The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-03

moment, thought that the day was los to their side from the multitude
 streaming to the rear But whateve was true of them, there suddenly ra
 through the men who had fought S
 brayely that the ancient Greeks sai
 was from their God Pan, and which W
 accept enough of to call Il panic. I
 sprends like fire among the troops. Tn
 intense tension of the day suddenl giving way, terror ruled. No power ol earth could have stopped the flight tho
 then became headlong. It took tn
 rebels almost as much by surprise, am
 so little pursuit was attempted save a
 their artillery sent in few shot at tn
 bridge over the Bull Run stream, and 1,
 few charges of the almost mythica
 Black Horse Cavalry. The panic ex
 tended to Centerville, where Colone
 Miles had charge of the reserve divi
 sion. He was Q thorough incompeten
 and on that occasion was said to bt
 sick or drunk. He ordered the reserve
 to fall back without orders from his su.
 perior, and thus endangered the fleeing
 army to capture or destruction. Ho closed his military career at Harper's Ferry, where he surrendered twelve
 thousand men to Stonewall Jackson Happily he was mortally wounded by q <, stray shot after he had opened the dis grcefW proceedings. and closed his wretched career on the site of his su- preme infamy,
 In that battle tlle loss of the victors was about two thousand men. The loss fad oh h01 nd nearly one-half of them prisoners.
 Now what was the effect. General Johnston said that the victory cost them more than defeat did us. Pollard, the southern historian of the war de- clared that it was the greatest misfor- tune the south ever experienced. They certainly were in TO condition to follow up their victory, while to the infiam- mable south there arose the certainty that one of their men was equal to five of their adversaries. Out of this arose supreme confidence. Their cause was as good as successful. Their govern- 5ment firmly established So great num- bers left their ranks and returned to their homes With the north their was certainly the deepest humiliation and grief It is not easy to see how vic- tory on that occasion would have helped that side. They could not have ever reached Richmond in that met bod. It. took four years to get there and the way to it. was lined with the dead. The cry itself was silly. But the defeat only aroused the people. The resolution that at that time unanimously passed the national house of representatives exactly spoke the feelings of the slower moving but more resistless north. That the maintenance of the Constitu- tion and the preservation of the Union. and the enforcement of the laws. are sacred trusts which must be executed; and no disaster shall deter us from the most complete performance of this high duty"
 The next avair of vital moment we have to notice is what is known as the Trent agair Early in the war the gov ernment at Washington declared a blockade of all the southern ports That was easier on paper than beyond it. There were thousands of miles of to ba watched with scores of ports and easy landings. There was
 
 lyn. But the immense capabilities of the north soon built and equipped a fleet that so policed the entire southern coast that any exit therefrom was ex- tremey difficult
 Early in the conflict the joint action If England and of France in issuing their proclamation of neutrality be- tween this government and the states hat were in conflict to found a separate excited the suspncion of he northern people, and were construed 'avorahly by these of the south It was confidently expected that the loss of the southern cotton through the blockade would bring to bear upon the English government a sufficient fierce to compel t to recognize that cause and compel h, opening of the blockade if necessa- y, by force So it was determined to end abroad men of the most tiistin- ,uished character to present their ause. John M Mason, of Virginia, was elected as the minister to England, and ohn slidell, of Louisiana the same to < Trance They reached Havana by the id of blockade runner. and took pas
  or England The United States teamer San Jacinto, commanded by saptain Wilkes was in the harbor at he time. Wilkes formed the purpose Q overhaul the Trent and compel the { of the commissioners. That ras done the day after the Trent left { he port There is no need to dwell pom the scenes on board that vessel 'hen the demand was made. The rafu- I al of the captain to make the sllrren- ( CT save through force, the refusal of le commissioners to move except un- l ar the same impulse, the excitement of [ 1e passengers who sympathized with C leir exalted passengers. the skipping s le face of one of the American officers, a by. roetically, the lilly ( hite hand of the daughter of Com t issicner Slidell, all belong to the his- ny of the affair, but are not especially h 'value at this late day. They were V ken. They and their two secretaries, I Id all their baggage, and reached Bos- s n in good time and were entert aimed D
 Fort Warren. Tn this country the W izure was greeted with unbounded c lthusiasm Wilkes became tho popu- s r hero of the north. Mr. Wells the E cretary of the navy wrote to tho u of the San Jacinto that ''his q tion merited and received the appro- 2 II of the department" If one like MT Il