The National tribune., 1907-06-20

things, and weird stories are told of
panics unaccouniabIy selling The hard
est and most experienced veterans. like
those of the Greeks and Romans. Napo-
Icons tried soldiers. and Wellington S
stoIid. seasoned Englishmen. The
Greeks. for want of n better reason,
ascribed such events 10 a sudden and
general fear shed upon the multitude
by the god Pan In fact, nothing is
simpler or easier explained than panic.
In a crowd. where exciting things are
taking place. A, who is the most timor-
Gus, becomes frightened and starts to
run. B observes him and thinks he
has seen something which he. B, has
not, and prudence dictates that he fol-
low with all possible speed. and SO
the thing goes and the panic spreads.
Thus II was in the panic at Bull Run.
The men who had been doing the actual
fighting strode off The field weariedly,
but without the slightest emotion of
fright. They had as a rule driven their
enemies until the latter had found re-
Inducements. and when the Union
troops had retired the Seccssionists
seemed very glad to have them go. and
get rid of them. This was wholly the
case thruout the Confederate line of
battle on the Henry House plateau,
When the enemy saw the last of the
Union troops pass over the brow of the
Young's Branch, their feeling was one
of intense relief. Only couple of
squadrons of cavalry showed any dispo-
sition to pursue. and this disposition
vanished before single round of can
ister from Arnold's battery. The dis
organized troops moved back with as
little fear or haste as crowd would
disperse from a County fair, and So re-
crOst Bull Run Neither did the mob
of citizens. politicians officials. news
paper men, and suffers show much
alarm. Whc;: they came 10 the smaller
but somewhat more difficult gorge of
Cub Run. they found but a single pas
sage across 1t, and unluckily Just at
that time shell was fired from a fresh
battery which had arrived on the Henry
House plateau. and saw that this cross
ing was in easy range of the Confeder-
ate guns. The shrek of this shell sent
the first thrill of terror that the crowd
had felt, and a supcrsensitive mule
driver lost command of himself and his
mules and overturned the wagon. block
ing the passage. The frantic efforts OF
others 10 get across al once started n
panic which spread with electrical
swiftnese SO that soon even the we'll
disciplined Regular artilierymen aban-
doned their guns. caissons and wagons
in the mud. and scrambled TO get
acr0Ss the cliffs of Cub Run. 1t IS in
such crises that discipline and organi-
zation show their highest value Count
less panics have been nippcd In their in
cipiency by a bold Coloners shout of
angry command to his regiment. The
panic stops by something of the same
process that ID otherwise would con-
tinue: tina. Is, each man feels guilty and
ashamed at the thought that he is the
only man scared. and fears that he is
exposing himself to the derision of his
companions. Unfortunately, there was
no such disciplined regiment at Bull
Run, no such quick. stern Colonel In
across Cub Run haStened on TO Center
ville the fleetest and most frightened
bringing wild tales of awful things hap
pening in their rear. and the infection
spread to the reserves.
Al CenterviIIe.
Mcdowell seems to have left Buck
Hill in very soldierly way when he
saw that the retreat could not be ar
rested, and recrossing Bull Run reached
Centerville some time before sunset.
Apparently. his first thought was 10
hold the line of Bull Run. but he
changed this plan to that of holding
Centerville. where there We're soyne
works and where he could readily con-
centrate his forces which had not been
engaged. II would seem as II the re-
treat should have been stopped there.
order restored. ana the army put into
camp upon the ground from which IL
had started to Bull Run. There was
Miles's Division, which had not been
engaged, also Richardson's Brigade
and three New JERSEY regiments which
had come up from Runyon's Division
Besides these were four splendid Regu-
lar batteries which had been little. Il
any, engaged. These were Hunts
Tfdbalrs, Ayres's and Green's, making
with some others about 20 guns. for.
midable armament which Beauregard
would scarcely have Jared attack had
his army been fresh and eager instead
OF battle-spent. Unfortunately, Col
Dixon s. Miles was the last man who
SHOULD have been put In command OF