ained eyes, although he could not see the Confederate
intrenchments.

"If a sergeant may offer an opinion I agree with you fully, sir," he
said. "A night attack is always risky, an' most of all, sir, when troops
are new like ours, although they're as brave as anybody. More'n likely
if we was to rush on 'em our troops would be shootin' into one another
in the darkness."

"Good logic," said Major Hertford, "and as it is quite certain that they
are not in any condition to come out and attack us we'll stand by and
wait till morning. So the general orders."

They walked back toward the place where the victorious troops were
lighting the fires, out of the range of the cannon in the Confederate
intrenchments. They were exultant, but they were not boasting unduly.
Night, cold and dark, had shut down upon them and was taking the heat
out of their blood. Hundreds of men were at work building fires, and
Dick and Warner, with the permission of Major Hertford, joined them.

Both boys felt that the work would be a relief. Wood was to be had in
abundance. The forest stretched on all sides of them in almost unbroken
miles, and the earth was littered with dead wood fallen a year or years
before. They merely kept away from the side on which the Confederate
intrenchments lay, and brought in the wood in great quantities. A row
of lights a half mile long sprang up, giving forth heat and warmth.
Then arose the cheerful sound of tin and iron dishes and cups rattling
against one another. A quarter of an hour later they were eating a
victorious supper, and a little later most of them slept.

But in the night the Confederate troops abandoned their camp, leaving in
it ten cannon and fifteen hundred wagons and crossed the river in boats,
which they destroyed when they reached the other side. Then, their
defeat being so severe, and they but volunteers, they scattered in the
mountains to seek food and shelter for the remainder of the winter.

This army of the South ceased to exist.

CHAPTER VII. THE MESSENGER

Victory, overwhelming and complete, had been won, but General Thomas
could not follow into the deep mountains where his army might be cut
off. So he remained where he was for a little while and on the second
day he sent for Dick.

The general was seated alone in a tent, an open end of which faced a
fire, as it was now extremely cold. General Thomas had shown no undue
elation over his victory. He was as silent as ever, and now