, but they refused to hear "the voice o