They had been forced to leave their dead behind them, and of those who had withdrawn about a third were wounded.

But, their hurts bandaged by their comrades, they limped on with the rest.
The two colonels were at the head of the sombre little column.

It had seemed to Harry Kenton as they left the field that each of them had suddenly grown at least ten years older, but now as they passed within the deep shadows they became erect again and their faces grew more youthful.

It was a marvelous transformation, but Harry read their secret.

All the rest of the Invincibles were lads, or but little more, and they two middle-aged men felt that they were responsible for them.
In the face of defeat and irretrievable disaster they recovered their courage, and refused to abandon hope.
"A dark sunset, Hector," said Colonel Talbot, "but a bright dawn will come, even yet." "Who can doubt it, Leonidas?
We won a glorious victory over odds in the morning, but when a million Yankees appeared on the field in the afternoon it was too much." "That's always the trouble, Hector.