THE FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN.

213

•watchfulness in that direction. I knew that I was safe if I could hold outtill the arrival of reinforcements, which was but a matter of time; and, withthe full sense of my own responsibility, I was determined to hold the line ofthe plateau, even if surrounded on all sides, until assistance should come,unless my forces were sooner overtaken by annihilation.

It was now between half-past 2 and 3 o’clock; a scorching sun increasedthe oppression of the troops, exhausted from incessant fighting, many of

them having beenengaged since themorning. Fearinglest the Federal of-fensive should se-cure too firm a grip,and knowing thefatal result thatmight spring fromany grave infrac-tion of my line, Idetermined to makeanother effort forthe recovery of theplateau, and ordereda charge of the en-tire line of battle,including the re-serves, which at this

Kiiwys'

-V

m&A

MS

i

THE ROBINSON HOUSE. FROM A WAR-TIME PHOTOGRAPH.

crisis I myself led into action. The movement was made with such keep-ing and dash that the whole plateau was swept clear of the enemy, whowere driven down the slope and across the turnpike on our right and thevalley of Young’s Branch on our left, leaving in our final possession theRobinson and Henry houses, with most of Ricketts’s and Griffin’s batteries,the men of which were mostly shot down where they bravely stood by theirg’uns. Fisher’s 6th North Carolina , directed to the Lewis house by ColonelJordan from Manassas , where it had just arrived, and thence to the field byGeneral Johnston, came up in happy time to join in this charge on the left.Withers’s 18th Virginia , which I had ordered up from Cocke’s brigade,was also on hand in time to follow and give additional effect to the charge,capturing, by aid of the Hampton Legion, several guns, which were immedi-ately turned and served upon the broken ranks of the enemy by some of ourofficers. This handsome work, which broke the Federal fortunes of the day,was done, however, at severe cost. The soldierly Bee, and the gallant,impetuous Bartow, whose day of strong deeds was about to close with suchcredit, fell a few rods back of the Henry house, near the very spot whencein the morning they had first looked forth upon Evans’s struggle with theenemy. Colonel Fisher also fell at the very head of his troops. SeeingCaptain Ricketts, who was badly wounded in the leg, and having known himin the old army, I paused from my anxious duties to ask him whether I could