Off hand, it almost strikes me as a kind of folksy way of pointing out that it was in the middle of the sermon, i.e. "The minister had made his first two points and was about to make his third when the colonel called for line of battle. . . . " A common sermon structure, homiletically speaking, is one that makes three main points, but that may be neither here nor there. --Eric > During a Civil War engagement "...a minister was stopped [during > his sermon] at 'thirdly' by the colonel forming the line of battle." > > What does 'thirdly' mean in this context? > > Thanks. > > Rob Hewitt > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the > instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html