four in the morning
We stood up under a part of the roof at the corner of the old house thinking of our troubles . At the end of an hour , the drums began to beat with a dull sound ; the men shook the straw from their clothes and we resumed our march . It was still dark -- but we could hear the chasseurs sounding their signal to mount , behind us . Between three and four in the morning , at dawn , we saw a great many other regiments , cavalry , infantry , and artillery , on the march like ourselves by different roads , all the corps of Marshal Grouchy in retreat ! The wet weather , the leaden sky , the long files of weary men , the disappointment of being retaken , and the thought that so many efforts and so much bloodshed had only terminated a second time in an invasion , all this made us hang down our heads . Nothing was heard but the sound of our own footsteps in the mud . I could not shake off my sadness for a long time , when a voice near me said : `` Good-morning , Joseph . ''