“Only the Twelfth?  No other regiment?” I asked.

“Didn’t hear of no other,” he replied,

“I wonder what we are here for?” I ventured to say.

“Plain case,” said he; “guyard the railroad.”

My knowledge of the situation had vastly increased.  Here was Branch’s command, consisting of my North Carolina regiments and one from Georgia, and Latham’s battery; another regiment was supposed to be near by.  What more need I know?  I must learn the strength of the force; I must get corroboration.  The man with whom I had talked might be wrong on some point.  I considered my friend’s opinion correct concerning Branch’s purpose.  The Confederate force was put here to protect the railroad.  From the envelopes I had learned that Branch’s brigade had recently been at Gordonsville; it was clear that it had left Gordonsville in order to place itself between Anderson’s force at Fredericksburg and Johnston’s army at Richmond, and thus preserve communications.  Branch had been reenforced by the Forty-fifth Georgia on the preceding day, and seemingly on this day by the Twelfth North Carolina.  I supposed that General Morell could easily get knowledge from army headquarters of the last positions occupied by these two regiments, and I did not trouble myself to ask questions on this point.  All I wanted now was corroboration and knowledge of numbers.

The men had eaten their supper.  I left them, giving but slight formality to my manner of departure.  I had made up my mind to seek the path to the spring.  From such a body, thirsty men would be going for water all night long, especially as there seemed little of it near by.  By getting near the spring I should also be able, perhaps, to determine the position of the wagons; I had decided to attempt going out of these lines in the manner of my entering them, if I could but find a wagon going before daylight.

It took some little time to find the spring, which was not a spring after all, but merely a pool in a small brook.  I hid myself by the side of the path and waited; soon I heard the rattling of empty canteens and the footsteps of a man; I started to meet him.

“Say, Mister, do you know whar that spring is?”

“I know where the water is,” said I; “it’s a branch.”

“Gosh!  Branch’s brigade ort to have a branch.”

“You must have come in a hurry,” said I; “you are blowing.”

“Blowin’?  Yes; blowed if I didn’t come in a hurry, and blowed if I did; you’ve hit it!”

“What regiment do you belong to?”

“Thirty-seventh.”

“Is that Colonel Lane’s?”

“No; Lane’s is the Twenty-eight.  Colonel Lee is our colonel.”

“Oh, yes; I got Lee and Lane mixed.”

“What regiment is your’n?”

“’Eventh,”

“That’s Campbell’s,” said he.

“You know the brigade mighty well.  Here’s your water,” said I, sitting down while the man should fill his canteens.