five o'clock
He had guessed aright ; General Douay saw the exhausted condition of the troops , and was convinced that it would be useless to attempt to reach la Besace that day . What particularly influenced his determination , however , was the arrival of the train , that ill-starred train that had been trailing in his rear since they left Rheims , and of which the nine long miles of vehicles and animals had so terribly impeded his movements . He had given instructions from Quatre-Champs to direct it straight on Saint-Pierremont , and it was not until Osches that the teams came up with the corps , in such a state of exhaustion that the horses refused to stir . It was now five o'clock ; the general , not liking the prospect of attempting the pass of Stonne at that late hour , determined to take the responsibility of abridging the task assigned them by the marshal . The corps was halted and proceeded to encamp ; the train below in the meadows , guarded by a division , while the artillery took position on the hills to the rear , and the brigade detailed to act as rear-guard on the morrow rested on a height facing Saint-Pierremont . The other division , which included Bourgain-Desfeuilles ' brigade , bivouacked on a wide plateau , bordered by an oak wood , behind the church . There was such confusion in locating the bodies of troops that it was dark before the 106th could move into its position at the edge of the wood .