midnight before
asked the general . `` I should like to do so , sir . '' `` And of course I shall go too , '' added Captain Wilders ; and the procession , thus formed , wended its way to the shore . It was midnight before McKay and the stretcher-party were relieved of their precious charge , and when they had seen the wounded officer embarked in one of the ship 's boats , accompanied by his brother , they laid down where they were to rest and await the daylight . Soon after dawn they were again on the move making once more for the heights above the river , where they had left their regiment . Once more , too , they traversed the battle-field , with its ghastly sights and distressing sounds . It was still covered with the bodies of the dead and dying , their numbers greatly increased , for many of the wounded had succumbed to the tortures of the night .