"Very well, then," said the general, "you may remain with us. Colonel O’Shea, will you find quarters for these gentlemen? By the way, I did not catch your names."
"Very well," General Lejeune continued, "Colonel O’Shea, will you please see that Major Paine and Major Crawford are provided with suitable quarters? And will you both report to me at 8 o’clock in the morning, gentlemen? I may have need of you. The Second division is an hospitable unit, but you’ll find that guests are required to work as well as home folks."
"We shall be more than glad to do our parts, sir," said Hal.
"Very well. Now you have kept me out of bed long enough. I’ll leave you both to the good graces of Colonel O’Shea, and if he doesn’t find suitable quarters for you, you let me know and I’ll have him court-martialed."
With this, and a smile on his face, the good-natured commander took his leave.
"By George!" said Hal, as the lads followed Colonel O’Shea from the general’s quarters, "he’s the most lively commander I ever did see."
"Full of ’pep’ eh?" said Chester with a laugh.
"Yes," Hal agreed, "and I’ll bet he’s full of the same old ’pep’ when it comes down to business."
The American advance against Sedan was in full blast. All night the fighting had raged. Promptly at 6 o’clock on the evening of November 6 General Lejeune had hurled the Second division forward in accordance with the plans outlined by General Rhodes of the Forty-second.
Apparently the Germans had anticipated the attack, for they were braced to receive it when the first Yankee troops began to move. The enemy stood firm—and was continuing to stand firm almost twelve hours after the assault was launched.
There was a slight chill in the early November air as it grew light. The air was filled with shrieking shells and shrapnel. Rifle and machine-gun fire rose even above the noise of the field and siege guns. Shrill whistles punctuated intervals of seeming silence as American officers gave orders to their men. In the midst of battle, whistles are depended upon mainly for signals—also there are signals given with the hands. The confusion is usually too great to permit verbal orders being understood.
At the same time that General Lejeune attacked the enemy, General Rhodes, to the south, also had advanced. But the enemy was holding stubbornly in that section of the field also, and at 6 o’clock on the morning of November 7 the American forces had made only slight progress. However, they were still hammering hard at the German lines.