oods gave that dimness of atmosphere within which is more
bewildering than darkness, because the eyes cannot adapt themselves to
it so well. Yet I fancied, and others aver, that they saw the leader of
an approaching party, mounted on a white horse and reining up in the
pathway; others, again, declare that he drew a pistol from the holster
and took aim; others heard the words, "Charge in upon them! Surround
them!" But all this was confused by the opening rifle-shots of our
advanced guard, and, as clear observation was impossible, I made the men
fix their bayonets and kneel in the cover on each side the pathway, and
I saw with delight the brave fellows, with Sergeant McIntyre at their
head, settling down in the grass as coolly and warily as if wild turkeys
were the only game. Perhaps at the first shot, a man fell at my elbow. I
felt it no more than if a tree had fallen,--I was so busy watching my
own men and the enemy, and planning what to do next. Some of our
soldiers, misunderstanding the order, "Fix bayonets," were actually
_charging_ with them, dashing off into the dim woods, with nothing to
charge at but the vanishing tail of an imaginary horse,--for we could
really see nothing. This zeal I noted with pleasure, and also with
anxiety, as our greatest danger was from confusion and scattering; and
for infantry to pursue cavalry would be a novel enterprise. Captain
Metcalf stood by me well in keeping the men steady, as did
Assistant-Surgeon Minor, and Lieutenant, now Captain, Jackson. How the
men in the rear were behaving I could not tell,--not so coolly, I
afterwards found, because they were more entirely bewildered, supposing,
until the shots came, that the column had simply halted for a moment's
rest, as had been done once or twice before. They did not know who or
where their assailants might be, and the fall of the man beside me
created a hasty rumor that I was killed, so that it was on the whole an
alarming experience for them. They kept together very tolerably,
however, while our assailants, dividing, rode along on each side through
the open pine-barren, firing into our ranks, but mostly over the heads
of the men. My soldiers in turn fired rapidly,--too rapidly, being yet
beginners,--and it was evident, that, dim as it was, both sides had
opportunity to do some execution.

I could hardly tell whether the fight had lasted ten minutes or an hour,
when, as the enemy's fire had evidently ceased or slackened, I gave the