about three in the afternoon
It was found , however , that all but one were dead , and he expired within an hour , so that the men felt that they had killed five innocent men , a thought which made some of them weep , hardened though they were . It was now decided to await the return of the regiment , which was out , the officer thought , on a practice march , and could not possibly be gone much longer . So the men lounged about on the grass for more than an hour . Then , about three in the afternoon , a rifle-shot was heard in the near distance , and instantly every man was on his feet , rifle in hand . `` They must have found the rebels , '' said the officer ; `` so be ready , men , to help them out , should they be retreating to the camp . '' This supposition turned out to be correct , for a few minutes later some members of the regiment came running into camp and announced that a large body of insurgents was after them . Later the remainder of the regiment followed , and the joy of the colonel when he found these unexpected reinforcements was very great .