A panic seized them, and their regiments broke up and took to headlong flight, which soon became an utter rout.Many of them continued their flight for hours, and for a time the Federal army ceased to exist; and had the Cenfederates advanced, as Jackson desired that they should do, Washington would have fallen into their hands without a blow being struck in its defense.
This, the first great battle of the war, is sometimes known as the battle of Manassas, but more generally as Bull Run.
With the exception of one or two charges, the little body of Confederate horse did not take any part in the battle of Bull Run.
Had they been aware of the utter stampede of the Northern troops, they could safely have pressed forward in hot pursuit as far as Washington, but being numerically so inferior to the Federal cavalry, and in ignorance that the Northern infantry had become a mere panic-stricken mob, it would have been imprudent in the extreme for such a handful of cavalry to undertake the pursuit of an army.
Many of the Confederates were of opinion that this decisive victory would be the end of the war, and that the North, seeing that the South was able as well as willing to defend the position it had taken up, would abandon the idea of coercing it into submission.This hope was speedily dissipated.The North was indeed alike astonished and disappointed at the defeat of their army by a greatly inferior force, but instead of abandoning the struggle, they set to work to retrieve the disaster, and to place in the field a force which would, they believed, prove irresistible.
Vincent Wingfield saw but little of the battle at Bull Run.As they were impatiently waiting the order to charge while the desperate conflict between Jackson's brigade and the enemy was at its fiercest, a shell from one of the Federal batteries burst a few yards in front of the troop, and one of the pieces striking Vincent on the side hurled him insensible from his horse.He was at once lifted and carried by Dan and some of the other men-servants, who had been told off for this duty, to the rear, where the surgeons were busily engaged in dressing the wounds of the men who straggled back from the front.While the conflict lasted those unable to walk lay where they fell, for no provision had at present been made for ambulance corps, and not a single man capable of firing a musket could be spared from the ranks.The tears were flowing copiously down Dan's cheeks as he stood by while the surgeons examined Vincent's wound.
"Is he dead, sah?" he sobbed as they lifted him up from his stooping position.
"Dead." the surgeon repeated."Can't you see he is breathing, and did you not hear him groan when I examined his side? He is a long way from being a dead man yet.Some of his ribs are broken, and he has had a very nasty blow; but I do not think there is any cause for anxiety about him.Pour a little wine down his throat, and sprinkle his face with water.Raise his head and put a coat under it, and when he opens his eyes and begins to recover, don't let him move.Then you can cut up the side of his jacket and down the sleeve, so as to get it off that side altogether.Cut his shirt open, and bathe the wound with some water and bit of rag of any sort; it is not likely to bleed much.When it has stopped bleeding put a pad of linen upon it, and keep it wet.When we can spare time we will bandage it properly."But it was not until late at night that the time could be spared for attending to Vincent; for the surgeons were overwhelmed with work, and the most serious cases were, as far as possible, first attended to.He had soon recovered consciousness.At first he looked with a feeling of bewilderment at Dan, who was copiously sprinkling his face with water, sobbing loudly while he did so.As soon as the negro perceived that his master had opened his eyes he gave a cry of delight.
"Tank de Lord, Marse Vincent; dis child tought you dead and gone for sure.""What's the matter, Dan? What has happened?" Vincent said, trying to move, and then stopping suddenly with a cry of pain.
"You knocked off your horse, sah, wid one Qf shells Qf dem cussed Yanks.""Am I badly hurt, Dan?""Berry bad, sah; great piece of flesh pretty nigh as big as my hand come out oh your side, and doctor says some of de ribs broken.
But de doctor not seem to make much oh it; he hard sort oh man dat.Say you get all right again.No time to tend to you now.
Hurry away just as if you some poor white trash instead of Massa Wingfield oh do Orangery."Vincent smiled faintly.
"It doesn't make much difference what a man is in a surgeon's eyes, Dan; the question is how badly he is hurt, and what can be done for him? Well, thank God it's no worse.Wildfire was not hurt, Ihope?""No, sab; he is standing tied up by dat tree.Now, sah, do doctor say me cut your jacket off and have de wound.""All right, Dan; but be a little careful with the water, you seem to be pretty near drowning me as it is.Just wipe my face and hair, and get the handkerchief from the pocket of my jacket, and open the shirt collar and put the handkerchief inside round my neck.
How is the battle going on? The roar seems louder than ever."Dan went forward to the crest a of slight rise of the ground whence he could look down upon the field of battle, and made haste to return.
"Can't see berry well, sah; too much smoke.But dey in do same place still.""Look round, Dan, and see if there are any fresh troops coming up.""Yes, sah; lot of men coming ober de hill behind.""That's all right, Dan.Now you can see about this bathing my side."As soon as the battle was over Major Ashley rode up to where Vincent and five or six of his comrades of the cavalry were lying wounded.
"How are you getting on, lads? Pretty well I hope?" he asked the surgeon as he dismounted.
