Noon
His courage and the courage of those around him was all the greater now , because hope , sanguine hope , had suddenly shot up from the very depths of despair . Their ranks had been thinned terribly , but they forgot it for the time and rushed upon their enemy . The battle had rolled back and forth for hours . Noon had come and passed . The troops of Pillow had been fighting without ceasing for six hours , and they could not withstand the new attack made with such tremendous spirit and energy . They fought with desperation , but they were compelled at last to yield the field and retreat within their works . Their right and left suffered the same fate .