we are as safe as we would be in Oshkosh.
Let's keep right on with the bridge."

I never can explain what a comfort Jim's remarks were to me. After
listening to him, I could work right along, driving pegs in the bridge,
and pay no attention to the shells that were going over us. In fact,
I lit my pipe and smoked, and began to figure how much it was going to
cost the Confederacy to "celebrate" that way. It was costing them at the
rate of fourteen dollars a minute, and I actually found myself laughing
at the good joke on the rebels. Pretty soon a courier rode up, from the
general, asking if the shelling was delaying the bridge. I sent word
back that it was not delaying us in the least; in fact, it was
hurrying us a little, if anything, and he could send along his command
twenty-seven minutes sooner than I had calculated, as the bridge would
be ready to cross on at eight o'clock sharp. At a quarter to eight, just
as the daylight was fading, and we had lighted pine torches to see to
eat our supper, an orderly rode up and said the general and staff had
been looking for me for an hour, and were down at the forks of the
road. I told the orderly to bring the general and staff right up to the
headquarters, and we would entertain them to the best of our ability,
and he rode off. Then we sat down under a tree and smoked and played
seven up by the light of pine torches, and waited. I was never so proud
of anything in my life, as I was of that bridge, and it did not seem
to me as though a promotion to the position of sergeant was going to
be sufficient recompense for that great feat of engineering. It was as
smooth as though sawed plank had covered it, and logs were laid on each
side to keep wagons from running off. I could see, in my mind, hundreds
of wagons, and thousands of soldiers, crossing safely, and I would be a
hero. My breast swelled so my coat was too tight. Presently I heard some
one swearing down the road, the clanking of sabres, and in a few moments
the general rode into the glare of the torch-light. I had struck an
attitude at the approach of the bridge, and thought that I would give
a good deal if an artist could take a picture of my bridge, with me, the
great engineer, standing upon it, and the head of the column just
ready to cross. I was just getting ready to make a little speech to the
general, presenting the bridge to him, as trustee of the nation, for the
use of the army, when I got a sight of his face, as a to