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but these were pretty much all. Nobody halted me, though I rode past a picket guard and through the breastworks.
It was not till I drew near Hal's camp that his sentry roared out in a military voice, indicating much study of phonetics: “Halt!
Who goes there?”
Then came a corporal of the guard in due style. . . . I ascended the stairs of what had been a private house.
It was about ten at night when I got in. There were a number of cots arranged in a large upper room, each occupied by a wounded officer.
On the mantelpiece were medicine bottles, a pitcher of lemonade and a candle; and this was a ward.
Master Hal lay fast asleep on one of the cots, quite unconscious of dusty brothers-in-law. . . . He was mightily glad to see me, and we talked some time, in a low voice, not to disturb others.
I remember there was a wounded lieutenant next us, a good deal under morphine, who had a great fancy that Lee had captured our whole supply train.
Finally I departed with a humble gift of two oranges and some tea, which I had brought in my holsters. . . .
Then to Headquarters and found General Grant just going to bed. He sat on the edge of his cot, in shirt and drawers, and listened to my report.
I told him the General would put in a column of 5000 men of the 9th Corps, by moonlight.
He smiled, like one who had done a clever thing, and said, “I think it is pretty well to get across a great river, and come up here and attack Lee in his rear before he is ready for us!”
He prepared a despatch to General Meade, which I took back.
June 17, 1864
At daylight Potter, of the 9th Corps, assaulted the enemy's works at a point near what was then our left.
He took the works very handsomely, with four guns and 350 prisoners, and had his horse shot under him. Potter (a son 