nine in the morning
This still being impossible , I continued along our lines to the right at a slow pace , that I might gain some idea of our position and prospects . My hope now of reaching Strahan lay in our defeating Lee and gaining the field . Therefore I had a double motive to be intensely interested in all I saw . Since nine in the morning a strange silence had settled on the field , but after yesterday 's experience it raised no delusive hopes . With the aid of a small field-glass that I carried , I could see the enemy 's batteries , and catch glimpses of their half-concealed infantry , which were moving about in a way that indicated active preparation for something . Our officers had also made the most of this respite , and there had been a continuous shifting of troops , strengthening of lines , and placing of artillery in position since the dawn . Now , however , the quiet was wonderful , in view of the vast bodies of men which were hi deadly array .