Sentence:  He thought of Simms Purdew , who once had risen at the edge of a cornfield , a maniacal scream on his lips , and swung a clubbed musket like a flail to beat <WSD>down</WSD> the swirl of Rebel bayonets about him . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position