l came along the line. "Boys, there is going to be a
considerable deer drive!--Now, I am going to tell you about this quarry.
Its name is Banks, and it wants to get across country to the Shenandoah,
and so out of the Valley to join McClellan. Now General Johnston's
moving from the Rapidan toward Richmond, and he doesn't want Banks
bothering him. He says, 'Delay the enemy as long as you can.' Now
General Jackson's undertaken to do it. We've got thirty-five hundred
men, and that ought to be enough.--_Right face! Forward march!_"

As the troops crossed the Valley pike the men hailed it. "Howdy, old
Road! Pleased to meet you again. Lord! jest as fresh as a daisy--jest as
though we hadn't tramped them thirty-six miles from New Market since
yesterday daybreak! My Lord! wish I had your staying qualities--_Au
re-vo-ree!_"

Stone fences bordered the pike. The infantry, moving in double column,
climbed them and entered another strip of springtime woods. The
artillery--McLaughlin's, Carpenter's, and Waters's batteries--found a
cross-roads and thundered by, straining to the front. Ashby, together
with Chew's battery of horse artillery, kept the pike the other side of
Kernstown. In front of the infantry stretched a great open marshy
meadow, utterly without cover. Beyond this to the north, rose low hills,
and they were crowned with Federal batteries, while along the slopes and
in the vales between showed masses of blue infantry, clearly visible, in
imposing strength and with bright battle-flags. It was high noon,
beneath a brilliant sky. There were persistent musicians on the northern
side; all the blue regiments came into battle to the sound of first-rate
military bands. The grey listened. "They sure are fond of 'Yankee
Doodle!' There are three bands playing it at once.... There's the 'Star
Spangled Banner'--

Oh, say can you see,
Through the blue shades of evening--

I used to love it!... Good Lord, how long ago!"

Hairston Breckinridge spoke, walking in front of his company. "We're
waiting for the artillery to get ahead. We're going to turn the enemy's
right--Shields's division, Kimball commanding. You see that wooded ridge
away across there? That's our objective. That's Pritchard's Hill, where
all the flags are--How many men have they got? Oh, about nine
thousand.--There goes the artillery now--there goes Rockbridge!--Yes,
sir!--_Attention! Fall in!_"

In double column almost the entire figh