And as he read the brief dispatch, his glance was filled with pride.
Then he who bore the orders, in a low, emphatic tone,
The stern, expressive sentence spake “He said it must be done!”
“It shall be done!” our Colonel cried. “Men, look to strap and girth,
We’ve work to do this day, will prove what every man is worth;
Ay, work, my lads, will make amends for all our long delay—
The General says on us depends the fortune of the day!”
No order needed we to mount—each man was in his place,
And stern and dangerous was the look on every veteran face.
We trotted sharply up the hill,[486] and halted on the brow,