eight o'clock
Irish , Germans , French , Scotch , all the heterogeneous units which make up the population of Maryland shouted in their respective vernaculars ; and the `` vivas , '' `` hurrahs , '' and `` bravos '' were intermingled in inexpressible enthusiasm . Just at this crisis , as though she comprehended all this agitation regarding herself , the moon shone forth with serene splendor , eclipsing by her intense illumination all the surrounding lights . The Yankees all turned their gaze toward her resplendent orb , kissed their hands , called her by all kinds of endearing names . Between eight o'clock and midnight one optician in Jones ' - Fall Street made his fortune by the sale of opera-glasses . Midnight arrived , and the enthusiasm showed no signs of diminution . It spread equally among all classes of citizens -- men of science , shopkeepers , merchants , porters , chair-men , as well as `` greenhorns , '' were stirred in their innermost fibres . A national enterprise was at stake .