the ground.

An officer drew his revolver and potted one for his supper.

The men glanced uneasily toward the woods but could see nothing.

"What'ell ye reckon that means?"

"What ails the poor birds?"

"And the rabbits?"

They were not long in doubt. The sudden shrill note of a bugle rang from
the woods and Jackson's yelling grey lines of death swept down on their
unprotected rear.

The first regiments in sight were blown into atoms and driven as chaff
before a whirlwind. Behind them lay twenty regiments in their trenches
pointed the wrong way. The men leaped to their guns and fought
desperately to stay the rushing torrent. Beyond them was a ragged gap of
a whole mile without a man, left bare by the chase of Sickles' division
now ten miles away. Without support the shattered lines were crushed
and crumpled and rolled back in confusion. Every regiment was cut to
pieces and pushed on top of one another, men, horses, mules, cattle,
guns, in a tangled mass of blood and death.

Ned was sent to bring the supporting column to drive them on and on. He
mounted a horse and dashed back to the reserve line yelling his call:

"Hurry! Hurry up, men!"

"What's the hurry?" growled a grey coat.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Ned shouted. "We've captured fifty pieces of artillery
and ten thousand prisoners!"

"Then what'ell's the use er hurryin' us on er empty stomach--but we're
a-comin', honey--we're a-comin'!"

The colonel of a regiment snatched his hat off and was getting his men
ready for the charge. He waved his hand toward Ned:

"Make that damn-fool get out of the way. I'm going to charge. Now you
men listen--listen to me, I say! not to that fellow--listen to me!"

Ned could hear him still talking excitedly to his eager men as he dashed
back to the battle line.

General Hooker sat on the porch of the Chancellor House, his
headquarters. On the east there was heavy firing where his men were
attempting to carry out his orders to flank Lee's retreating army.
Sickles' and Pleasanton's cavalry were already in pursuit. By some
curious trick of the breeze or atmospheric conditions not a sound had
reached him from the direction of his right wing. A staff officer
suddenly turned his glasses to the west.

"My God, here they come!"

Before the astounded Commander could leap from the porch to his horse
the flying stragglers of his shattered right were pouring into
view--men, wagons, ambulances, in utter confusion. Hooker swung his old