Behind the rear regiment was a small cluster of wall-tents, which I took for brigade headquarters.  At the head of every street was a wall-tent, which I supposed was the colonel’s.  At the left of the encampment of tents, and separated from the encampment by a space of a hundred yards, perhaps, was a line of brighter fires than now showed in the streets.  The dying out of the fires in the streets was what called my attention, by contrast, to these brighter fires.  I walked toward the bright fires; to my surprise I found troops in bivouac.  I went boldly up to the nearest fire, and found two men cooking.  I asked for a drink of water.

“Sorry, neighbour, but we hain’t got nary nother drop,” said one.

“An’ we don’t see no chance to git any,” said the other.

“Don’t you know where the spring is?” I asked.

“No; do you?”

“I don’t know exactly,” said I, “but I know the direction; it’s down that way,” pointing; “I’ve seen men coming from that way with canteens.  You are mighty late getting supper.”

“Jest ben relieved; we tuck the places of some men this mornin’, an’ they jest now got back an’ let us loose.”

“What duty were you on?”

“On guyard by that battery way over yander; ’twa’n’t our time, but we went.  Say, neighbour, wish’t you’d show me the way to that water o’ yourn.  Dam’f I knowed the’ was any water’n less’n a mile.”

“I don’t want to go ’way back there,” said I; “but I’ll tell you how to find it.”

“Well, tell me then, an’ tell me quick.  I reckin if I can git started right, I’ll find lots more a-goin’.”

“Let me see,” said I, studying; “you go over yonder, past General Branch’s headquarters, and go down a hill through, the old field, and—­let me see; what regiment is this?”

“This’n’s the bloody Forty-fifth Georgy,” said he; “we ain’t no tar-heels; it’s a tar-heel brigade exceptin’ of us, but we ain’t no tar-heels—­no insult intended to you, neighbour.”

“Oh, I don’t mind being called a tar-heel,” said I; “in fact, I rather like it.”

“Well, wher’s your water?”

“You know where the old field is?”

“No, I don’t; we’ve jest got here last night.  I don’t know anything.”

“You know headquarters?”

“Yes.”

“Well, just go on down the hill, and you’ll find a path in the old field”

The man picked up two canteens, and went off.  I remained with his messmate.

“What battery was that you were talking about?  I haven’t seen a battery with the brigade in a week.”

“Wher’ have you ben that you hain’t seed it?” he asked.

“Off on duty,” said I.

“No wonder you hain’t seed it, then; an’ you mought ha’ stayed with your comp’ny an’ not ha’ seed it then; you hain’t seed it becaze it ain’t for to be saw.  They’re put it away back yander.”

“How many guns?”

“Some says six an’ some says four; I didn’t see ’em, myself.”