The young General Pelham, who had been sent forward with two pieces of artillery, opened on them fiercely, but the heavy batteries covering the advance of the Pennsylvanians drove Pelham out of action, although he held the whole force at bay for half an hour.

In his retreat he lost one of his own guns, and then Franklin brought up more batteries to protect the further advance of Meade and the Pennsylvanians.

The batteries across the river helped them also, never ceasing to send a rain of steel over their troops upon the Southern army.
But Jackson's men still lay close in the woods and behind their breastworks.

Nearly all that rain of steel flew over their heads.
A shower of twigs and boughs fell on them, but so long as they stayed close the great artillery fire created terror rather than damage.
The men were panting with eagerness, but not one was allowed to pull trigger, nor was a cannon fired.
"Burnside must think there's but a small force here," said Dalton, "or he wouldn't send so few men against us.

Harry, when I look down at those brigades of Yankees I think of the old Roman salute--it was that of the gladiators, wasn't it?
--'Morituri salutamus.'" "They're doomed," said Harry.
Jackson, like the others, had dismounted, and he walked forward with a single aide to observe more closely the Union advance.