two o'clock
He was glad Ned was not in those grey lines in front . His company had been formed promptly , and he had been elected first lieutenant , but they were still in Southern Missouri under General Sterling Price . He should n't like to come on his brother 's body dead or wounded after the battle -- the young dare-devil fool ! Promptly at two o'clock the sharp orders rang from the regimental commander : `` Forward march ! '' The lines swung carelessly into the powdered dust of the road and moved forward into the fading moonlight , talking , laughing , chatting , joking . War was yet a joke and the contagious fire of patriotism had flung its halo even over this night 's work . Except here and there a veteran of the Mexican War , not one of these men had ever seen a battle or had the remotest idea what it was like .