New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-07-22
THE BULL RUN BOUT.
How the Gallant Boys Came Back from
the First Battle of Manassas.

From Advance Sheets of s. s. Cox's aThree
Decades of Federal Legislation"
With bated breath Congress awaits
the issue. Its business lags. Its men,
bers gossip in the rear of the seats
and in the cloak-rooms. At length des-
patches come. They are read at the
Clerks desk. Then Bull Run comes
in-preceded by the Pickway contrac-
tors cattle on a stampede. Then come
intelligent contrabands and an incon-
gruous array of wearied soldiers in
muddy uniforms. What of the Sena-
tors and Representatives Chandler,
Wade, Richardson, Logan, Gurley
Morris and Riddle return safely. Ely
is borne by his resistless patriot-
ism, darkly and fearfully afar.
The Black Horse Cavalry of the
enemy carry him into Richmond. Lib
by Prison receives him, and his good
ness of heart and ample means enable
him to aid his fellow-prisoners. Mr..
Riddle relates how his company had
been charged upon by wild riders and
and sable horses; "It seemed" said he,
in deliberately penned description, "as
if the very devil Of panic and cowardice
seized every mortal soldier, officer, cit
izen and teamster. No officer tried to
rally the soldiers, or do anything, ex-
cept to spring and run toward Centre
vile. There never was anything like
it for causeless, sheer, absolute, absurd
cowardice, or rather panic, on this mis-
cradle earth before. Off they went,
one and all; off down the highway,
over across fields towards the woods,
anywhere, everywhere, to escape.
Well, the further they ran the more
frightened they grew, and although we
moved on as rapidly as we could, the
fugitives passed us by scores. To en-
able them better to run, they threw
away their blankets, knapsacks.
canteens, and finally muskets, car
trldge-boxes and everything else,
we called to them, tried to tell them
there was no danger, called them to
stop, implored them to stand. We
called them towards, denounced them
in the most offensive terms, put out our
heavy revolvers and treatened to shoot
them, but all in vain: cruel, crazy,
mad, hopeless panic possessed them,
and communicated to everybody about
in front and rear. The heat was awful,
although now about six; the men were
exhausted, their mouth gaped, their
lips cracked and blackened with the
powder of the cartridges they had bit
ten off in the battle, their eyes start
ing in frenzy; no mortal ever saw such
mass of CHASTITY wretches. AS we
came on, borne along with the mass,
unable to 60 ahead or pause, or draw
out of it, with the street blocked with
flying baggage wagons, before and be-
hind, laundering and crashing on, we
were every moment exposed to imminent
danger of being upset, or crushed,
or OF breaking down; and for the
first time on this strange day I felt a
little sinking of the heart and doubt
whether we could avoid destruction in
the immense throng about us; and
nothing but the remarkable skill of our
driver and the strength of our carriage
and endurance Of our horses saved us.
Another source of peril beset us. As
we passed the poor, demented, ex.
hausted wretches, who could not climb
into the high, close baggage wagons
they made frantic efforts to get on tc
and into our carriage. They grasped
it everywhere and got on to it, into it,
over it and implored us every way te
take them off.
No more graphic picture has since
been presented Of the race of this army
from an imaginary pursuit. The pencil
of David could not do it justice. NJ
colors can be harmonized for such {
chaos. De Quincy's Flight of Tartar
Tribe" is far less veracious and not more
thrilling.