THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, MAT 14, 1911.
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fer Dr. Frmnrt Trrln Kl1lr. Editor
Oilf of Tba JoutuaI of Amartcmn Hlataxr.
,N THIS ieml - centenary of the
Arncric&n Clrtl War, do you realize
that in the din and clatter of ar
tillery, the maneurera of brilliant ren
rala. and the berolim of the flghtln
letiona there were many "pycholotflcal
moments" momenta when the hand of
fate reached out toward the Indomitable
3raat and the areat Lee. when, only
tr an tnstaafa dednlon. death waa
foiled from claiming- aa Its prey the tw
mtrhty battle leaders: when a moment's
hesitation might hare chana;e4 the
course of a nation?
During; the first Battle of Ban Run.
whose anniversary occurs the twenty
first of next July, there was a moment
nrer which hovered the fate of that
first treat battle In the struggle be
tween the states.
The Battle of Bull Run had started
arly In the morning. The Northern
ers had attacked the weakened left
wing of the Southern troops. The Con
federates had resisted bravely against
the heavy force that pressed against
them, bat the Federal fire was fast
thinning their ranks. Many of the regi
ments In gray were wavering and in
eUsorder. Their leader. General Bee.
fcad decided to fail back with all his
men. A single battery stood on a hill
close t his line. It wae the Staunton
Artillery of four guns, commanded by
Captain John Imboden. with orders te
cnaJntala Its position until commanded
e move. The Southern general looked
vcrose the battle field.
We must fail bai-k." he muttered.
Vuid, tearing a sheet of paper, be wrote
kv few lines upon it.
"Deliver this to Captain Imboden. he
remarked, as be handed It to Major
BovuH a young officer of his staff.
The Major understood Its meaning.
B glanced dubiously across the buliet
arwept path. There stood the Ions bat
tery about which raged a atorm of
death. But It was not the glance of
fear or hesitation; rather It was the
coot, calculating glance of a man who
had a doty to perform and before start
ing on his daring mission calmly faced
the situation and laid his plans to ful
fill It. Ue must carry the orders to the
lone battery In the grip of death to tell
them to flee for their lives.
X Target for Rf lment.
The Southern legions began to fatf
Feack. The orderly retreat of Bee's
troops gradually developed Into a dls
rgaaixed flight. The officers could
not check their men and reform their
lines. Confident that the Federals ont
' numbered them many times and that to
resist further was to face certain death
or capture, the men continued to re
treat, until nearly a mile from where
the rout had started, they were brought
to a halt by Jackson's btirads "stand
ing like a stone wali." before the fly
ing shells of the artillery. Then,
thoogh checked, the Southerners were
In wild CjSOfusion. Lines could not be
reformed; commands had become divid
ed: men rushed about seeking their
regiment. It needed but a determined
change of the Federals to sweep them
from the field and strike the blow that
might then and there end the Civil
tVsr on its first battle-ground.
But across the valley a horse was
galloping madly. Its rider was bend
ing ever the foaming mane as It dashed
up the hillside. His gray uniform was
almost concealed from the Federals aa
he leaned against the horse's side.
"What's that?" axolaimed an officer In
ie Northern lines as he gased at horse j
and rider. Scores of guns were turned
In pursuityet the horseman rods on.
A cry arose from the ranks In blue:
Shoot the horser
It was taken up along the entire line.
"Kill the horse, don't aim . at the
rider!" ,
A volley poured from -the rifles. 'The
horse reared as ths bullets pierced It.
A few more paces and It fell. Major
Howard lay stunned for a moment.
Then he etrugKled to hie feet and ran
on toward the hill. Again he fell, struck
by a rifle ball. Slowly, he rose to his
kneee and painfully crawled toward the
battery. Another volley flashed from
the Federal guns and the brave courier
fell to the ground, desparately wounded
and unable to move.
The Battery That Stood Alone).
. The four guns of Imbbden's battery
stood alone on the hilltop, heedless of
its death-trap. The daring captain bad
seen the columns of his commander fall
ing back from the field. But his orders
bad been to hold his position until com
manded to move and he stood Arm. The
gunners determinedly held their posts
loading and firing, meeting every ad
vance of the Federals with storms of
grape and canister that finally hurled
back the blue line. A half hour passed
and the battery still held the Northern
ers at bay. Then with ammunition ex
hausted, and with no Confederate force
but his own msn In sight. Captain Im
boden ordered his men to withdraw,
while the Federals, pressing close be
hind the battery, pursued 'them to the
hill where Bee s troops had retreated.
But In that half hour ths pendulum of
battle had awung to the other extreme.
Away In the hills the Southern legions
had been rallied Into fighting columns.
Reinforcements bad arrived, and a thor
oughly prepared body now met the ad
vance line In blue.
As Imbodsn's weary and powder-
stained men drew up In front of ths
Confederate line, the leader learned for
the first time that a courier had started
to him with orders to fall back simul
taneously with Bee's troops. The fail
ure of the courier te reach hie destina
tion and ths gallant stand of the bat
tery bad given the needed time for the
Confederates to rally and check the
rout that had been started. The min
utes saved had changed the tide of war.
