down our
division line assisting in this work.

In the mean time another line of battle was rapidly thrown in between
these fugitives and the woods to stay the expected advance of the enemy.
This was the famous break of the Eleventh Corps, starting with Blenker's
division and finally extending through the whole corps, some fifteen
thousand men. It seemed as though the whole army was being stampeded. We
soon had a vast throng of these fugitives dammed up in our front, a
terrible menace to the integrity of our own line as well as of all in
our rear. We were powerless to do anything should the enemy break
through, and were in great danger of being ourselves swept away and
disintegrated by this frantic mob. All this time the air was filled with
shrieking shells from our own batteries as well as those of the enemy,
doing, however, little damage beyond adding to the terror of the
situation. The noise was deafening. Pandemonium seemed to reign supreme
in our front. Our line, as well as that of the Third Corps on our left,
was holding firm as a rock. I noticed a general officer, I thought it
was General Sickles, was very conspicuous in the vigor of his efforts to
hold the line. A couple of fugitives had broken through his line and
were rapidly going to the rear. I heard him order them to halt and turn
back. One of them turned and cast a look at him, but paid no further
attention to his order. He repeated the order in stentorian tones, this
time with his pistol levelled, but it was not obeyed, and he fired,
dropping the first man dead in his tracks. He again ordered the other
man to halt, and it was sullenly obeyed. These men seemed to be almost
stupid, deaf to orders or entreaty in their frenzy.

An incident in our own front will illustrate. I noticed some extra
commotion near our colors and rushed to see the cause. I found an
officer with drawn sword threatening to run the color-sergeant through
if he was not allowed to pass. He was a colonel and evidently a German.
My orders to him to desist were answered with a curse, and I had to
thrust my pistol into his face, with an energetic threat to blow his
head off if he made one more move, before he seemed to come to his
senses. I then appealed to him to see what an example he as an officer
was setting, and demanded that he should get to work and help to stem
the flight of his men rather than assist in their demoralization. To his
credit be it said, he at once regained his better