noon before
Johnston , whose astuteness they feared , was proving himself worthy of their opinion . Knowing that his forces were far too small to defend Jackson , he had sent away the archives of the state and most of the army . Only a small force and seventeen cannon were left to fight and cover his retreat . But so bold and skillful were they that it was far beyond noon before Grant and Sherman found that practically nothing was in front of them . But where Dick and his comrades rode the fighting was severe for a while . Then everything seemed to melt away before them . The fire of the Southern cannon ceased suddenly , and Colonel Winchester exclaimed that their works had been abandoned .