[456] The great crowd of charging rebels stood out in fair relief in the glare — the distance had lessened to about three hundred yards-and our pieces, crammed with canister, opened on a mark perhaps as good as could have been had by daylight-only the light was not continuous. The staunch lieutenant did not fail in expedients. He sent half his candles by one of his assistants to the opposite angle of the fort, and then they opened fire together, crossing fire above and in front of the enemy. Now a ball was in the air all the time. Those who have seen batterries of Roman candles at displays of fireworks, can appreciate the effect. It puzzled the enemy, and it amazed them; many of the wild white trash had never seen a Roman candle; how could they tell but these were some infernal explosions of “Yankee device?” It lighted up all the ground to the very edge of the ditch, and musketry and cannon shot swept into their ranks in storms. That they came on and bravely, we know, and that they left in front of the work, more in dead and wounded, by almost twice, than its garrison. It was useless. They were fairly and thoroughly whipped. In twenty minutes all was over, and the last of Herzog's candles lighted up a completely baffled enemy.
