the afternoon could, take place.  By sweeping our eyes up and down our line, and by resting them upon a battery of our guns but a few yards away, we became aware of the significance of our position.  Lee’s victorious army was before us.  Sinister rumors of the defeat of Union forces the previous day had reached us, and we knew that the enemy’s inaction did not indicate hesitation or fear, but rather a careful reconnaissance of our lines, that the weakest point might be discovered.  Every hour of delay, however, was a boon to us, for the army of the Potomac was concentrating and strengthening its position.

“We were on the extreme left of the Union army; and, alas for us!  Lee first decided to turn and crush its left.  As I have said, we were posted along the crest of a hill which sloped off a little to the left, then rose again, and culminated in a wild, rocky elevation called the Devil’s Den,—­fit name in view of the scenes it witnessed.  Behind us was a little valley through which flowed a small stream called Plum Run.  Here the artillery horses, caissons, and wagons were stationed, that they might be in partial shelter.  Across the Run, and still further back, rose the rocky, precipitous heights of Little Round Top, where, during the same afternoon, some of the severest fighting of the battle is said to have taken place.  Please give me a sheet of paper, and I can outline the nature of the ground just around us.  Of the general battle of that day I can give you but a slight idea.  One engaged in a fight sees, as a rule, only a little section of it; but in portraying that he gives the color and spirit of the whole thing.”

Rapidly sketching for a few minutes, Blauvelt resumed:  “Here we are along the crest of this hill, with a steep, broken declivity in front of us, extending down a few hundred yards to another small stream, a branch of Plum Run.  Beyond this branch the ground rises again to some thick woods, which screened the enemy’s movements.

“At midday clouds of dust were seen rising in the distance, and we at last were told that Sedgwick’s corps had arrived, and that the entire army of the Potomac was on the ground.  As hours still elapsed and no attack was made, the feeling of confidence grew stronger.  Possibly Lee had concluded that our position was unassailable, or something had happened.  The soldier’s imagination was only second to his credulity in receiving the rumors which flew as thick as did the bullets a little later.

“Strahan and I had a quiet talk early in the day, and said what we wished to each other.  After that he became dreamy and absorbed in his own thoughts as we watched for signs of the enemy through hours that seemed interminable.  Some laughing, jesting, and card-playing went on among the men, but in the main they were grave, thoughtful, and alert, spending the time in discussing the probabilities of this conflict, and in recalling scenes of past battles.