f the men in loading, and almost before
the troops along the way had ceased to hear the rattle of the wheels, a
great white cloud sprang forward down the slope, and with a deafening
report the affair at Coulter's Notch had begun.

It is not intended to relate in detail the progress and incidents of
that ghastly contest--a contest without vicissitudes, its alternations
only different degrees of despair. Almost at the instant when Captain
Coulter's gun blew its challenging cloud twelve answering clouds rolled
upward from among the trees about the plantation house, a deep multiple
report roared back like a broken echo, and thenceforth to the end the
Federal cannoneers fought their hopeless battle in an atmosphere of
living iron whose thoughts were lightnings and whose deeds were death.

Unwilling to see the efforts which he could not aid and the slaughter
which he could not stay, the colonel ascended the ridge at a point a
quarter of a mile to the left, whence the Notch, itself invisible, but
pushing up successive masses of smoke, seemed the crater of a volcano in
thundering eruption. With his glass he watched the enemy's guns, noting
as he could the effects of Coulter's fire--if Coulter still lived to
direct it. He saw that the Federal gunners, ignoring those of the
enemy's pieces whose positions could be determined by their smoke only,
gave their whole attention to the one that maintained its place in the
open--the lawn in front of the house. Over and about that hardy piece
the shells exploded at intervals of a few seconds. Some exploded in the
house, as could be seen by thin ascensions of smoke from the breached
roof. Figures of prostrate men and horses were plainly visible.

"If our fellows are doing so good work with a single gun," said the
colonel to an aide who happened to be nearest, "they must be suffering
like the devil from twelve. Go down and present the commander of that
piece with my congratulations on the accuracy of his fire."

Turning to his adjutant-general he said, "Did you observe Coulter's
damned reluctance to obey orders?"

"Yes, sir, I did."

"Well, say nothing about it, please. I don't think the general will care
to make any accusations. He will probably have enough to do in
explaining his own connection with this uncommon way of amusing the
rear-guard of a retreating enemy."

A young officer approached from below, climbing breathless up the
acclivity. Almost before he had saluted, he gasped