M. Describe your mental picture of Custer as gained from paragraph 9. What details appear in your picture besides those mentioned?

N. Notice to what extent images of sounds are employed in the description. Are the sounds merely mentioned?

O. Read the following description by A. Doubleday (Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, pp. 199-202). It deals with the same section of the battle that is described above by King. What is the difference between the two descriptions in method and spirit? What is the difference in purpose?

When Lee learned that Johnson had yielded his position on the right, and therefore could not coöperate with Pickett's advance, he sent Stuart's cavalry around to accomplish the same object by attacking the right and rear of our army. Howard saw the Confederate cavalry moving off in that direction, and David McM. Gregg, whose division was near White's Creek where it crosses the Baltimore Pike, received orders about noon to guard Slocum's right and rear.

Custer had already been contending with his brigade against portions of the enemy's force in that direction, when Gregg sent forward McIntosh's brigade to relieve him, and followed soon after with J. Irving Gregg's brigade. Custer was under orders to join Kilpatrick's command, to which he belonged, but the exigencies of the battle soon forced Gregg to detain him. McIntosh, having taken the place of Custer, pushed forward to develop the enemy's line, which he found very strongly posted, the artillery being on a commanding ridge which overlooked the whole country, and covered by dismounted cavalry in woods, buildings, and behind fences below. McIntosh became warmly engaged and sent back for Randol's battery to act against the Confederate guns on the crest, and drive the enemy out of the buildings. The guns above were silenced by Pennington's and Randol's batteries, and the force below driven out of the houses by

Lieutenant Chester's section of the latter. The buildings and fences were then occupied by our troops. The enemy attempted to regain them by a charge against McIntosh's right flank, but were repulsed. In the meantime Gregg came up with the other brigade, and assumed command of the field. The battle now became warm, for W. H. F. Lee's brigade, under Chambliss, advanced to support the skirmish line, and the First New Jersey, being out of ammunition, was charged and routed by the first Virginia. The Seventh Michigan, a new regiment which came up to support it, was also driven in; for the enemy's dismounted line reënforced the First Virginia. The latter regiment, which had held on with desperate tenacity, although attacked on both flanks, was at last compelled to fall back by an attack made by part of the Fifth Michigan. The contending forces were now pretty well exhausted when, to the dismay of our men, a fresh brigade under Wade Hampton, which Stuart had kept in reserve, made its appearance, and new and desperate exertions were required to stem its progress. There was little time to act, but every sabre that could be brought forward was used. As Hampton came on, our artillery under Pennington and Randol made terrible gaps in his ranks. Chester's section kept firing canister until the Confederates were within fifty yards of him. The enemy were temporarily stopped by a desperate charge on their flank, made by only sixteen men of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, under Captains Treichel and Rogers, accompanied by Captain Newhall of McIntosh's staff. This little band of heroes were nearly all disabled or killed, but they succeeded in delaying the enemy, already shattered by the canister from Chester's guns, until Custer was able to bring up the First Michigan and lead them to the charge, shouting, "Come on, you Wolverines!" Every available sabre was thrown in. General McIntosh and his staff and orderlies charged into the mêlée as

individuals. Hampton and Fitz-Hugh Lee headed the enemy, and Custer our troops. Lieutenant Colonel W. Brook-Rawle, the historian of the conflict, who was present, says, "For minutes, which seemed like hours, amid the clashing of the sabres, the rattle of the small arms, the frenzied imprecations, the demands to surrender, the undaunted replies, and the appeals for mercy, the Confederate column stood its ground." A fresh squadron was brought up under Captain Hart of the First New Jersey, and the enemy at last gave way and retired. Both sides still confronted each other, but the battle was over, for Pickett's charge had failed, and there was no longer any object in continuing the contest.

Stuart was undoubtedly baffled and the object of his expedition frustrated; yet he stated in his official report that he was in a position to intercept the Union retreat in case Pickett had been successful. At night he retreated to regain his communications with Ewell's left.

This battle, being off the official maps, has hardly been. alluded to in the various histories which have been written; but its results were important and deserve to be commemorated.

CHAPTER VIII.

NARRATION.

Narration and Description.

71. It is not always easy to distinguish narration from description, for one kind of discourse passes into the other by insensible gradations, and the two kinds are frequently mingled in one composition. But if we select a piece of writing that is undeniably description and another that is undeniably narration, and set them side by side, the essential points of difference will easily be seen. Making a comparison of this kind, putting, for example, the extract from Stevenson's Master of Ballantrae, on p. 251 by the side of the description of a "sugar-bush," on page 213, we can detect in the narrative an element which is obviously lacking in the description. In the description of the sugar-bush the author seems to be painting a picture for us. It is as if we stood before a canvas and watched the lines taking form upon it under the painter's hand. In the narrative we are made aware of something more than a pictured scene. The characters in the narrative are not merely pictured: they live and move; they talk and fight. More than this, the various particular things that they do form a well-defined series, which, taken as a whole, we may call a single action. We see this action begin; we see it increase in interest; we watch it run its course

and come to a conclusion.

It is this life and movement,

exhibiting itself in a series of closely connected incidents, which is the distinctive feature of all narration.

72. Assignments in Detecting Narration.

A. Are the following selections narratives or descriptions? How much action is there in each of them?

1. Soon he heard a sound as of a multitudinous scraping and panting, above which tinkled a bell. A cloud of dust rose from the road, showing, as it parted, the yellow fleeces and black legs and muzzles of a flock of Southdown sheep. He stood aside motionless upon the turf, to let them pass without hindrance; but one of the timid creatures, nevertheless, took fright at him, and darted down the slope, followed by an unreasoning crowd of imitators. It did not need a low faint cry from the shepherd, who loomed far behind above the cloud of white dust, himself spectral-looking in his long, grayish white smock-frock, to send the sheep-dog sweeping over the turf, with his fringes floating in the wind, and his tongue hanging from his formidable jaws, while he uttered short angry barks of reproof, and drove the truants into the path again. But again and again and yet again some indiscretion on the part of the timid little black-faces demanded the energies of their lively and fussy guardian, who darted from one end of the flock to the other with joyous rapidity, hustling this sheep, grumbling at that, barking here, remonstrating there, and driving the bewildered creatures hither and thither with a zeal that was occasionally in excess, and drew forth a brief monosyllable from his master, which caused the dog to fly back and walk sedately behind him with an instant obedience as delightful as his intelligent activity. The actual commander of this host of living things gave little sign of energy, but walked