advanced with his division, which
consists of Custer's and Davies' brigades, to within a half-mile of
Gainesville, where we bivouacked for the night. A terrific rain-storm
raged nearly all night, making our condition very uncomfortable, and
rendering the going impracticable, except upon the turnpikes. At this
time of the year these night-storms in Virginia are very cold, and the
sufferings of men mostly unsheltered, as we were, are beyond
description. On such a night one will naturally recall such passages as
the following, from Byron's "Childe Harold:"

"The sky is changed, and such a change! oh, night,
And storm, and darkness, ye are wondrous strong,
Yet lovely in your strength, as is the light
Of a dark eye in woman! far along
From peak to peak, the rattling crags among,
Leaps the live thunder! not from one lone cloud,
But every mountain now hath found a tongue,
And Jura answers through her misty shroud,
Back to the joyous Alps, who call to her aloud!
And this is in the night: most glorious night!
Thou wert not sent for slumber! let me be
A sharer in thy fierce and far delight,--
A portion of the tempest and of thee!"

It is true that the poet, looking out upon the storm and listening to
its mutterings from his comfortable studio, may call such a night
"glorious," and may find in it depths of inspiration and delight; but to
us poor soldiers it seemed more appropriate to take up Shakespeare's
lines:

"The tyranny of th' open night's too rough
For nature to endure,"

while every one felt to say,

"The gathering clouds, like meeting armies,
Come on apace."--_Lee's "Mithridates."_

All night long our pickets along Cedar Run were confronted by Stuart's
pickets, though no disposition to fight us was manifest in the morning.
Dripping with wet and somewhat stiffened with cold, we were ordered in
battle array early in the morning, and the command, about two thousand
strong, advanced toward Buckland Mills. The Rebel pickets were quickly
withdrawn, and their whole force slowly and without resistance retired
before us. With some degree of hesitation, yet unconscious of imminent
danger, we advanced on the main turnpike toward Warrenton. Our
advance-brigade had just passed New Baltimore, when Fitz-Hugh Lee, who
had surprised and cut his way through a small detachment of our infantry
at Thoroughfare Gap, then had swiftly swung around our right by an
un