midnight
His face was pale , but his resolute smile still lit up the brave face . `` Come and wait on me , my dear old friend , '' he said ; `` I am to be married to-night ! '' And in a few words he informed me that Katy had consented to have the ceremony performed before Tom followed General Lee southward . Half an hour afterward I witnessed a singular spectacle : that of a wedding , past midnight , in the midst of hurry , confusion , uproar , universal despair -- the scene , a city about to fall into the hands of the enemy -- from which the government and all its defenders had fled . -LSB- 1 -RSB- -LSB- Footnote 1 : Real . -RSB- Katy acted her part bravely . The rosy cheeks were unblanched still -- the sweet smile was as endearing .