ranks.
It was the hardest of all things to wait, while shells now and then
struck among them. They saw to their right the vast volume of fire and
smoke, while the roaring of the cannon and rifles was like the continued
sweep of a storm.

The youthful soldier may be nervous and excited, or he may be calm. This
was one of Dick's calm moments, and, while he watched and listened and
tried to measure all that he saw and heard, he noted that the crash of
the battle was moving slowly backward. He knew then that the Southern
advance was succeeding, succeeding so far at least. He was quite sure
now that the attack upon Thomas would be made soon and that it would
come with the greatest violence.

He rose and rejoined Colonel Winchester again, and the two looked with
awe at the gigantic combat, raging in a vast canopy of smoke, rent
continuously by flashes of fire. Dick observed that the colonel was
depressed and he knew the reason.

"Our men are being driven back," he said.

"So they are," said the colonel, "and I fear that there is confusion
among them, too."

"But we'll hold fast here as we did yesterday!"

"I hope so. Yes, I know so, Dick. I've seen General Thomas twice this
morning, and I know that this corps will never be routed. He's made up
his mind to hold on or die. He's the Rock of Chickamauga."

It was a name that Dick was to hear often afterward, and he repeated
under his breath: "The Rock of Chickamauga! The Rock of Chickamauga!" It
rolled resoundingly off the tongue, and he liked it.

Then came a beat of hoofs and a cavalry regiment galloped into open
ground beside them. It was Colonel Hertford's, numbering about three
hundred men, some of whom were wounded. Their leader was excited, and,
springing to the ground, he ran to Colonel Winchester. The two talked in
quick, short sentences.

"Colonel," exclaimed Hertford, "we've just had a sharp brush with that
demon, Forrest, and we've left some good men back there. But I've come
both to help and to warn you. We're being driven back everywhere else,
and now they're gathering an immense mass of troops for a gigantic
attack on Thomas!"

Dick heard and his breath came fast. Colonel Hertford would bring
no false news, and he could see with his own eyes that the storm was
curving toward them. The two men hurried to Thomas, but in a few minutes
returned. Colonel Hertford sprang into the saddle and formed his cavalry
on the flank as a screen against the dreaded swe