JACKSON’S “FOOT- CAVALRY” AT THE SECOND BULL RUN. 533

marching unencumbered, was fit for service — as much so as were therest at least.

Friday morning early, we started in what we supposed to be the rightdirection, guided by the firing, which more and more betokened that thefight was on. Once we stopped for a few moments at a field-hospital to makeinquiries, and were informed that our brigade was farther along to the right.General Ewell, who had lost his leg the evening before, was carried by on astretcher while we were there. Very soon we heard sharp musketry over a lowridge which we had been skirting, and almost immediately we became involvedwith stragglers from that direction—Georgians , I think they were. It lookedas if a whole line was giving way, and we hurried 011 to gain our own colorsbefore it should grow too hot. The proverbial effect of bad company wassoon apparent. We were halted by a Louisiana major, who was trying to rallythese fragments upon his own command. My companion took the short cutout of the scrape by showing his “ sick-permit,” and was allowed to pass;mine, alas! had been left in my cartridge-box with my other belongings inthat unlucky ambulance. The major was courteous but firm; he listened tomy story with more attention than I could have expected, but attached myperson all the same. “ Better stay with us, my boy, and if you do your dutyI’ll make it right with your company officers when the fight’s over. Theywon’t find fault with you when they know you’ve been in with the ‘ Pelicans,’ ”he added, as he assigned me to company “ F.”

The command was as unlike my own as it was possible to conceive. Sucha congress of nations only the cosmopolitan Crescent City could have sentforth, and the tongues of Babel seemed resurrected in its speech; English ,German, French, and Spanish , all were represented, to say nothing of Doricbrogue and local “ gumbo.” There was, moreover, a vehemence of utteranceand gesture curiously at variance with the reticence of our Virginians. Inpoint of fact, we burned little powder that day, and my promised distinctionas a “ Pelican ” pro tem. was cheaply earned. The battalion did a good dealof counter-marching, and some skirmishing, but most of the time we wereacting as support to a section of Cutshaw’s battery. The tedium of this lastservice my companions relieved by games of “ seven up,” with a greasy, well-thumbed deck, and in smoking cigarettes, rolled with great dexterity, betweenthe deals. Once, when a detail was ordered to go some distance under fire tofill the canteens of the company, a hand was dealt to determine who should go,and the decision was accepted by the loser without demur. Our numerousshifts of position completely confused what vague ideas I had of the situation,but we must have been near our extreme left at Sudley Church, and never veryfar from my own brigade, which was warmly engaged that day and the dayfollowing. J Toward evening we were again within sight of Sudley Church.

) A recent letter from Lieutenant Robert Healy, morning we lay in reserve in the edge of the woodsof the writer’s regiment, the 55th Virginia, says: [see Brockenbrough’s brigade on the map, p.“ Thursday night we slept on our arms; Friday, 509]; about half-past two o’clock we received ur-we charged a battery and took it, and in the even- gent orders to reenforce a portion of our line ining got considerably worsted in an engagement the center, which was about to give way. We pro-with the enemy in a field on the left. Saturday ceeded at double-quick to a point in the w’oods