The long list of his
triumphs, as youth counted them, was indeed superior to those of the
great Carthaginian, and he believed that Lee would repel this new danger.
Nearly all that day the two armies constructed breastworks which stood
for many years afterward, but neither made any attempt at serious work,
although there was incessant firing by the skirmishers and an occasional
cannon shot. Harry, whether carrying an order or not, had ample chance
to see, and he noted with increasing alarm the growing masses of the
Union army, as they gathered along the Spottsylvania front.
"Can we beat them?" "Can we beat them?" was the question that he
continually asked himself. He wondered too where the Winchester regiment
and Dick Mason lay, and where the spy, Shepard, was. But Shepard was not
likely to remain long in one place. Skill and courage such as his would
be used to the utmost in a time like this. Doubtless he was somewhere in
the Confederate lines, discovering for Grant the relatively small size of
the army that opposed him.
Near dusk and having the time he followed his custom and sought the
Invincibles. Both colonels had recovered considerable strength, and,
although one of them could not walk, he would be helped upon his horse
whenever the battle began, and would ride into the thick of it.
Pages:
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386