8o HORSE, FOOT, AND DRAGOONS. 



curling up and floating a moment in the clear air, as our skir- 

 mishers came in contact with their cavalry, and the occasional 

 surly boom of a field-piece, as our horse-artillery fired a parting 

 shot at the column slowly disappearing in the distance, indi- 

 cated the direction of our pursuit. Back in the valleys behind 

 us, relieving: ag^ainst the white walls of some houses forming: 

 a diminutive village, and the possession of which had been the 

 object of the day's manoeuvres, we could see our main body, the 

 different brigades and regiments massed in solid dark squares 

 on the green fields, where they were taking up their positions 

 preparatory to going into bivouac for the night. 



It was well into the afternoon when the pursuit ended. The 

 last stragsflins:, hostile hussar had vanished behind the hills, our 

 skirmishers were called in and joined their respective commands, 

 and our battalion left the road on which we had been marching, 

 and formed in close column of companies on a level field near 

 by. A squadron of our own cavalry and a battery of horse- 

 artillery were already in position near us. The guns were in 

 park, and formed a sombre, formidable line, with their massive 

 but lifiht wheels and carriaws covered with dust, and their 

 threatening muzzles blue with the powder they had been burn- 

 ing during the day. The men were as busy as bees about their 

 horses, caring for them first, picketing them in lines and shak- 

 ing down their forage, but keeping the saddles on, and ready 

 for service at a moment's notice. The cavalry had not all fin- 

 ished their day's work yet, for the detail for the pickets rode 

 off as we approached, to form a line of videttes away in our 

 front along the highway over which the enemy had retreated, 

 and that ran at nearly right angles with our present position. 



Tired, hot, and hungry, hands and faces blackened by pow- 

 der-smoke and grimy with dirt, clothes and accoutrements cov- 

 ered with dust, but with not a button out of place, not one heavy 



