XI. NICK 102 XII. THE GIANT 113 XIII. FRIENDS OF THE UNION 124 XIV. THE SUTLER AS A GUIDE 135 XV. WARLIKE BEES 146 XVI. A HELPER 154 XVII. THE GUEST ROOM 166 XVIII. THE FIRE 177 XIX. AT THE FORK 188 XX. THE STACK OF STRAW 198 XXI. THE CARPET-BAG 207 XXII. A MYSTERY 217 XXIII. THE GUARD-HOUSE 227 XXIV. A FRUITLESS INTERVIEW 236 XXV. THE EXECUTION 248 XXVI. THE TEST 260 XXVII. THE SHARPSHOOTERS 270 XXVIII. THE PRESIDENT'S ACTION 280 XXIX. THE BATTLE 290 XXX. THE FOLLOWING DAY 302 XXXI. ANTIETAM 311 XXXII. CONCLUSION 323 ILLUSTRATIONS THEY WERE FALLING BY SCORES (PAGE 303) _Frontispiece_ "DEY SAY YO' HAB HAWNS" 58 NOEL HEARD THE BULLET AS IT WHISTLED PAST 152 "WHO'S IN THERE?" 200 _From drawings by George Avison_ THE YOUNG SHARPSHOOTER AT ANTIETAM CHAPTER I THE IRISHMAN AND HIS PIG "You're too noisy, Dennis." "What's the harm?" replied Dennis O'Hara as he stopped a moment and looked all about him. "There are no Johnnies around here." "You don't know whether there are or not," retorted Noel Curtis sharply, as he too glanced in either direction along the dusty road over which the two young soldiers were tramping that September day in 1862. Both were clad in the uniform of the Union army, and the manner in which they carried their rifles gave evidence of the fact that both young soldiers were well known in the army of General McClellan for their skill as sharpshooters. "'Tis nothing I'm afraid of now," said Dennis gleefully, as he shifted from one shoulder to the other the body of a small pig which he had secured in his foraging expedition with his companions. The day was one to stir the souls of both young men, who were thoroughly wearied by the routine of the camp life at Harper's Ferry, where they had been stationed with about eight thousand other Union soldiers. There was a haze in the distance that covered the summits of the hills and even the waters of the near-by stream seemed to be subdued as they rushed on their way to join the Potomac.