at
she never saw but one that she liked."

"And who was he?"

"His name was Caesar; he was a house-servant of my late grandfather
Wharton. My mother always speaks of him with great affection. Both
Caesar and Katy came to Virginia with my mother when she married. My
mother was----"

"An angel!" interrupted the old man, in a voice that startled the
young soldiers by its abruptness and energy.

"Did you know her?" cried the son, with a glow of pleasure on his
cheek.

The reply of the stranger was interrupted by sudden and heavy
explosions of artillery, which were immediately followed by continued
volleys of small-arms, and in a few minutes the air was filled with
the tumult of a warm and well-contested battle.

Everything in the American camp announced an approaching struggle. The
troops were in motion, and a movement made to support the division of
the army which was already engaged. Night had set in before the
reserve and irregulars reached the foot of Lundy's Lane,[140] a road
that diverged from the river and crossed a conical eminence at no
great distance from the Niagara highway. The summit of the hill was
crowned with the cannon of the British, and in the flat beneath was
the remnant of Scott's[141] gallant brigade, which for a long time
had held an unequal contest with distinguished bravery. A new line was
interposed, and one column of the Americans directed to charge the
hill, parallel to the road. This column took the English in flank, and
bayoneting their artillerists, gained possession of the cannon. They
were immediately joined by their comrades, and the enemy was swept
from the hill.

[Footnote 140: a road leading west from Niagara River, near
Niagara Falls.]

[Footnote 141: General Winfield Scott, commander of the
American forces.]

But large reenforcements were joining the English general momentarily,
and their troops were too brave to rest easy under defeat. Repeated
and bloody charges were made to recover the guns, but in all they were
repulsed with slaughter. During the last of these struggles, the ardor
of the youthful captain whom we have mentioned urged him to lead his
men some distance in advance, to scatter a daring party of the enemy.
He succeeded, but in returning to the line missed his lieutenant from
the station that he ought to have occupied. Soon after this repulse,
which was the last, orders were given to the shattered troops to
return to the camp. The British