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engineer and a soldier, showed that an attack would be a blunder.
The men and guns stood ready: he had only to snap his fingers, and that night would probably have seen ten thousand wretched, mangled creatures, lying on those long slopes, exposed to the bitter cold, and out of reach of all help!
Then people would have said: “He was unsuccessful; but then he tried hard, and did not get out.”
December 1
As I put my head out of my tent this morning, I beheld the heavy guns going to the rear, and I thought, well, we shall follow to-night.
And so we did. The 1st Corps marched, in the afternoon, to Germanna Ford and halted, to hold the crossing.
At dark the 5th marched, by the turnpike, followed by the 6th; and the 3d, followed by the 2d, took the plank road to Culpeper Ford.
There was a piercing cold wind, the roads were frozen, and ice was on the pools; but the night was beautiful, with a lovely moon, that rose over the pine trees, and really seemed to me to be laughing derisively at our poor doughboys, tramping slowly along the road.
Just at sunset I rode to the front and took a last look at the Rebels.
Through my glass they looked almost near enough to speak to, as they stood, in groups of a dozen, and twenty, on the parapet of their breastworks.
Some were on the glacis, seeking, I suppose, for firewood for their camps, whose smoke rose in a thin line, as far as the eye could reach, on either side.
The Headquarters waited for some time at Robertson's Tavern, till the 5th Corps had passed, and then followed on. The road was horribly rough, full of great holes and big stones.
We crawled, at a snail's pace, till we got clear of the troops, and then the General slammed ahead at a rate that 