midnight
The fire from the enemy 's artillery was , however , hotly maintained ; and as night fell , some squadrons of the Fourteenth , who were picketed near , were unable to light their watch-fires , being within reach of their shot . As the darkness increased so did the cannonade , and the bright flashes from the walls and the deep booming of the artillery became incessant . A hundred conjectures were afloat to account for the circumstance ; some asserting that what we heard were mere signals to Massena 's army ; and others , that Brennier was destroying and mutilating the fortress before he evacuated it to the allies . It was little past midnight when , tired from the fatigues of the day , I had fallen asleep beneath a tree , an explosion , louder than any which preceded it , burst suddenly forth , and as I awoke and looked about me , I perceived the whole heavens illuminated by one bright glare , while the crashing noise of falling stones and crumbling masonry told me that a mine had been sprung ; the moment after , all was calm and still and motionless ; a thick black smoke increasing the sombre darkness of the night shut out every star from view , and some drops of heavy rain began to fall . The silence , ten times more appalling than the din which preceded it , weighed heavily upon my senses , and a dread of some unknown danger crept over me ; the exhaustion , however , was greater than my fear , and again I sank into slumber . Scarcely had I been half an hour asleep , when the blast of a trumpet again awoke me , and I found , amidst the confusion and excitement about , that something of importance had occurred . Questions were eagerly asked on all sides , but no one could explain what had happened .