ent, one of the enemy, who had been annoying us from a thicket some
thirty paces from where I stood, not stomaching the grape, made a
movement from his hiding-place. One of our company seeing so good an
opportunity, was not to be restrained; he fired, and killed his man. The
colonel had nothing but a walking-stick in his hand. Whether he thought
it was his sword or not, I cannot say; but he immediately ran at the man
and struck him across the nose--in which, by-the-by, nature had been
very bountiful to this individual--exclaiming at the same time, "You
rascal! I have a great mind to have you shot this moment for this
pointed disobedience of my orders." At this moment, seeing the enemy,
who had secreted themselves in the underwood, ferreted out by our
shells, and running off, some of our fellows must, if they died for it,
have a shot. This exasperated our little colonel beyond bounds. He was a
little lion when roused. He immediately selected one of the men of the
light company of the 25th regiment, and ordered him to be shot, which
would certainly have been done, had not the adjutant-general of the
forces at that time joined the colonel with orders. By this the
colonel's attention was drawn off, and he ran off towards the right. The
man, seeing this, ran towards the left, and thus escaped the punishment
he justly deserved. Prompt and implicit obedience is one of the grand
principles of military discipline; and any officer would have been
justifiable in shooting, or cutting down, any such disobedient soldier.
Any breach of orders I would at all times punish with a great and heavy
penalty. Encourage this, and there is an end to military obedience and
discipline at once. The soldier who was struck on this occasion was
sensible of the enormity of his crime, and therefore quietly pocketed
the more lenient penalty, and the countermarch his nose had made towards
his cheek, and thought himself fortunate that he had not been deprived
of his life.

Naught was now heard but the roaring of the two six-pounders and the
whistling of shells. The dying and the wounded lay in masses in the
dells and ravines below. In our own company we had, I think, eleven
killed and twenty wounded, our total number being eighty only. I do
repeat again, I never saw such soldiers. I began to think myself, in
comparison with them, but yet a novice. When the evening began to spread
her mantle over the dreary scene, the sombre appearance of the lowering
sky