left his position north of the James River, while Gordon took charge of
the lines to the east of Petersburg. It was when they gathered for this
last stand that Harry realized fully how many of the great Confederate
officers were gone. It was here that he first heard of the death of
A. P. Hill, of whom he had seen so much at Gettysburg. And he choked as
he thought of Stonewall Jackson, Jeb Stuart, Turner Ashby and all the
long roll of the illustrious fallen, who were heroes to him.

The Northern infantry and cavalry did not charge now, but the cannon
continued their work. Battery after battery poured its fire upon the
earthworks, although the men there, sheltered by the trenches, did not
suffer so much for the present.

Harry found time to look up his friends, and discovered the Invincibles
in a single trench, about sixty of them left, but all showing a
cheerfulness, extraordinary in such a situation. It was characteristic
of both Colonel Talbot and Lieutenant Colonel St. Hilaire that they
should present a bolder front, the more desperate their case. Nor
were the younger officers less assured. Captain Arthur St. Clair was
carefully dusting from his clothing dirt that had been thrown there by
bursting shells, and Lieutenant Thomas Langdon was contemplating with
satisfaction the track of a bullet that had gone through his left sleeve
without touching the arm.

"The sight of you is welcome, Harry," said Colonel Leonidas Talbot in
even tones. "It is pleasant to know at such a time that one's friend is
alive, because the possibilities are always against it. Still, Harry,
I've always felt that you bear a charmed life, and so do St. Clair and
Langdon. Tell me, is it true that we evacuate Petersburg tonight?"

"It's no secret, sir. The orders have been issued and we do."

"If we must go, we must, and it's no time for repining. Well, the town
has been defended long and valiantly against overwhelming numbers.
If we lose it, we lose with glory. It can never be said of the South
that we were not as brave and tenacious as any people that ever lived."

"The Northern armies that fight us will be the first to give us that
credit, sir."

"That is true. Soldiers who have tested the mettle of one another on
innumerable desperate fields do not bear malice and are always ready to
acknowledge the merits of the foe. Ah, see how closely that shell burst
to us! And another! And a third! And a fourth! Hector, you read th