Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/128

110 toward Bull run, and threaten to turn Beauregard's right from the direction of the stone bridge.

It was now between two and three of the afternoon of a scorchingly hot midsummer day, and many of Beauregard's men, who had been almost constantly fighting since the early morning, were nearly exhausted; but having faith in the unflinching endurance of his men, whose mettle he had so thoroughly tested during the preceding hours of the day, he not only determined to hold on and await reinforcements, which he knew Johnston was sending, for the final struggle, but to again take the offensive and drive the enemy from the plateau, advancing his whole line as before and adding to it the reserves on the right, which he would lead in person. Of this Beauregard wrote: "The movement was made with such keeping and dash that the whole plateau was swept clear of the enemy, who were driven down the slope and across the turnpike on our right and the valley of Young's branch on our left, leaving in our final possession the Robinson and the Henry houses, with most of Ricketts' and Griffin's batteries, the men of which were mostly shot down where they bravely stood by their guns."

The Sixth North Carolina, which, by railway, had just reached Manassas Junction from toward Richmond, now came to the field in time to join with the left of Beauregard's charge; the Eighteenth Virginia, under Colonel Withers, which had been ordered up from Cocke's brigade on the banks of Bull run, also arrived, opportunely, on the right, and joined in the charge with Hampton's legion, capturing several guns, which some of the officers of these commands turned upon the retreating foe, and so helped to finish the hot work of driving McDowell's men for the second and last time from the Henry plateau.

This successful Confederate charge, across the fields and through the patches of forest of the Henry hill, did not reach McDowell's right, which extended through the woods to the west of the Sudley road and to some distance beyond Beauregard's left. The Second and Eighth South Carolina, moving from the Confederate right on Bull run, had been turned by Johnston to the Confederate left of the engagement. These reached the field in time to meet McDowell's movement from the right.