son of the 27th, with a number of
their men, have volunteered for this service. It is not without danger,
as you know. That is all."

Captain Colston departed. "Now, Captain Cleave," said the general.

A few minutes later, the report ended, Jackson refolded General Banks's
letter to General Kelly and put it into his pocket-book. "Good! good!"
he said, and turned slightly on the camp-stool so as to face the river
and the north. "It's all right, captain, it's all right!"

"I wish, sir," said Cleave, "that with ten times the numbers you have,
you were leading us across the river. We might force a peace, I think,
and that right quickly."

Jackson nodded. "Yes, sir, I ought to have every soldier in Virginia--if
they could be gotten here in time every soldier in the Carolinas. There
would then be but a streamlet of blood where now there is going to be a
great river. The streamlet should run through the land of them with whom
we are righteously at war. As it is, the great river will run through
ours." He rose. "You have done your mission well, sir. The 65th will be
up presently."

* * * * *

It took three days to cut Dam No. 5. On the fourth the brigade went back
to Winchester. A week later came Loring with the Army of the Kanawha,
and on the third of January the whole force found itself again upon the
road.

In the afternoon the weather changed. The New Year had come in smiling,
mild as April, dust in the roads, a blue sky overhead. The withered
goldenrod and gaunt mullein stalks and dead asters by the wayside almost
seemed to bloom again, while the winter wheat gave an actual vernal
touch. The long column, winding somewhere--no one knew where, but anyhow
on the Pugh Town Road and in a northwesterly direction (even Old Jack
couldn't keep them from knowing that they were going northwest!)--was in
high spirits. At least, the Stonewall Brigade was in spirits. It was
said that Loring's men didn't want to come, anyhow. The men whistled and
sang, laughed, joked, were lavish of opinions as to all the world in
general and the Confederate service in particular. They were sarcastic.
The Confederate private was always sarcastic, but throughout the morning
there had been small sting in their remarks. Breakfast--"at early
dawn"--was good and plentiful. Three days' rations had been served and
cooked, and stowed in haversacks. But, so lovely was the weather, so
oppressive in the sunshine would be a hea