movement, began to
limber up their pieces and succeeded in galloping away with four of
them. But the two remaining guns could not be handled quickly enough,
and the Excelsiors took them with a rush and a cheer, and in such
excellent spirits that one of them was the moment after sitting astride
of each gun and waving his cap in token of victory. The battle-flag of
one of the Georgia regiments, and three hundred prisoners, were also
captured in this gallant dash, which effectually showed how little the
spirits of the Army of the Potomac had been damped by recent
misfortunes. General Heintzelman lost his horse by the last fire of one
of the captured pieces, and at the same time received a wound in the
arm--fortunately not serious. The repulse of the rebels was now
complete. Longstreet was compelled to "retire" and not by any means in
"good order," leaving the field with its dead and wounded, and many arms
and other trophies, in the possession of the Federal forces.

Of course this success could not be followed up, the object of the
battle having been to secure an uninterrupted line of march to the James
River. And of course the Union generals were well aware that while the
rebels possessed any remaining strength, they would not give up their
cherished object of crippling or destroying the main body before it
could reach the shelter of the river and the gun-boats. Fresh troops
would be brought up; and but little time would be allowed the Federal
troops to recover from the fatigue and excitement of that arduous
morning. The rebel plan evidently was to give the Federal forces no
rest--to precipitate fresh masses of their own troops continually upon
them, when weary and exhausted with previous fighting; and when they
were at last fairly worn out and incapable of further exertion, to
"gobble them up" (to use an expressive, though not elegant phrase) or
destroy them in detail and at leisure. The theory was admirable, and
both brain and heart were necessary to prevent its being carried out in
successful practice.

The Federal dead were buried on the field where they had so bravely
fallen; the wounded were sent on to Harrison's Landing; the slaughtered
rebels were left to the tender care of their approaching comrades; the
prisoners were gathered together and put properly under guard; and then
the army-corps of General Fitz-John Porter fell back under previous
orders to the strong position of Malvern Hill proper, where McClellan