four in the morning
They fell asleep , knowing that kind comrades would awaken them when the train drew up at their various garrisons . At Reims , the compartments disgorged the dragoons pell-mell ; at Châlons , so many gunners and infantry had got out that the train was half emptied . At Sainte-Menehould , a large contingent of cuirassiers and infantry had cleared out . Towards four in the morning the express was nearing Verdun . As the train steamed out of Sainte-Menehould , a corporal of the line , who had been forced to sit up as stiff as a poker for several hours , stretched himself at length on the compartment seat with a sigh of relief . But the jerks and jolts of the carriage , the hard seat , made sleep impossible : the epaulettes of his uniform were an added source of discomfort . The corporal sat up , rubbed the musty glass of the window , and watched for the coming day .