nd by staff officers to the
commanders of divisions. At noon a national salute was to be fired
and all the bands were to play the national airs; but the men could
not wait for these slow formalities. No sooner was the first loud
shout of rejoicing heard from the trenches, where for so many weary
nights and days there had been little to rejoice at, than by a sort
of instinct the men of both armies seem to have divined what had
happened. From man to man, from company to company, from regiment
to regiment, the word passed, and as it passed, once more the cheers
of the soldiers of the Union rang out, and again the forest echoed
with the strains of "The Star-Spangled Banner" from the long-silent
bands. Many a rough cheek, unused to tears, was wet that morning,
and the sound of laughter was heard from many lips that had long
been set in silence; but when the first thrill was spent, it gave
way to a deep-drawn sigh of relief. The work was done; all the
toil and suffering was over. Nor was this feeling restricted to
the outside of the parapet; the defenders felt it even more strongly.
At first they received the news with real or affected incredulity.
An officer of an Arkansas regiment, to whom was first handed the
little scrap of tissue paper on which the whole chapter of history
was told in seven words, acknowledged the complement by calling
back, "This is another damned Yankee lie!" Yet before many minutes
were over the firing had died away, save here and there a scattering
exception, although peremptory orders were even given to secure
its renewal. In spite of everything the men began to mingle and
to exchange story for story, gibe for gibe, coffee for corn-beer,
and when night fell there can have been few men in either army but
believed the fighting was over.

That evening Gardner summoned his commanders to meet him in council.
Among them all there was but one thought--the end had come.

Shortly after half-past twelve the notes of a bugle were heard on
the Plains Store road sounding the signal, "Cease firing." A few
seconds later an officer with a small escort approached, bearing
a lantern swung upon a long pole, with a white handkerchief tied
beneath it, to serve as a flag of truce. At the outpost of Charles
J. Paine's brigade the flag was halted and its purpose ascertained.
This was announced to be the delivery of an important despatch from
Gardner to Banks. Thus it was that a few minutes after one o'clock
t