Henry and his regiment are in a defensive position, awaiting the charge of the enemy. Henry becomes increasingly agitated and angry because the enemy never seems to tire, and his regiment is dog-tired. He peers through the smoke and haze hoping to catch a glimpse of the enemy. All the while, his anger continues to build.
When the charge does come, Henry fires so often that the barrel of his rifle becomes blisteringly hot. He continues to fire until a comrade tells him that he is firing at nothing because the enemy has withdrawn. His lieutenant is overjoyed with his efforts. Indeed, the lieutenant says, “By heavens, if I had ten thousand wild cats like you, I could tear the stomach out of this war in less than a week.” Henry is such a fighting machine that his comrades now look upon him as “a war devil.”
When Henry realizes that the enemy has disengaged, he drops to the ground exhausted and burning with thirst. The troops see that even though the enemy has lost many men, this respite will be short lived, so they rest in preparation for the next battle.
