t concerns, being thus all provided
for, the soldier enjoyed intensely his freedom from care and
responsibility, living, as near as a man may, the innocent life of a
child. He played marbles, spun his top, played at foot-ball, bandy, and
hop-scotch; slept quietly, rose early, had a good appetite, and was
happy. He had time now comfortably to review the toils, dangers, and
hardships of the past campaign, and with allowable pride to dwell on the
cheerfulness and courage with which he had endured them all; and to feel
the supporting effect of the unanimity of feeling and pervasive sympathy
which linked together the rank and file of the army.

Leaving out of view every other consideration, he realized with
exquisite delight, that he was resisting manfully the coercive force of
other men, and was resolved to die rather than yield his liberty. He
felt that he was beyond doubt in the line of duty, and expected no
relief from toil by any other means than the accomplishment of his
purpose and the end of the war. To strengthen his resolve he had ever
present with him the unchanging love of the people for whom he fought;
the respect and confidence of his officers; unshaken faith in the valor
of his comrades and the justice of his cause. And, finally, he had an
opportunity to brace himself for another, and, if need be, for still
another struggle, with the ever increasing multitude of invaders, hoping
that each would usher in the peace so eagerly coveted and the liberty
for which already a great price had been paid. Was he not badly
disappointed?

CHAPTER VII.

FUN AND FURY ON THE FIELD.

A battle-field, when only a few thousands of men are engaged, is a more
extensive area than most persons would suppose. When large bodies of
men--twenty to fifty thousand on each side--are engaged, a mounted man,
at liberty to gallop from place to place, could scarcely travel the
field over during the continuance of the battle; and a private soldier,
in the smallest affair, sees very little indeed of the field. What
occurs in his own regiment, or probably in his own company, is about
all, and is sometimes more than he actually sees or knows. Thus it is
that, while the field is extensive, it is to each individual limited to
the narrow space of which he is cognizant.

The dense woods of Virginia, often choked with heavy undergrowth, added
greatly to the difficulty of observing the movements of large bodies of
troops extended in line of