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whatever.
Up to the time Eggleston left my camp for his I knew nothing beyond what my tell-tale ears and prescient soul had told me.
Indeed, we went into our meeting that night without any other information; but I had directed the acting-adjutant to remain in his office and to bring at once to me, in the church, any orders that might come to hand.
Our service was one of unusual power and interest.
I read with the men the “Soldier Psalm,” the ninety-first, and exhorted them, in any special pressure that might come upon us in the near future — the “terror by night” or the “destruction ... at noon-day” --to abide with entire confidence in that “Stronghold,” to appropriate that “Strength.”
As I uttered these words, I noticed a well-grown, finelooking country lad named Blount, who was leaning forward, and gazing at me with eager interest, while tears of sympathy and appreciation were brimming his eyes.
The door opened and the adjutant appeared.
I told him to stand a moment where he was, and as quietly as possible told the men what I was satisfied was the purport of the paper he held in his hand, and why I was so satisfied.
And then we prayed for the realization of what David had expressed in that Psalm — for faith, for strength, for protection.
After the prayer I called for the paper and read it over, first silently and then aloud, gave brief directions to the men and dismissed them-first calling upon such officers and noncommissioned officers of the battalion as had special duties to perform in connection with the magazines, etc., to remain a few moments.
The men were ordered to rendezvous at a given hour, and to fall in by companies on the parade, and the company officers were ordered to see that they brought with them only what was absolutely necessary, and a brief approximate list — was given of the proper campaign outfit.
But the poor fellows had been many months in garrison, and it was maddening work, within a short and fixed time, to select from their motley accumulations what was really necessary in the changed conditions ahead of us.
The orders were, in general, that the men of the fleet and of the James River defenses should leave the river about
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