The wounded courier lying on the
hillside had won the battle for his own
army through his failure to accomplish
the very thing which he had struggled
to do until he fell unable to rise. The
reformed Confederates now held the
Federals at bay, until, late In the after
noon, thousands of fresh troops In gray.
undsr Klrby Smith, arrived on the field
to sweep the Federals in disastrous re
treat to their own National capital at
Washington.
How Sumner Saved the Day.
While It bad been a young man
whose destiny had established the
course of war at the first Bull Run, It
was a white-haired patriarch, nearly TO
years of age. who changed the course
of events at Seven Pines In the Penin
sular-campaign when it was apparent
that a single blow might again stagger
ths republic and possibly establish ths
Confederate States of America as
powerful nation on the Western Conti
The Army of the Potomac had been
separated by the Chlckahomtny, with
the weaker portion on the Richmond
side of the stream. Sudden heavy
rains created floods which washed
way several of the bridges and out off
communication between the banks by
means of the river fords. On the night
of the 10th of May. 1862. General Jo
seph . Johnston resolved to attack
.
early the following morning, while the
Federal lines were divided.
The rain continued through the night,
and the following morning the Chicks
hominy was almost impassible. Tfc
Confederates fell upon the Federals on
ths southern bank of the river. The
troops in blue were driven from one
shelter to another, while a small por-
tlon of the Northern force was cut off
from their comrades and surrounded by
overwhelming numbers.
But the white-haired old warrior. Ed
win V. Sumner, the oldest General in
the Federal ranks, had foreseen the
possible crisis. Several days before he
had put a force or his men to work
constructing a bridge across the river
directly In front of his line. It was
a substantially built structure, and It
had withstood the floods. But on the
morning of the battle the water was
flowing close to the planking.
The venerable Sumner, with his vast
knowledge of military strategy, and his
estimate of the genius of Johnston, be
lieved that the attack would be made
while the flood was at its height, and
on the morning of the list of May he
was ready to move acrose the stream
on ths first note of warning. His ap
prehensions were confirmed when the
roll of artillery came to his ears from
tn opposite shore. His troops were
formed in line. The urgent call for re
inforcements came to him. ,
"Forward, march!" rang the com
mand, and &ls troops surged on to the
bridge.
The structure swung perilously un
der the weight of the soldiers. Then
It settled firmly upon Its supports as
ths men passed over to the scens of
battls. and several batteries of artillary
took their places in the column.
The banks of the Chlckahomtny had
been turned to swampland by the rain,
and the roads ware transformed to
rivulets, but the troops of Sumner
plunged along, grasping the wheels of
the guns when the horses could not
sxtract them from the deep mire, and
lifting the pieces from the mud.
It was nearing dusk. The din of bat
tle was raging about Fair Oaks. The
overwhelmed soldiers of the Union were
making their last stand. Suddenly,
irora tne forests, the boom of a gun
broke forth. A great line of blue swept j
WW. CUD tJVtlll nun,
' "Sumner Is here!" shouted a thou
sand throats. "Sumner Is here!" The
words rang along ths fighting . col
umns. The guns of the venerable war
rior wheeled Into position. A wall of
flame swept the faces of the advancing
Southerners. Again they charged, only
to be hurled back before the deluge of
shell.
The day was saved. The rout of the
Northern hosts' was prevented, and
night tell on an undecisive battlefield
through the timely arrival of the be
loved old warrior whoss foresight had
prepared him to take advantage of the7
"psycnoiogicai moment.
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Two Psychological Moments.
On the field of Shlloh, the bloodiest
battle in the West great Generals have
disagreed regarding the turn In the
tide. Grant and Sherman believed that
It was hard.- persistent fighting, with
out extraordinary Incident, while Gen
erals Buell and Beauregard 'pointed
their fingers at what they believed to
be the actual cause of the final result
In that day oT carnage.
There were two momentous events In
the battle of Shlloh. The first stroke of
destiny was ths death of General Al
bert Sidney Johnston the man who had
learned the exact location of tts Fed
erals, their numbers .and ths time at
which , reinforcements were expected.
But In the hour, when triumph seemed
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within his grasp Johnston fell, and in
his place came Beauregard, to whom
the full extent of the disorganized
state of the Federals was not known.
It looked as If Grant was to be un
mercifully beaten. His troops had been
driven back from their camps for near,
ly a mile. Many of the regiments were
almost In panic Thousands of strag
glers were fleeing from the field.
. The man who might have taken full
advantage of the "moment" of victory
was gone and the "moment" was to be
grasped from his death-cold bands
when a great column in blue swung
on to the battleground.. It was Am
men's brigade that had torn Its pass
age through the wilderness all the way
from the banks of the Ohio, tolling
through day and night, to bring relief
to the Army of the Tennessee.
