Near midnight, the guerillas approached the outskirts of the city. They had ridden to the northeast, avoiding picket posts on several occasions. They slipped between the layers of carefully engineered defensive earthworks that guarded the capital by traversing rocky ravines and taking deer trails through stands of scrub pines and brambles. Twice they had encountered mighty star forts guarding the intermediate line that ringed the city, which they easily sidestepped. Finally the clandestine troop turned due south and discovered a small forest that shielded their movement almost all the way into city's northside.
