hells to keep them awake.

We now began to grow impatient to see what was inside this boasting
fort, for we had pretty well seen what was outside. The breach soon
began to wear a stormable appearance, when we discovered that they had
thrown out two small guns for the purpose of a cross fire and cutting
off our storming party, and to annoy and rake our breaching-battery. For
removing this evil we threw out two six-pounders, and we had not fired
many shots and given them more than a dozen shrapnells, when a
tremendous explosion took place, which finally removed the annoyance.

In the evening I heard the engineer say to Captain Nelley, commanding
the breaching-battery, that he imagined we should, on the following
evening, put a stop to their vaunting. "The next evening!" I muttered to
myself. I was standing close to Captain Nelley, who turned round to me
and said, "Shipp, how do you like that information?" I replied, "I wish
it was this night, Sir." This I did wish most sincerely, for I felt
that, having once resolved to undertake the desperate service in which I
had volunteered, the sooner I was in action the better.

"Between the acting of a dreadful thing,
And the first motion, all the interim is
Like a phantasma, or a hideous dream;
The genius and the mortal instruments
Are then in council; and the state of man,
Like to a little kingdom, suffers then
The nature of an insurrection."

I have heard some men say that they would as soon fight as eat their
breakfasts; and others, that they "dearly loved fighting." If this were
true, what bloodthirsty dogs they must be! But I should be almost
illiberal enough to suspect these boasters of not possessing even
ordinary courage. I will not, however, go so far as positively to assert
this, but will content myself by asking these terrific soldiers to
account to me why, some hours previously to storming a fort, or fighting
a battle, are men pensive, thoughtful, heavy, restless, weighed down
with apparent solicitude and care? Why do men, on these occasions, more
fervently beseech the divine protection and guidance, to save them in
the approaching conflict? Are not all these feelings the result of
reflection, and of man's regard for his dearest care--his life, which no
mortal will part with if he can avoid it? There are periods in war which
put man's courage to a severe test: if, for instance, as was my case, I
knew I was to lead a forlorn hope on the