Harry found a soft place, spread his blankets
and in a few minutes slept soundly. In fact, the whole Army of Northern
Virginia was a great family that retired early, slept well and rose early.
The next morning there was frost on the grass, but the lads were so hardy
that they took no harm. The autumn deepened. The leaves blazed for a
while in their most vivid colors and then began to fall under the strong
west winds. Brown and wrinkled, they often whirled past in clouds.
The air had a bite in it, and the soldiers built more and larger fires.
The Army of Northern Virginia never before had been quiescent so long.
The Army of the Potomac was not such a tremendous distance away, but
it seemed that neither side was willing to attack, and as the autumn
advanced and began to merge into winter the minds of all turned toward
the Southwest.
For the valiant soldiers encamped on the Virginia hills the news was not
good. Grant, grim and inflexible, was deserving the great name that was
gradually coming to him. He had gathered together all the broken parts
of the army defeated at Chickamauga and was turning Union defeat into
Union victory.
Winter closed in with the knowledge that Grant had defeated the South
disastrously on Lookout Mountain and all around Chattanooga.
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