midnight
He was a strong and enduring youth , trained to the woods and hills , and , with occasional stops for rest , he knew that he could continue until he reached the camp at Manassas . He wondered if the others had got through . He hoped they had , but he was still anxious to be the first who should reach Beauregard , an ambition not unworthy on the part of youth . He stopped after midnight for a longer rest than usual . Colonel Talbot , at the last moment , had made him take a small knapsack with some food in it , and now he was grateful for his commander 's foresight . He ate , drank from a tiny brook that he heard trickling among the trees , and felt as if he had been made anew . He wisely protracted this stop to half an hour and then he went forward at an increased gait .