ckly withdrew them to
rub them together in an absent-minded way, caused the lieutenant to look
at me sharply and again ask to what regiment we belonged.

This made me mad, and I answered shortly:

"The 15th Arkansaw, as I have told you three times before."

"What brigade?" now followed quickly.

"Thompson's," was the prompt reply.

"What division?"

"Molyneux's."

At this time we had been under fire for nearly an hour and a half
without giving anything tangible on which the lieutenant could hang
suspicion, but here he thought he had me, and he quickly responded:

"There are no Arkansaw troops in Molyneux's division."

Without an instant's hesitation, I came back at him with:

"If you know more about this thing than I do, perhaps you had better
tell the story. I'm in the 15th Arkansaw, and Molyneux is our division
commander."

The principle upon which I went in this examination was that these men
were most likely as ignorant as myself about matters not of general
importance, and I knew that they could only go on hearsay as to minor
matters, such as what troops made up a division at a certain time when
that division was widely scattered, and I therefore stood on my dignity
and was positive.

My reply plainly staggered the lieutenant, and he fell back on what was
apparently his last ground of argument, as he looked at our dress and
asked how we came by our blue blouses and breeches.

I laughed carelessly, and looked over the crowd in a quizzical way as I
answered:

"If you fellows had been chasing Steele's army all summer as we have
you would be wearing them too."

Then, turning to the lieutenant again, I said:

"Now, see here, Lieutenant, you know that there is no such thing as a
leave of absence to be had in our army nowadays; we wouldn't have any
army if there was; and when men have been in hard service for over two
years without a chance to see their folks, it's blamed tough to keep
them standing around answering fool questions when they have only ten
days in which to go home and get back."

I saw in the lieutenant's face that our case was won, but, as he opened
his mouth to say the words which would set us free, I heard the question
from behind:

"Where was your regiment raised?"

Turning, I saw that it had proceeded from a bright-looking young fellow
of about sixteen or seventeen, who sat near Miller and was looking up at
him with a quizzled glance. My heart sank within me, but I answered
pr