Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-06-02
C0efEi6Nrro 1884 BY Ancs,c.
AncslcAN PRESS ASSOCIATION.

ants hut at the call to rally about 80
VI the men turned and raised cheer
ana followed the flag. The sight of the
nag ana the echo of the cheers put heart
INTO the beaten regiment. Something
IKE ORDER came out of confusion, and a
moment later two-thirds of the regi-
inent We're fighting over the guns. The
other regiments OF the brigade moved
up, and they came just in time. The
First Michigan and Fourteenth New
York We're charging up to support the
Minnesota men aud save the guns.
And now for the space of quarter
OF an hour 5000 men fought with
bayonet, with dubbed muskets, with
whatever weapon they could wound or
XIII. 1t was the fight Of mob. 1t was
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 a portion
| OF the Fire Zouaves, went forward yell
ing and cheering. but they came too late
to save all the guns. The Confederates
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
rear.
WHO commands this company?"
asked the general. looking in vain for a
commissioned officer.
The men halted and stared at him,
but no one replied.
Where is your captain? Where are
your lieutenants:" he demanded.
Cant tell yo', general" answered
/ private who was bareheaded and coat
less, but the boss we are workin I'M
der jest now is that ar Yankee with
the flag!"
Jackson was about to speak further
| when an aid delivered an order, and he
rode hurriedly away. There is no moro
lighting 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 dislodge the Contederates from
the plateau. Nature made it for the key
| of a battlefield.
1t is 3 O'Clock, and the fight still
RACES fiercely. 1t is o'clock, and the
Federa!s are still battering at the slopes
| o. 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 men for few
| hours. In so minutes from the first
wild shouts of alarm the highways lead
ing Lack 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 We're they fleeing from? Death?
If so, almost every man of them had
faced death for hours that day without
| flinching. They faced it now, as terri
! fed men discharged their muskets and
| threw them into the bitches, rs remnants
| of cavalry commands dashed into the
| mass, as Eeldpieces and limbers and
caissons, drawn by ho-ses which seemed
| to have caught the spirit of terror,
| turned in from the fields ut mad gal
lop and rode down every obstruction.
| Men flee like shadows from plague,
but they know from what they flee.
Rushing into the highways, fighting
| each other as they struggled to reach
tine van, stumbling, falling, chill of
fear upon every heart, the army which
had fought SO well and long streamed
| into the hamlet of Centerville. There
| was no pursuit. There wasn't brigade
in the Confederate army 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 to Washington to check the
panic stricken tho Islands. Mounted Of
| ficers rode into the mob and shouted
commands and appeals. The painting
fugitives paused for moment, but it
was not to listen, not TO obey, not to
feel ashamed of their silly fears. 1t 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 ms go back few weeks and con.
/ ....& tl., <.I,oiy, ~ pvcnto