The shells shrieked as they flew through the air in hundreds, and shrapnel and grape whined incessantly.
Harry thought it in very truth the valley of destruction, and it was a relief to him when he received an order to carry and could turn away for a little while.

He saw now in the rear the brigades of Pickett which were forming up for the charge, about four thousand five hundred men who had not yet been in the battle, while nearly ten thousand more, under Trimble, Pettigrew and Wilcox, were ready to march on their flanks.
Pickett's men were lying on their arms patiently waiting.

The time had not quite come.
When Harry came back from his errand the cannonade was still at its height.

The roar was continuous, deafening, shaking the earth all the time.

A light wind blew the smoke back on the Southern position, but it helped, concealing their batteries to a certain extent, while those of the North remained uncovered.
The Northern army was now suffering terribly, although its infantry stood unflinching under the fire.