I don't remember myself how long we've been in the saddle and how long we've been without food, but we mustn't go into battle until we've eaten." Dick was the last of the officers to dismount.

He, too, did not remember how long they had been in the saddle.

He could not say at that moment, whether it had been one night or two.

He ate and drank mechanically, but hungrily--the Union army nearly always had plenty of stores--and then he felt better and stronger.
A faint bluish tint was appearing under the gray horizon in the east.
Dick felt the touch of a light wind on his forehead.

The dawn was coming.
Yes, the dawn was coming, but it was coming heavy with sinister omens and the frown of battle.