The smoke of the previous day's fight still hung over the camp, and the sun rose through it, as through a cloud.

A gentle wind soon dissipated this smoke, and showed us a clear sky overhead.

The direction of the wind was in our favor.
The ground selected for deciding the fate of that day was a huge cornfield, somewhat exceeding two miles in length and about half a mile in width.

The western extremity of this field rested upon the ridge which gave name to the battle-ground.

The great road from Springfield to Fayetteville crossed this field about midway from the eastern to the western end.
It was on this road that the two armies took their positions.
The lines were in the edge of the woods on opposite sides of the field--the wings of the armies extending to either end.