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Rh stepped to one side for some purpose, left me in charge of his gun, but as we moved off almost immediately I stood it up against a tree within his sight, but some chap who was passing by managed to exchange it for his own which had a ball firmly wedged in the barrel. Crossing creeks and fields, tearing down the fences and tramping grain and corn, over gullies and hills, but keeping principally to the woods and mountains, we continued our retreat.

I suppose the Colonel had little doubt of our ability to repel the cavalry, but their evident intention was to delay us until the arrival of infantry and other support. General Early had expressed his determination of taking the regiment entire, and that night said in Gettysburg that we had thus far escaped but on the morrow our capture was certain. In circumstances in which there is anything