e northern face, found General Winder of the
First Brigade standing with several of his officers, trying to pierce
the murk toward the river. "You rank here, General Winder?" said Hill.

"I think so, general. Such a confusion of troops I have never seen! They
have been reporting to me. It is yours now to command."

"Have you seen General Jackson?"

"No. Not lately."

D. H. Hill looked toward the Chickahominy. "I don't deny it's
temptatious! And yet.... Very dark. Thick woods. Don't know what
obstructions. Men exhausted. Our centre and right not come up. Artillery
still across the swamp--What's that cheering toward the river?"

"I don't know. McClellan may have sent reinforcements."

"Have you pickets out?"

"Yes. What do you think, Cleave?"

"I think, sir, the rout outweighs the reinforcements. I think we should
press on at once."

"If we had cavalry!" said Winder impatiently. "However, General Stuart
has swept down toward the Pamunkey. That will be their line of
retreat--to the White House."

"There is the chance," said Cleave, "that General McClellan will abandon
that line, and make instead for the James and the gunboats at Harrison's
Landing."

Hill nodded. "Yes, it's a possibility. General Lee is aware of it. He'll
not unmask Richmond and come altogether on this side the Chickahominy
until he knows. All that crowd down there may set to and cross
to-night--"

"How many bridges?" asked Lawton.

"Alexander's and Grapevine. Woodbury's higher up."

"I do not believe that there are three, sir. There is a report that two
are burned. I believe that the Grapevine is their only road--"

"You believe, colonel, but you do not know. What do you think, General
Winder?"

"I think, sir, with Colonel Cleave, that we should push down through the
woods to the right of the Grapevine Bridge. They, too, are exhausted,
their horses jaded, their ammunition spent. We could gather a little
artillery--Poague's battery is here. They are crushed together, in great
masses. If we could fall upon them, cause a great panic there at the
water, much might come of it."

Hill looked with troubled eyes about the plateau. "And two or three
thousand men, perhaps, be swallowed up and lost! A grand charge that
took this plateau--yes! and a grand charge at Beaver Dam Creek yesterday
at dark, and a grand charge when Albert Sidney Johnston was killed, and
a grand charge when Ashby was killed, and on a number of other
occasions, and now a