noon
Read about the battle first , sergeant , and then we 'll hear about the conscription law . '' Dick complied , and before he got through there were some angry and astonished men standing around him . Sergeant Graham first read aloud the account of the second day 's fighting at Pittsburg Landing ; but of course the fact that Beauregard had sustained a crushing defeat and been forced to retire from Corinth , was carefully concealed . It was to be expected , the paper said , that twenty-five thousand fresh men would turn the tide of battle in favor of the enemy , but even against these overwhelming odds the Confederates had held their own until noon , and then left the field in good order . `` I do n't see anything to feel bad over in that account , '' said Rodney , whose war-like spirit arose every time he heard a glowing story of a fight . `` We knew when we went into this thing that the Yankees could raise more men than we could , and we expected to fight against big odds . Now for the conscripts , '' and when Rodney said this , he thought of Tom Randolph , and hoped that he would be the first Mooreville citizen to `` draw a prize . ''