The charging Federal army had struck something they were destined to
feel again on many a field of blood.
General T. J. Jackson had suddenly swung his brigade of five regiments
into the breach and stopped the wave of fire.
Bee rushed to Jackson's side.
"General," he cried pathetically, "they are beating us back!"
The somber blue eyes of the Virginian gleamed beneath the heavy lashes:
"Then sir, we will give them the bayonet!"
Bee turned to his hard-pressed men and shouted:
"See Jackson and his Virginians standing like a stone wall! Let us
conquer or die!"
The words had scarcely passed his lips when Bee fell, mortally wounded.
Four miles away on the top of a lonely hill sat Beauregard and Johnston
befogged in a series of pitiable blunders.
The flanking of the Southern army was a complete and overwhelming
surprise. Johnston, unacquainted with the ground, had yielded the
execution of the battle to his subordinate.
While the two puzzled generals were waiting on their hill top for their
orders of battle to be developed on the right they looked to the left
and the whole valley was a boiling hell of smoke and dust and flame.
Their left flank had been turned and the triumphant enemy was rolling
their long line up in a shroud of flame and death.
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