234

INCIDENTS OF THE FIRST BULL RUN.

For at least a half-hour after our forces were driven across Young’s Branchno Confederate soldier was visible from our position near the Henry house.The Staunton Artillery, so far as we could see, was “ alone in its glory.” Gen-eral Bee’s order had been, “ Stay here till you are ordered away.” To mysurprise, no orders had come, though, as I afterward learned, orders to with-draw had been sent three-quarters of an hour before through Major Howard,of Bee’s staff, who had fallen, desperately wounded, on the way.

Infantry was now massing near the Stone house on the turnpike, not fivehundred yards away, to charge and capture us. On making this discovery andlearning from the sergeants of pieces that our ammunition was almost entirelyexhausted, there remained but one way to save our guns, and that was to runthem off the field. More than half of our horses had been killed, only oneor two being left in several of my six-horse teams. Those that we had werequickly divided among the guns and caissons, and we limbered up and fled.Then it was that the Henry house was riddled, and the old lady, Mrs. Henry,was mortally wounded;| for our line of retreat was so chosen that for 200 or300 yards the house would conceal us from Griffin’s battery, and, in ameasure, shelter us from the dreaded fire of the infantry when they shouldreach the crest we had just abandoned. Several of Griffin’s shot passedthrough the house, scattering shingles, boards, and splinters all around us.A rifle-shot from Ricketts broke the axle of one of our guns and droppedthe gun in the field, but we saved the limber. The charging infantrygained the crest in front of the Henry house in time to give us one volley,but with no serious damage.

We crossed the summit at the edge of the pines, midway behind the Henryand Robinson houses, and there met “ Stonewall ” Jackson at the head of hisbrigade, marching by the flank at a double-quick. Johnston and Beauregardhad arrived upon the field, and were hurrying troops into position, but wehad not yet seen them.

When I met Jackson I felt very angry at what I then regarded as bad treat-ment from General Bee, in leaving us so long exposed to capture, and Iexpressed myself with some profanity, which I could see was displeasing toJackson . He remarked, “I’ll support your battery. Unlimber right here.”We did so, when a perfect lull in the conflict ensued for 20 or 30 minutes—at least in that part of the field.

It was at this time that McDowell committed, as I think, the fatal blunderof the day, by ordering both Ricketts’s and Griffin’s batteries to cease firing andmove across the turnpike to the top of the Henry Hill, and take position on thewest side of the house. The short time required to effect the change enabledBeauregard to arrange his new line of battle on the highest crest of the hill,

put in the field. A smooth-bore gun never buriesits projectiles in the ground, as the rifle does inva-riably when fired against sloping ground. Of course,this advantage of the smooth-bore gun is limitedto its shorter range, and to an open field fight, de-fensive works not being considered.— J. D. I.

4 Mrs. Judith Henry, bedridden from old age,was living in the house with her children. When

the battle opened near the Matthews house, Mrs.Henry was carried into a ravine below the Sudleyroad. A little later the house seemed to be thesafest place, and she was carried back to her bed.For a time the house was in the line of the artilleryfire from both sides. Mrs. Henry received fivewounds from fragments of shells, and died twohours after the battle,— Editors.