and halt the advance. See if there is an
Orange company and a private named John Simpson."

There was not. The woman with the basket was old and tired. She sat down
on the earth beneath a sign post and threw her apron over her head.
Jackson sent an aide back three miles to the main body. "Captain, find
the Orange companies and a private named John Simpson. Bring him here.
Tall, light-haired, light eyes, with a scar over one eye. If he is not
in the main column go on to the rear."

The aide spurred his horse. Jackson explained matters. "You'll have to
wait a while, Mrs. Simpson. If your son's in the army he'll be brought
to you. I'll leave one of my aides with you!" He spoke to Little Sorrel
and put his hand on the saddle bow. Mrs. Simpson's apron came down.
"Please, general, don't you go! Please, sir, you stay! They won't know
him like you will! They'll just come back an' say they can't find
him!--An' I got to see John--I just got to!--Don't go, please, sir! Ef
't was your mother--"

Stonewall Jackson and his army waited for half an hour while John
Simpson was looked for. At the end of that time the cross roads saw him
coming, riding behind the aide. Tall and lank, in butternut still, and
red as a beet, he slipped from the horse, and saluted the general, then,
almost crying, gathered up the checked apron and the sunbonnet and the
basket and the old woman. "Maw, Maw! jes' look what you have done!
Danged ef you haven't stopped the whole army! Everybody cryin' out 'John
Simpson'!"

On went the column through the bright August forenoon. The day grew hot
and the dust whirled up, and the cavalry skirmished at intervals with
detached blue clouds of horsemen. On the horizon appeared at some
distance a conical mountain. "What's that sugar loaf over there?"
"That's Slaughter's Mountain south of Culpeper. Cedar Run's beyond."

The day wore on. Slaughter Mountain grew larger. The country between was
lovely, green and rolling; despite the heat and the dust and the delay
the troops were in spirits. They were going against Major-General John
Pope and they liked the job. The old Army of the Valley, now a part of
the Army of Northern Virginia, rather admired Shields, had no especial
objection to McDowell, and felt a real gratitude toward Mr. Commissary
Banks, but it was prepared to fight Pope with a vigour born of
detestation. A man of the old Army, marching with Ewell, began to
sing:--

"Pope told a flattering ta