ii4 The Rough Riders 



his two aides, Captain A. L. Mills and Lieutenant 

 W. E. Shipp, slept near us. We were up before 

 dawn and getting breakfast. Mills and Shipp had 

 nothing to eat, and they breakfasted with Wood 

 and myself, as we had been able to get some hand- 

 fuls of beans, and some coffee and sugar, as well as 

 the ordinary bacon and hardtack. 



We did not talk much, for though we were in 

 ignorance as to precisely what the day would bring 

 forth, we knew that we should see righting. We 

 had slept soundly enough, although, of course, both 

 Wood and I during the night had made a round of 

 the sentries, he of the brigade, and I of the regi- 

 ment; and I suppose that, excepting among hard- 

 ened veterans, there is always a certain feeling of 

 uneasy excitement the night before the battle. 



Mills and Shipp were both tall, fine-looking men, 

 of tried courage, and thoroughly trained in every 

 detail of their profession; I remember being struck 

 by the quiet, soldierly way they were going about 

 their work early that morning. Before noon one 

 was killed and the other dangerously wounded. 



General Wheeler was sick, but with his usual in- 

 domitable pluck and entire indifference to his own 

 personal comfort, he kept to the front. He was 

 unable to retain command of the cavalry division, 

 which accordingly devolved upon General Samuel 

 Sumner, who commanded it until mid-afternoon, 



