In the camp of General McDowell all was preparation. Saturday night, the night of the 20th, was a glorious moonlight. The men were ordered to march at half-past two on Sunday morning, and although it was later before they were all ready, the moon had not yet set, and her soft light, pouring down on the marching columns, made the scene one of romantic beauty. When Sunday dawned, the men were on their way to Bull Run, to meet the enemy for the first time.

McDowell knew that without reinforcements the number of Beauregard's troops did not exceed, even if they quite equaled, his own. He felt that victory was sure, if Johnston's army did not come to Beauregard's aid. And General Patterson, with 18,000 men, had been sent to Shenandoah to prevent Johnston from crossing over to Beauregard. McDowell trusted to Patterson to keep Johnston in

check. If McDowell could only have known that Patterson had proved incapable, or false to his trust, and that at the very moment of the advance from Centreville, Johnston sat in council with his brother commander at Manassas, hourly expecting his troops to join him!

It was nine in the morning when a division of McDowell's, under General Hunter, crossed a ford a mile or two above the enemy's left and came down upon them at the "stone bridge." General Evans

commanded the rebels at this point. He made a good defense, but was obliged to fall back and give a new front to his assailants. General Bee with his brigade was sent to aid him. Still Hunter pressed them farther and farther back till they were a mile and a half from the stream. Another brigade had been sent to reinforce the Unionists. This brigade belonged to an impetuous, yellow-haired commander, named William T. Sherman. The rebels, under Bee and Evans, severely pressed, were falling into disorder. Already the news of victory had been sent back to Washington, and the telegraph wires were sending the glad tidings over all the North. 'Members of Congress, and civilians of all classes, waited at Centreville (McDowell's head-quarters of the day before) the victorious march of our army towards Richmond.

As Generals Bee and Evans conducted their retreat, it was checked by the appearance of a man on horseback, sitting motionless as marble, in front of a brigade also waiting and immovable. This was General Thomas Jackson of Virginia, with his troops. If rebellion had its Cromwell in this war for state rights, Thomas Jackson was the prototype of the old Puritan warrior. Here he sat grimly waiting amid the raging of the battle. His neck was encased in a high black stock in which he turned only his head as he gave his decisive orders.

"General Jackson, they are beating us back," cried Bee, despairingly, at sight of him.

"Then we will give them the bayonet," coolly answered this imperturbable figure. Bee turned again to his defeated troops.

"Boys, here are Jackson and his Virginians like a STONE-WALL. Let us resolve to die, and we will conquer." The phrase "stone

thick woods. The Unionists still outnumbered their foes, but the latter had stationed cannon in the woods which swept a deadly fire through the national lines. From high noon till three o'clock the battle raged here. Back and forth, like great waves, the lines surged against each other. Guns were captured and recaptured on both sides. Still victory remained undecided.

All this time Beauregard and Johnston waited anxiously to hear from the reserve troops from the Shenandoah, which were hourly expected. The rebel general had watched for their approach through a strong field-glass, for hours. It was about three o'clock when his signal flags warned him that a column was coming toward the field. He looked to see if the "stars and stripes," or the "stars and bars," waved at its head. If the former, it would be Patterson coming to the relief of McDowell; if the latter. Johnston's army was marching to his aid. As he looked, the wind spread out the flag. It was the welcome banner of the "Confederacy!" Beauregard knew then that the day was his.

The first warning the Unionists had of their new enemy, was from loud yells on all sides, as the rebels dashed upon them, led by General Kirby Smith, a recreant son of old Connecticut. The cry arose, “ Johnston's men are upon us." and at once a panic inconceivably wild arose among them. In maddest confusion, they ran like frightened animals, with no order or discipline, dropping guns, knapsacks, blankets, even hats and cats. by the way. They plunged into the stream and rushed on toward Centreville. The panic spread to Centreville, and the civilians there, infected with the fear. fled toward Washington. It was the strangest, most disgraceful flight in history. Teamsters unharnessed their horses and fled with them, leaving the loaded teams in the road. The way to Washington was crowded with fugitives. On Monday morning a disorderly tide was still pouring into the capital and the deepest despair brooded over the Lational council ha...

The North, which had heard victory first clelimed for its arms. could hardly believe the shameful story. When at last it realized what a disgrace had fallen on it, the wildle ration was in mouming, Through all the war there was only one sacer day than that la which the defeat at B. Kon was prosialued in the ind

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE GREAT BORDER STATE.

Border Ruffians. The Faithful Germans. - Keeping Neutral - The "Rebel Yell." - Heroic Death of Lyon. - Frémont in St. Louis. His Proclamation. Removal from Command. Frémont's Body-guard. - Charge of the Guard. - Beriah Magoffin. - McClellan commands the Army of the Potomac. All Quiet on the River.

WHILE all these things were happening in East and West Virginia, important events were taking place elsewhere. From Missouri to Virginia is a long stride, but we will make it in imagination in order that we may see how secession and loyalty are at work there.

There was a very strong secession spirit in Missouri. The "border ruffians" of the old Kansas fights were still living, and would

gladly have joined their State with the "Southern Confederacy." George Jackson, the ruling governor, was an ardent rebel. He had for an ally Sterling Price, a former governor of Missouri, a man of military ability and experience. These two men went at once to work to raise an army. They claimed that this was to be a state army, to protect Missouri against war and invasion, while Missouri would remain "neutral," neither taking one side nor the other. But the fact that both Price and Jackson were violent against the United States government, that they were all the time corresponding with rebel leaders; and that they took the first opportunity of joining their army with the rebel forces from Arkansas, shows how much truth there was in their pretense of being neutral."

A Cannon Truck.

66

St. Louis was the great metropolis of all that region, and sitting as she does on the Missouri River, was a very important place to hold. Fortunately for the national cause, she had a large mass of German citizens who had left a monarchical government in Europe for a home in this republic. They were devoted to their adopted country, and firm friends to the Union, and came as one man to its

rescue. Franz Sigel, a soldier who had fought republican battles in Germany, was ready to lead his fellow-countrymen. It is difficult to tell what might have happened to St. Louis at that hour if it had not been for her faithful German citizens. There was one man in St. Louis who turned out to be a host in himself. This was Captain Nathaniel Lyon, who had fought in the battle of Cerro Gordo and Churubusco, and been wounded at the gates of the Mexican capital. He was a slender, red-haired man, full of courage, and ready for all emergencies. He held the arsenal at St. Louis, fortified the city, and by June 1st he had an army organized to meet Price. He had a sharp little skirmish at Booneville, where the rebels had congregated, and drove them out of that town. In the opening of this rebellion he was one of the most valuable officers in our army.

As soon as the conflict began in Missouri, Price marched to the southwest corner of his State, and meeting the rebel general McCulloch there, with an army from Arkansas, he joined his forces to McCulloch's and took command under him. This was probably what he meant by "keeping neutral." Then they marched north together to find Lyon, who by this time had General Sigel and his Germans with him.

Lyon was encamped at Springfield the last of July, when McCulloch advanced from the south. They first met each other at "Dug Springs," twenty miles from Springfield, but this engagement. decided nothing. A few days after this, on the 10th of August, McCulloch was encamped on the banks of Wilson's Creek, nine miles

from Lyon's camp at Springfield. McCulloch had much the largest army. But it was the raggedest, most starveling army that ever went out to fight. They had lived principally on green corn on their march. Hungry, dirty, and ragged, their misery deserved a