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528, unable to talk, yet wanted to remain, but ordered to the rear. These 700 were formed into two regiments, one of which was deployed as skirmishers, behind a breastwork of rails made the morning before, along the Hagerstown pike; the other was held in reserve about one hundred yards in rear. After the Federals had shelled the woods furiously, they moved up in force, slowly and timidly, on the little handful of men holding them, supposing, of course, they were encountering fresh troops, when they were met by the brisk fire of this skirmish line of iron-hearted men. It was fully a half hour before they were compelled to leave their position. They then fell back on the supporting line, and here the same process was repeated; the Federals evidently afraid to make a decisive charge which must certainly have resulted in cutting the Southern army in two, and in the complete destruction of it, before it could cross the Potomac. When finally driven from their second position, and entirely out of the woods, which alone concealed the utter desperation of our situation, they were met by McLaws who soon succeeded in restoring the line to its original position.

Shortly after this repulse, Hood was accosted by General Evans, of South Carolina, who asked him, "Where is your division?" Hood replied, "Dead on the field."

After being relieved by McLaws, Hood marched the remnant of his division some distance to the rear, where it was deployed as skirmishers in the shape of a V, with orders to pass all stragglers, regardless of regiment or brigade or division down to the point of the V. In the course of two or three hours about 5,000 men had been collected at this point. They were then formed into companies, regiments and a brigade. It was, perhaps, an anomalous organization in warfare. No man knew any officer over him, nor even his file leader, or the man to the right or left of him. And thus was taken away every influence which gives men confidence and conduces to their greatest efficiency as soldiers. It was about four o'clock in the evening when this strangely constructed brigade was ordered to "fall in" to march to the front. A little after they had begun marching in column of fours by the right flank, the men at the head of the column saw General Lee standing with bared head and calm but anxious expression under the shade of an apple tree close beside their line of march. As they passed he said, loud enough to be heard by several companies at a time, "Men, I want you to go back on the line, and show that the stragglers of the Army of Northern Virginia, are better than the best troops of the enemy." The effect as may be imagined was magnetic. "The Stragglers' brigade," as it was afterwards called, was thrilled with enthusiasm, and had they been called