As I have before explained the two sides sloped toward each other like those of a great trough.

The Raiders' headquarters stood upon the center of the southern slope, and consequently those standing on the northern slope saw everything as if upon the stage of a theater.
While standing in ranks waiting the orders to move, one of my comrades touched me on the arm, and said: "My God! just look over there!" I turned from watching the Rebel artillerists, whose intentions gave me more uneasiness than anything else, and looked in the direction indicated by the speaker.

The sight was the strangest one my eyes ever encountered.

There were at least fifteen thousand perhaps twenty thousand--men packed together on the bank, and every eye was turned on us.

The slope was such that each man's face showed over the shoulders of the one in front of him, making acres on acres of faces.