it was
no Sabbath for the old battery. All day the men worked, making and
strengthening their redoubt to guard the pass, and by the next morning,
with the old battery at the top, it was impregnable. They were just in
time. Before noon their vedettes brought in word that the enemy were
ascending the mountain, and the sun had hardly turned when the advance
guard rode up, came within range of the picket, and were fired on.

It was apparent that they supposed the force there only a small one, for
they retired and soon came up again reinforced in some numbers, and
a sharp little skirmish ensued, hot enough to make them more prudent
afterwards, though the picket retired up the mountain. This gave them
encouragement and probably misled them, for they now advanced boldly.
They saw the redoubt on the crest as they came on, and unlimbering a
section or two, flung a few shells up at it, which either fell short or
passed over without doing material damage. None of the guns was allowed
to respond, as the distance was too great with the ammunition the
battery had, and, indifferent as it was, it was too precious to be
wasted in a duel at an ineffectual range. Doubtless deceived by this,
the enemy came on in force, being obliged by the character of the ground
to keep almost entirely to the road, which really made them advance
in column. The battery waited. Under orders of the Colonel the guns
standing in line were double-shotted with canister, and, loaded to the
muzzle, were trained down to sweep the road at from four to five hundred
yards' distance. And when the column reached this point the six guns,
aimed by old and skilful gunners, at a given word swept road and
mountain-side with a storm of leaden hail. It was a fire no mortal man
could stand up against, and the practised gunners rammed their pieces
full again, and before the smoke had cleared or the reverberation had
died away among the mountains, had fired the guns again and yet again.
The road was cleared of living things when the draught setting down the
river drew the smoke away; but it was no discredit to the other force;
for no army that was ever uniformed could stand against that battery in
that pass. Again and again the attempt was made to get a body of men up
under cover of the woods and rocks on the mountain-side, while the guns
below utilized their better ammunition from longer range; but it was
useless. Although one of the lieutenants and several men were killed in
th