Presently they drew up at a small, cleared space in the center of the portion of the demi-corps that had not been tossed into the forest charge.
Dad dismounted, leaving the horse to an orderly, and, with Jimmie at his side, walked up to the white and wildly excited corps commander. The latter, with his staff, had witnessed through binoculars the hot little charge.
The commander was fairly bubbling with questions.
“Sir,” formally announced Dad, at attention, “I have to announce that we carried the Confederate position at the edge of the woods yonder, and that we have captured between twenty-eight and thirty cannon of various sizes. The exact list, with those of our losses, will be delivered to you as soon as it can be determined. I have returned to—”
“Splendid!” broke in the young general, with a fine fervor. “A complete victory! I shall send full report at once to General McClellan at headquarters; and you can be assured, Captain Dadd, that your own gallant conduct shall by no means be forgotten in my report. As for this little hero with the drum—”
“General,” interposed Dad, dropping his voice and moving a step nearer to the exuberant commander, “may I speak plainly?”
“By all means, sir!” bleated the commander, with his best Napoleon air. “The hero of such a victory as this has just proved may well—”
“This is no victory, general,” urged Dad, with terrible earnestness. “It was a flank movement that amounts to but one move in a big game. Our videttes reported the approach of Confederates in force beyond the hill there, you may recollect. Has—”
“Bless me!” cried the young general, aghast. “I’d forgotten. In the glory of that charge I—”
“In the taking of one trick you have thrown away the whole hand!” burst forth Dad in righteous wrath. “That affair at the woods was just a flank movement to distract and weaken us and later perhaps to enfilade us.