. The men immediately set to work
taking the horses from their harnesses, after doing which they mounted
upon them in the most lively manner. Some horses carried only a single
passenger, others had on their backs doublets and some triplets. Still,
notwithstanding all this confusion, there did not seem to me to be what
has been almost universally reported, "a perfect panic." It appeared to me
only that confusion which of necessity must arise from the sudden breaking
up of organization.

I forded the run on the right hand, or down stream side of the bridge.
Going up the hill after crossing, I overtook Captain Reynolds who crossed
a little in advance of me, and just as I rode along side of him, a shot
from the enemy's artillery struck the ground only a few feet from us.
Unsophisticated as I was, I could not understand why they should continue
to fire upon us when we were doing the best that we could to let them
alone, and I said to Captain Reynolds, "What do you suppose they are
trying to do?" His reply was a characteristic one: "They are trying to
kill every mother's son of us; that is what they are trying to do," the
truth of which was very forcibly impressed upon me as shot after shot came
screeching after us in rapid succession.

After getting beyond range of their lire, each one exerted himself to get
together as many members of the battery as possible, and upon reaching
Centreville all who had collected together assembled at the house of Mr.
Utteback, which we had left in the morning. Captain Reynolds and most of
the others, took up their quarters on the stoop or piazza of the house. I
was suffering severely from a lame leg, which had been injured during the
action by the recoil of a piece, and having won the good graces of the
family during our stay there, I asked for more comfortable quarters, and
was given a nice bed. About two o'clock in the morning, I was awakened and
informed that orders had been received to leave for Washington at once.
While I was dressing, one of the daughters of Mr. Utteback slipped into
the room with a flask of wine which she handed to me with the remark, "I
think you may need this before you reach Washington," and she added,
"Don't, for Heaven's sake, tell anybody of it." The act was an extremely
kind one, for from the moment of our arrival on the farm, every member of
the family had been besieged for liquor of any kind, but they had
persistently refused to furnish any, declaring that the