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going on. The still, damp air was filled with the detonations of all sorts of big guns and projectiles.
It was quite as extensive as the firing on the morning of the mine and sounded very much louder, in the night.
Our side replied rather moderately, but the enemy kept up one roar of batteries for some two hours, and the air was full of the humming and bursting of the shells.
At the end of that time they stopped, rather suddenly.
We expended some 1500 rounds of ammunition and they must have fired much more, and all to kill and wound thirty men. . . . The great joke of the matter was, that General Meade (who is a sound sleeper, and was a little deaf from a cold in the head) remained calmly in the arms of Morpheus, till a telegraph from Grant at City Point, came in, asking what all that firing was about!
It so happened that the General woke just at a lull in the cannonade; so he didn't understand the despatch, but called the officer of the night to know if he had heard any more firing than usual!
You should have seen the deshabille parade of officers in the camp: such a flitting of figures in a variety of not much clothing!
General Humphreys said: “Yes, perhaps it would be well to have the horses saddled; for,” he added with a hopeful smile, “we may have a scrimmage, you know.”
But he was disappointed, and we all went to bed again.
August 19, 1864
To-day I have been with the General to General Warren, who with the 5th Corps seized the Weldon railroad yesterday.
It is touching a tiger's cubs to get on that road!
They will not stand it. Warren had a severe fight yesterday at midday, but they could not get him off. All was quiet this morning towards the railroad.
Mott1 got in, 