All night the Union army fled in retreat Like horses scared by a shadow⁠—a stumbling flood Of panicky men who had been brave for a while And might be brave again on another day But now were merely children chased by the night And each man tainting his neighbor with the same Blind fear. When men or horses begin to run Like that, they keep on running till they tire out Unless a strong hand masters a bridle-rein. Here there was no hand to master, no rein to clutch, Where the riderless horses kicked their way through the crowd And the congressmen’s carriages choked Cat Hairpin Bend. Sykes and the regulars covered the retreat, And a few was kept in some sort of order, But the rest⁠—They tried to stop them at Centerville. McDowell and his tired staff held a haggard conference. But before the officers could order retreat The men were walking away. They had fought and lost. They were going to Washington, they were going back