hich took over that duty.

It so chanced that this was the morning for that relieving Brigade to
come. Expecting them to arrive any minute, the Brigade on duty, by way
of saving time, gathered in its pickets and moved off back toward camp.
The other Brigade had not come up--careless work, perhaps, but here in
the dead of winter nobody dreamed of the enemy starting anything.

So it was, that, with one brigade gone; the other not up; the pickets
withdrawn, at this moment there was nobody whatsoever on the front
except our Battery--and, here was the enemy across the river, moving on
us and no supports.

In the meantime, the enemy guns across the river opened on us and the
shells were flying about us in lively fashion. It was rather a sudden
transition from peace to war, but we had been at this business before;
the sound of the shells was not unfamiliar--so we were not unduly
disturbed. We quickly got the guns loaded, and opened on that Infantry,
advancing up the hill. We worked rapidly, for the case was urgent, and
we made it as lively for those fellows as we possibly could. In a few
minutes a pretty neat little battle was making the welkin ring. The
sound of our guns crashing over the country behind us made our people,
in the camp back there, sit up and take notice. In a few minutes we
heard the sound of a horse's feet running at full speed, and Gen. Dick
Ewell, commanding the Second Corps, came dashing up much excited. As he
drew near the guns he yelled out, "What on earth is the matter here?"
When he got far enough up the hill to look over the crest, he saw the
enemy advancing from the river, "Aha, I see," he exclaimed. Then he
galloped up to us and shouted, "Boys, keep them back ten minutes and
I'll have men enough here to eat them up--without salt!" So saying, he
whirled his horse, and tore off back down the road.

In a few minutes we heard the tap of a drum and the relieving Brigade,
which had been delayed, came up at a rapid double quick, and deployed to
the right of our guns; they had heard the sound of our firing and struck
a trot. A few minutes more, and the Brigade that had left, that morning,
came rushing up and deployed to our left. They had heard our guns and
halted and came back to see what was up.

With a whoop and a yell, those two Brigades went at the enemy who had
been halted by our fire. In a short time said enemy changed their minds
about wanting to stay on our side, and went back over the river a