The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-08-27
CHAPTER XII.

Panic does not always follow defeat.
Indeed it seldom does. A battle is a
checkerboard wherein all the spots are
marked with blood. The checkers are
men-msn lying in reserve, men on the
battle lives, men charging on hanks or
center.
The generals in command watch the
board. If one makes move on the
right or left, the other seeks to take ad-
vantage Ct it. For the time being they
shut their ears to the roar of battle,
shut their eyes to the sight 81 81 uead and
wounded. Beauregard halted at the
threshold of victory at Shiloh. So with
Mcclellan at Antietam. At Freder-
icksburg Lee permitted Burnside to re-
treat after defeat. At Gettysburg Meade
did the same with Lee. Jackson had
thrown himself against Shields at
Kernstowl, on the right, on the left, on
the center. He could not break the line
anywhere. He left his dead along front
of a mile and a half, but the sacrifice was
in vain. 1t was military tactics to re-
treat-to fall back to a strong position
and oblige Shields to attack him or give
over his march up the valley. There is
sometimes more generalship in a retreat
than in an advance or in fighting bat
tie. The trains must be saved, the
broken and disorganized commands
picked up ami reformed, the best troops
sent to the rear to stand as bulwark
between the exhausted army and the en-
thusiastic enemy.
Jackson left nothing behind him-ar-
tillery, wagons OF 1nuskets worth gath
ering up and reporting. Most of his
wounded were carried up the valley as
he fell back. Shields followed slowly,
and the rear guard had no fighting to
do. The panic of an army, of an army
corps even, is terrible sight, but the
panic of a town is something which no
one can fifty describe. The news of
Jackson's defeat preceded him, and
when he reached Winchester it was to
find town wild with fear and crazed
by terror. War was young then. In
after years the old town changed hands
without tremer, gathered up the dead
off its streets and buried them as part
Of the regular programme.
1.-The Yankees are coming! The town
will be given up to sack! Winchester
is tc be burned, and women and chill
dren must fieei'
So rose the cry from house to house.
Some locked their doors and rode away
ON horseback or in their carriages.
Others left their doors wide open and
took the turnpike to the south on foot,
carrying whateve~ they had at first laid
hands on as burden. Furniture was
brought out and Filled in the streets and
set fire to, and had not Jackson's ad-
vance arrived as it did the people of the
town would have applied the torch to
( their own rooftrtes. The Yankee SOL
dier was popularity supposed to be with
out honor or pity--a ruffian who stopped
at no crime. jackson paused to refresh
his men and allay the excitement. Those
who had not fled decided to remain,
though fearful of consequences, but the
general excitement scarcely abated.
The Percys were among the first to
hear of Jackson's defeat and the news
that the Federal army was following
him up and would soon be in Winches-
ter. They were excited, but not terrified.
1--WE will remain right here, and we
shall not be disturbed, said Marian tc
| her mother. The Federals have not
burned towns elsewhere nor made wal
on women and children, and they will
not do so here. We have no cause to be
afraid
Neither had they, but circumstances
which could not be foreseen soon caused
change in the programme. Among
Jackson s. troops was the remnant OF
hthe Shenandoah guards. All the house
servants about the Percy mansion were
colored people and slaves. Like others
of their coltr, the general excitement
had made them half crazy. They had
left the house for tho street to see and
hear and were ready TO catch up and