nt to Virginia. He
had made up his mind he would wear no signs of rank that were not fairly
won on the field of battle.

To-morrow he was going to face it at short range. Everywhere were strewn
canteens, knapsacks, broken guns and blankets. He came suddenly on a
trench behind which the men in blue had fought from dark to dark. It was
full of dead soldiers.

His regiment was up before day to move at dawn. His company had been
assigned to a regiment of veterans who had fought at Bull Run and had
been in three of the battles before Richmond. Their ranks were thin and
the Western boys were given a royal welcome.

The seasoned men were in good humor, the new company serious. Ned was
carefully shaving by the flickering light of the camp fire.

"What the divil are you doin' that for?" his Irish messmate asked in
amazement.

"You want to know the truth, Haggerty?" Ned drawled.

"That's what I want----"

"We're going into our first battle, aren't we?"

"Praise God, we are!"

"And we may come out a corpse?"

"Yis----"

"I'm going to be a decent one."

"Ah, go'long wid ye--ye bloody young spalpeen--ye're no more afraid than
I am!"

"Maybe not, Haggerty, but it's a solemn occasion, and I'm going to look
my best."

"Ye'll live ter see many a scrap, me bye!"

"Same to you, old man! But I'm going to be clean for this one, anyhow."

The regiment marched toward Malvern Hill at the first streak of dawn. It
was slow work. Always the artillery ahead were sticking in the mud and
the halts were interminable.

The new company grew more and more nervous:

"What's up ahead?"

They asked it at every halt the first three hours. And then their
disgust became more pronounced.

"What in 'ell's the matter?" Ned groaned.

"Don't worry, Sonny," an old corporal called, "you'll get there in time
to see more than you want."

The regiment reached the battle lines at one o'clock. The morning hours
had been spent in driving in the skirmishers and feeling the enemy's
positions. Lee had given orders for a general charge on a signal yell
from Armistead's brigade. He was now waiting the arrival of all his
available forces before attacking.

Late in the afternoon General D. H. Hill heard a shout followed by a
roar of musketry and immediately ordered his division to charge. No
other General seemed to have heard it and the charge was made without
support. It was magnificent, but it was not war, it was sheer butchery.
No army could h