Flames leaped from the muskets aa
the brigade, begrimed with dust, rushed
on the field at the closing hour of
the dajr's battle, to stubbornly hold
their ground until the last gun was
fired.
Night fell upon the fighting, hosts,
and the man who had succeeded the
dead Southern General decided that a
night attack would prove disastrous.
It was the arrival of this brigade at
the "psychological moment" that had
convinced him. Through this hesita
tion, the fighting lines of the beaten
Federals were reorganized, the soldiers
from the army of Buell poured onto the
(leid, and the division under Lew Wal
lace arrived to take its position in a
desperate attempt to regain the field
on the following day.
The break of day was ushered by the
boom of guns. The legione In blue
hurled their reinforced army upon the
hosts of the Confederacy. When night
again fell the Southern warriors were
retreating along the roads toward Cor
inth and the Northern warriors camped
on the field of Shlloh. The fateful
shot that robbed the life of Johnston
the man who knew and the arrival of
Am men's brigade on the moment that
caused Beauregard's decision had
turned the tide of battle.
A Powderless Regiment.
The "psychological moment In war,
as in all life, consists largely of being
in the right place at the right time.
It was such a combination a this
with the right man that, saved the
Confederate army from again being cut
In twain In the bloodiest battle of the
Civil War.
The battle of Antietam had been rag
ing for several hours. The tide was
gradually sweeping toward the weak
ened center of the Southern forces. The
gunners there had been shot down un
til there were not enough men left to
man even one of the pieces. It was
at this moment that General Long
street, with his staff, riding along the
battle line, took In the grave situation
at a glance. Instantly he ordered his
staff to ' dismount and man the guns
of the battery while he held their,
horses. Then he sent a courier dash
ing to Cooke's North Carolinians with
orders to hold his position and keep
his colors waving.
"We have not a round of ammunition
left." was the reply.
"You must hold your position," was
the answer.
"We will show our colors so long as
there is a man left to hold them up,"
came back the message.
The advancing Federals were near
ing the position. The North Carolin
ians, from their position on the hill
side where they were partially con
cealed, waved their colors'deflantly and
cheered lustily. Above them the guns
of the battery hurled its charges of
grape and canister Into the advancing
troops. The Federals were led to be-
lieve that a heavy force confronted
them and they withdrew to. reform their
lines.
"Where are the troops you are hold
ing your line with?" aried General
Chilton, chief of staff, as he rode up to
Long-street.
"There they are,"- replied Long
street, pointing to the gallant North
Carolinians, "but that regiment hasn't
a cartridge."
Chilton dashed away without a word.
As the Federal column aealn advanced
to the attack an enfllaflng storm of
shot and shell was poured down their
line by many Confederate batteries,
and fresh troops rushed Into place be
side Cooke's men. Chilton had sent re
inforcements in time, and Longstreet's
strategy, aided by the valor of his staff,
and the sublime bravery of the North
Carolina regiment, had saved the Con
federates from the annihilation that
threatened them.
Great Psychological Moment
It Is a hazardous adventure to en
deavor to point the finger at the great
est "psychological moment" of the en
tire war, but it is probable that it
rested In a moment of decision in the
mind of Grant, in the Spring of 1865.
It was the morning of the 4th of
May. Grant's strong and greatly re
freshened columns moved from their
Winter quarters on the north banks of
the Rapidan across the river, and
through the Wilderness on toward
Richmond. It was not the first gTeat
army of the North that bad started for
the Southern citadel. The warriors Mc
Dowell. McClellan, Burnslde and Hooker
had each started on a similar misslqn
only to meet defeat and fall back on to
Northern soil. Now Grant with his In
domitable will, had started to accom
plish the gigantlo feat that had brought
downfall to every great warrior that
had ever attempted it.
But the vigilant Lee, too, was wait
ing for his "psychological moment."
Early the following morning, in the
dense forests and thickets of the al
most Impenetrable Wilderness the two
great armies met. Grant nearly
doubled Lee in strength, yet in the
dense woodlands of the Wilderness it
required much more than strength. A
full day of fierce struggle left neither
side victorious.
Night came and both armies lay like
lions waiting for the slightest motion
from the' foe. With the break of day
the battle was renewed. Surging
through the forests, which soon broke -
Into flames, the forces fought desper
ately. The Northerners were driven
back in every advance.
The third day came and went, both
armies watching for the "moment."
But it did not come. There was no
fighting. Lee now stood strongly forti
fied between Grant and Richmond,
ready to contest every inch of the
ground with blood.
The Instant of decision was here.
Should the Army of the Potomac,
beaten back, retire to seek another
fighting ground or should it plunge
ahead into the face of death? Should
It reserve its might for a final lunge
against its foe at a more propitious
time? Or should It spring now like a
tiger from lfs lair? Heretofore every
Northern leader when first repulsed
had fallen back. Grant had been re
pulsed; his losses had been heavy; he
had been beaten unmercifully which
way should he now turn?
It was. Indeed, a "psychological mo-
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