in a mass across Willoughby Run. A thousand, General Archer among them,
were taken prisoners.

Harry and Dalton barely escaped, and in all the tumult and fury of the
fighting they found themselves with another division of the Southern
army which was resisting a charge made with the same energy and courage
that marked the one led by Reynolds. But the charge was beaten back,
and the Southerners, following, were repulsed in their turn.

The battle, which had been raging for three hours with the most
extraordinary fury, sank a little. Harry and Dalton could make nothing
of it. Everything seemed wild, confused, without precision or purpose,
but the fighting had been hard and the losses great.

Heth now commanded on the field for the South and Doubleday for the
North. Each general began to rectify his lines and try to see what had
happened. The Confederate batteries opened, but did not do much damage,
and while the lull continued, more men came for the North.

Harry and Dalton had found their way to Heth, who told them to stay
with him until Lee came. Heth was making ready to charge a brigade of
stalwart Pennsylvania lumbermen, who, however, managed to hold their
position, although they were nearly cut to pieces. Hill now passed
along the Southern line, and like the other Southern leaders, uncertain
what to do in this battle brought on so strangely and suddenly, ceased
to push the Union lines with infantry, but opened a tremendous fire from
eighty guns. The whole valley echoed with the crash of the cannon,
and the vast clouds of smoke began to gather again. The Union forces
suffered heavy losses, but still held their ground.