abled my brigade to rally, and redeem its honor. It is the first time
it ever left a position under fire, and it was only forced out, now, by
surprise, and overwhelming weight. But it could not have rallied except
for you. God bless you!" This moment Bob Stiles came up at a run. He had
left the guns a few moments before the attack came, and hearing our guns
so busy came back.

When General Gregg told him in a very enthusiastic way what we had done,
he just rushed up to each cannoneer, and hugged him with a grip, strong
enough to crush in his ribs, and vowed he was going to resign his
Adjutancy at once, and come back to the guns.

Pretty soon Major-General Field, commanding part of the line, came
dashing up on his horse, and leaped off. He went round shaking hands
with us, and saying very civil things. He was red hot! He had witnessed
the whole thing from his position, on a hill near by. He said, "When he
saw the Federals roll over our works, and the Texans fall back, he was
at his wits' end. He did not have a man to send us, and thought the line
was hopelessly broken." Then he saw us turn our two guns down inside the
works. He said to his courier, "It isn't possible these fellows will
even attempt to keep their guns there. The enemy will be over them in
two minutes." But as our guns roared, and the enemy slowed down, he
swung his hat, as the courier told us, and yelled out, "By George, they
will do it!" and clapping spurs into his horse he came tearing over to
find the Texans in their line, all solid again. He said to us, "Men, it
was perfectly magnificent, and I have to say that your splendid stand
saved the Army from disaster. If the line had been broken here I don't
know what we should have done."

Of course all this was very nice to hear. We tried to _look_ as if we
were _used to this sort of thing all the time_. But, it was something
for us, young chaps, to have our hands shaken nearly off, by
enthusiastic admirers, in the shape of Brigadier and Major-Generals,
especially as they were such heroic old veterans as Field and Gregg,
and to have the breath hugged out of us by an old comrade. All this
glory was only to be divided up among _nine men_, so there was a big
share for each one. I must confess, it was very pleasant indeed to hear
that men, who were judges, thought we had done a fine thing; and when in
General Orders next day our little performance was mentioned to the
whole army in most complimentary terms, a