The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-05-09

First Michigan n fOuTteeHtn New
York were charging up to support the
Minnesota men.and save the guns.
And now for the space of a quarter
of an hour 5000 men fought with
bayonet, with dubbed muskets, with
whatever weapon they could wound or
kill. 1t was the fight OF amob. 1t was
a mob which went circling round and
round the battery long ago disabled by
the killing of all its horses. The Thirty
eighth New York, followed by portion.
of the Fire Zouaves, went forward yell
ing and cheering. but they came too late
to save all the guns. The C~onfederates
held the ground and retained three Of the
pieces. AS jackson rides forward the
company from the Shenandoah valley is
dragging one of the captured guns to the
g a
"Who commands this. company
asked the general. looking in vain for a
commissioned officer.
The men halted aud stared at him.
but no one replied.
where is your captain: Where are
your leutenants:" he demanded
Cant fell yo', general answered
a private who was bareheaded and coat
less, .'but the boss we are workin un-
der Jest now is that ar Yankee with
the lag!"
Jackson was about to speak further
when an aid delivered an order, and he,
rode hurriedly away. There is no more
fighting on this front. To the right and
left the Federals charge again and
again, but always to be beaten back.
Did they number twice as many they
could not disIodge the C~onfederates from
the plateau. Nature made it for the key
of a battlefield.
1t is 3 O'Clock, and the fight still
RACES fercely. It is 4 O'Clock, and the
Federais are still battering at the slopes
OF the plateau. Half an hour later the
volleys of musketry suddenly increase
in volume, the artillery redoubles its
FIRE, there is wild cheering all along the
Confederate front. Johnston's troops
have come up from the valley. He
throws them into the battle, and the
Federals are driven back. The Confed-
crates push forward in pursuit, and the
troops who were giving way slowly and
retiring in good order suddenly become
panic stricken.
An army panic is like unto nothing
else in its foolishness, in its madness, in
that feeling of terror which makes serv-
lie towards of brave mel for a few
hours. In 30 minutes from the first
wild shouts Of alarm the highways lead
ing back to Centerville were choked
with the shattered, disorganized and
fleeing Federal commands. Here and
there feeble attempts were made to
check the terrified mob, but each effort
only increased the panic.
What were they fleeing from: Death?
IF SO, almost every man of them bad
faced death for hours that day without
finching. They faced it now, as terri
fed men discharged their muskets and
threw them into the bitches. as remnants
of cavalry commands dashed into the
mass, as feldpieces and limbers and
caissons, drawn by horses which seemed
to have caught the spirit of terror,
turned in from che fields at a mad gal
lop and rode down every obstruction.
Men fee like shadows from a plague.
but they know from what they fee.
Rushing into the highways. fighting
each other as they struggled to reach
the van, stumbling, falling, Il chill Of
fear upon every heart, the army which
had fought % we'll and long streamed
into the hamlet of Ce%nterville. There
was no pursuit. There wasn't a brigade
in the Confederate Amy in condition to
pursue, nor was the extent Of the Fed
eral disaster known to Confederate Off
GERS. Here was a strong position. and
here it was that troops who mad not been
in action were formed across the high
way leading 70 Washington to check the
panic stricken thousands. Mounted Of
fcers rode into the mob and shouted
commands and appeals. The painting
fugitives paused for a moment, but it
was not to listen, not to obey, not to
feel ashamed of their silly fears. It was
to draw a long breath and then dash at
the wall Of glistening bayonets. The
wall menaced them, the bayonets point
ed at their breasts, but with one mighty
surge the living wave dissolved the
wall, hurled it down, flung the frag-
ments to right and left, and the stream
Of humanity poured on over the hills
and flowed the faster for its temporary
check. 1t could not be checked again
until it reached the Potomac.
CHAPTER II.
Let us go back a few weeks and con-
meet the chain of events.
The thunder of a hundred guns had
49, - 1>o,o ~ Cbo.1oc<op on1 tho