noon
So the young staff officer merely watched his commander who looked long through his glasses . It was now nearly noon , and the June sky was brilliant with the sun moving slowly toward the zenith . Lee at length lowered his glasses and , turning to his staff , said : `` Now , gentlemen , we ride . '' Harry by some chance looked at his watch , and he always remembered that it was exactly noon when he started on the journey that was to lead him to Gettysburg . He and Dalton from a high crest looked back toward the vast panorama of hills , valleys , rivers and forest that had held for them so many thrilling and terrible memories . There lay the blackened ruins of Fredericksburg . There were the heights against which the brave Northern brigades had beat in vain and with such awful losses .