ick" went up
from the rear to the front of the column, and breaking into a "double" the
brigade swept on for a mile or more, leaving their followers vanishing in
their rear, whence, either from their being exhausted, or from hearing
that the rebels had _not_ left Carlisle, they never emerged to trouble us.

We had heard, it is true, from passing buggies, and straggling squads of
paroled prisoners, that the village itself had been evacuated; but all had
united in asserting that the rebels were still very near, several stating
that they were just on the outskirts of the place. Under these
circumstances an ordinary mind would think that there was no necessity for
hurrying. The Reserves were "gone in," and if there was the least danger,
common sense required that the men should be brought into the city as
fresh as possible; but our commander did not see things in that light, and
consequently walked deliberately into a trap, which came within a hair's
breadth of proving fatal to the whole command.

The skirmishers had been called in before this, and the march had been
rapid; it now became "_forced_." That meant, in this instance, a march
pursued without regard to the health, comfort or fatigue of the troops,
against the expostulations of the surgeons; where speed is such an object
that everything must be disregarded, and well or ill, suffering or not,
the men must push on.

And we did push on, and from our halt, more than ten miles from Carlisle,
till we prepared to meet the enemy in the city, no rest was allowed. When
we arrived at Kingston, a small but patriotic village on the road, where
the women stood at their doors with piles of bread and apple butter, all
expected, as a matter of course, that we would be allowed to rest and eat
something; but notwithstanding that no rations had been received since the
morning of the previous day, (except a little bread obtained by a few of
the lucky ones at Hogestown), and although it was now noon, yet our
Brigadier refused to allow a moment's halt, and the men were compelled to
close up and march away from the food that stood ready for them. Any one
who thinks this was not a sacrifice had better try the experiment.

For a little while the march continued as usual. Thirteen miles passed; a
few quietly dropped out; all were growling, not loud but deep. Fourteen,
more vacancies--fifteen--the weather growing oppressive with the sultry
heat of mid-day. No shade, no water, no rest; no co