th of you and you can
hear heavy firing from off in the direction of your company, a few
bullets passing overhead. There are scattered trees along the creek
and some bushes close to the edge.

=Sergeant Allen:= I would conceal myself close to the bank, the patrol
being back, out of sight from the opposite bank, and await
developments.

=Captain:= Sergeant, your patrol is in a dangerous position. The enemy
will very likely have a patrol or detachment in rear and beyond his
flank. This patrol would probably cross the railroad trestle and take
you in rear. You should have given the last men in your patrol
particular instructions to watch the railroad to the north. It would
have been better if you had sent one man over to the railroad, which
is only a short distance away, and had him look up and down the track
and also make a hurried survey of the country from an elevated
position on the fill.

I also think it would be better not to await developments where you
now are, but to push south and make sure of the position of the left
of the enemy's firing line, later you can devote more time to the
movements in rear of the first line. You are taking too many chances
in remaining where you are. I do not mean that you should leave merely
because you might have some of your men killed or captured, but
because if this did occur you would probably not be able to accomplish
your mission. Later you may have to run a big chance of sacrificing
several of your men, in order to get the desired information, which
would be entirely justifiable. Tell me how your men are arranged and
what your next movement would be.

=Sergeant Allen:= I have four men left, I am close to the stream's
bank, under cover; two men are about 25 yards further away from the
stream; Private Brown is up stream as far off as he can get and still
see the other two men, and Private Foster is down stream the same
distance. Both Brown and Foster are well back from the stream. The two
men in the middle, the main body of the patrol, make their movements
conform to mine, and Brown and Foster regulate their movements on the
main body. I will move south until I can locate the enemy's advance
line.

=Captain:= When you are opposite the Mason house, Brown comes back to
you, having signaled halt, and reports he can see the enemy's firing
line about 100 yards ahead on the other side of the stream, and that a
small detachment is crossing the stream just beyond where he was. Wh