I struggled to my feet, weak and trembling, and sick with nausea. I must have been lying there a long time. The firing was now at a distance: the sun had gone half down the sky. They were picking up the wounded in the near field. A man stood looking at me. 'Good God!' he shouted, and then ran away like one afraid. There was a great mass of our men back of me some twenty rods. I staggered toward them, my knees quivering. 'I can never get there,' I heard myself whisper. I thought of my little flask of whiskey, and, pulling the cork with my teeth, drank the half of it. That steadied me and I made better headway. I could hear the soldiers talking as I neared them. 'Look a there!' I heard many saying. 'See 'em come! My God! Look at 'em on the hill there! The words went quickly from mouth to mouth. In a moment I could hear the murmur of thousands. I turned to see what they were looking at. Across the valley there was a long ridge, and back of it the main position of the Southern army. A grey host was pouring over it--thousand upon thousand--in close order, debouching into the valley. A big force of our men lay between us and them. As I looked I could see a mighty stir in it. Every man of them seemed to be jumping up in the air. From afar came the sound of bugles calling 'retreat, the shouting of men, the rumbling of wagons. It grew louder. An officer rode by me hatless, and halted, shading his eyes. Then he rode back hurriedly. 'Hell has broke loose!' he shouted, as he passed me. The blue-coated host was rushing towards us like a flood: artillery, cavalry, infantry, wagon train. There was a mighty uproar in the men behind me--a quick stir of feet. Terror spread over them like the travelling of fire. It shook their tongues. The crowd began caving at the edge and jamming at the centre. Then it spread like a swarm of bees shaken off a bush. 'Run! Run for your lives!' was a cry that rose to heaven. 'Halt, you cowards!' an officer shouted. It was now past three o clock.