midnight
But the orders were to hold . Hood was at Sugar Creek with the army ; he must have time to cross . It was late afternoon when Forrest at last ordered the withdrawal , and they made it in an orderly fashion . Through the night the rear guard toiled on and a little after midnight they reached the Sugar in their turn . Drew splashed cold water on his face , not only to keep awake , but to rinse off the mud and grime of days of riding and fighting . He could not remember when he had had his clothes off , had bathed or worn a clean shirt . Now he smeared his jacket sleeve across his face in place of a towel and tramped wearily back to the fire where his own small squad had settled in for what rest they could get .