The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-07-02

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tage gained. With adequate support. the
rebel srmy was nc our mercy. : Between
these conflicting views the General held
on until nearly s O'Clock in the afternoon.
Then General Hancock determined to
withdraw, and issued the orders to retire
the batteries back to the slope where the
brigade line stood
But the lynx-eyed rebel commander
having repulsed Hooker in front, and re-
alixing perfectly the danger which threat
ened him with his left flank turned, made
his dispositions with q view of utterly
overwhelming Hancock. The order to re-
tire the artillery had not been executed,
when, with tremendous cherr, the enemy
debouched from the woods On Hancock's
right front, and in two splendid lines of
battle two brigsdes of Early's troops
moved on Hancock's line. There was no
such thing as retreat then. Retreat meant
rout, utter overthrow, capture What
ever might be the effect Of standing his
ground, retreat was the worst of all pos
sible expedients. Hancock stood his
ground. Not altogether. The enemy,
regardless of shell and hardly stopping for
canister, swept around and almost envel-
oped the artillery, which barely escaped
from loop in the rebel advance and went
into the battery again on the slope. The
brigade, in perfect order, firing steadily,
slowly retired before the rebel advance.
The latter came on impetuously, firing
and shouting, "Bull Run! Bull Run
That flag is ours % AS they came slowly
up the slope, flushed with certain victory,
Hancock seized the opportune moment.
He had been sitting close behind the CEN
ire of the line, watching with imperturb-
able GOODNESS the phases of the struggle.
1t was a supreme hour. Would his brig
ade respond in the presence of such over
whelming advancing numbers? The fight
was, it must be remembered, in the open
field. 1t was now at murderously short
range The thoughts of this brave COM
mander in that crisis nobody knew. What
he did all the world knows. The Little
Corporal is said to have watched similar
struggle, and at the crisis to have thrown
himself headlong across the bridge of
Lodi What Hancock did was piece of
the same personal daring. Dashing for
ward on his horse, with head barred, swing
ing his hat and shouting, Forward! For
ward. For Gods sake, forward !" he
showed himself among his men in the line
of battle. Forty yards away was the great,
irregularly-shaped, firing, shouting rebel
force. 1t seemed madness to attempt to
stop them. But not a second interviewed
when the brigade saw and recognized
Hancock's blazing form before them, and,
with a shout that drowned the cracking
musketry, with lowered bayonets and with
q limo xaorfoo% fhAurvh ho xH-o
on parade, the brigade advanced. A min
ute more and the conflicting forces would
be hand to hand. But this did not occur.
The rebel line faltered, then stopped,
then turned as though actuated by one un-
pleasant, common impulse, and back they
went, slowly, obstinstely, fighting still,
but still back the way they came, leaving
the ground handsomely covered with their
dead and wounded, to say nothing of the
hundreds who were found retreating un-
der fire not so agreeable as advancing un-
der the same conditions, and who held up
white handkerchiefs and surrendered.
Shortly after the struggle was over the
wished for re-enforcements came in plenty.
But now it was night. The great oppor-
tunity of following up the blow was lost.
During the night the enemy retreated, the
success of Hancock having made the Will
liamsburg lines untenable, although con-
structed to sustain seige. This was Han
cocks first glory, and it was a shining
glory, too From an unknown subordi-
nate in few hours his name was heard |
from Maine to California 1t was lucky
day, but the luck was deserved, because,
while yet acting with reasonable caution,
Hancock dared to go forward and do what
the true soldier always has to do-take |
some chances. 1t is casting no reflection
on others to say that four out of five of
the general officers of the Army of the
Potomac at that time would not have |
crossed that ravine with Hancock's force
in the face of the rebel army as he did.
McClellan's report of Hancock's achieve
ment on the field Of Williamsburg was 8
notable saying for the head Of the army to
use. In his telegraphed report to the
President, he said, Hancock was superb
-an expression which all who saw him on
that day, towering above his men in the
crisis of the struggle, plucking victory
from the jaws Of defeat BY the inspiration |
of heroic example, will own was truth |
fully applicable and not in the least po-
etical.
I'I.
THE SEVEN DAYS BEFoRE tICHMOND, ANTE !
tam, FREDERIcKsBURG, CaANcELLoRvnLR.
During the rest of the Peninsular cam
paign, General Hancock often engaged
the enemy, and always with credit and
distinction. To recount with equal atten-
tion to details one-haH the affairs in which |
he played . conspicuous part would ex-
ceed the limits of . newspaper article
While lying on the lines before Richmond,
on the afternoon of June 9th, his brigade
sustained and repulsed at Golding's Farm
an attack of the enemy in force. The
closing part of this fight showed ON Gen
eral Hancock's part the tactics which he
practiced FIRST at Williamsburg and for
which he became famous-that Of hold
ing his position tenaciously until the crit
ical moment in the attack Of the enemy
arrived, and then dsmoralizing him by m
impetuous advance. Such counter strokes |
the best troops will hardly stand But to |
be able to make them successfully the |
commander must possess the perfect con- |
6dence of hin own men. No General can
advance with disheartened and halfde- |
feated troops. To possess their conf |
dence the General must share their peril |
and be seen by them This was one Of
Hancock's secrets. When brigade com