the noon sun
Here , Johnson , blow your best on that trumpet . I want our regiment to be the first to reach the Antietam . '' Johnson blew a long and mellow tune and the Winchester regiment swung forward at a more rapid gait . The weather , after a day or two of coolness , had grown intensely hot again , and the noon sun poured down upon them sheaves of fiery rays . Dick looked back , and he saw once more that vast billowing cloud of dust made by the marching army . But in front he saw only quiet and peace , save for a few distant horsemen who seemed to be riding at random . `` There 's a little town called Sharpsburg in the peninsula formed by the Potomac and the Antietam , '' said Shepard , who stayed with them , his immediate work done , `` and the Potomac being very low , owing to the dry season , there is one ford by which Lee can cross and go back to Virginia .