A singular feeling took hold of him, one of which he was not then conscious.  He knew six of the officers who sat in the front of the Invincibles, and one of them was his own cousin, almost his brother.  He did not know a soul in the blue columns advancing upon them, and his hopes and fears centered suddenly around that little group of six.

The wood was filled with Southern infantry, as it was now spouting flame, and the battery continued to thunder as fast as the men could reload and fire.  The Invincibles who carried short rifles, much like the carbines of the North, raised them and pulled the triggers.  Many in the blue column fell, but the others went on without faltering.

Dick knew from long experience what would follow, and he watched it alike with the eye and the mind that divines.  Either his eye or his fancy saw the Invincibles lean forward a little, fasten their rifles, shake loose the reins with one hand, and drop the other hand to the hilt of the saber.  It was certain that in the next minute they would charge.

He saw a trumpeter raise a trumpet to his lips and blow, loud and shrill.  Then the column of the Invincibles leaped forward, the necks of the horses outstretched, the men raising their sabers and flashing them above their heads.  Dick drew deep breaths and his pulses beat painfully.  Had he realized what his wishes were then he would have considered himself a traitor.  In those swift moments his heart was with the Invincibles and not with the blue columns that stood up against them.

He saw the gray horsemen sweep forward into a cloud of fire and smoke, in which he caught the occasional flash of a saber.  The combat behind the veil lasted only a minute or two, though it seemed an hour to Dick, and then he saw the blue infantry reeling back, their advance checked by the charge of the Invincibles.  A cheer rose in Dick’s throat, but he checked it, and then, remembering, he trembled in a brief chill, as if shaken by the knowledge that for a few moments at least he had not been true to the cause for which he fought.

“A gallant charge those Johnnies made,” said Warner, “and it’s been effective, too.  Our men are falling back, while the Johnnies are returning to their place near the wood.”

Dick was straining his eyes through the glasses to see whether any one of the five whom he knew had fallen, but as the Invincibles returned from their victorious charge in a close mass it was impossible for him to tell.  A number of saddles had been emptied, as riderless horses were galloping wildly over the plain.  He sighed a little and replaced his glasses in their case.

“Here come more of our cavalry!” said Warner.

They heard the heavy beat of many hoofs and in an instant many horsemen swarmed about them.  It was Sheridan himself who led them, his face flushed and eager and his eyes blazing.  He was a little man, but he was electric in his energy, and his very presence seemed to communicate more spirit and fire to the troops.  The officers crowded about him, and, while he swept the field with his glasses, he also gave a rapid command.