As Porter reeled back from Jackson’s front, Lee had seen his opportunity.  The whole army was ordered to advance to the attack.  Longstreet, prepared since dawn for the counterstroke, had moved before the message reached him, and the exulting yells of his soldiers were now resounding through the forest.  Jackson was desired to cover Longstreet’s left; and sending Starke and Lawton across the meadows, strewn with the bloody debris of Porter’s onslaught, he instructed Hill to advance en echelon with his left “refused.”  Anticipating the order, the commander of the Light Division was already sweeping through the Groveton wood.

The Federal gunners, striving valiantly to cover the retreat of their shattered infantry, met the advance of the Southerners with a rapid fire.  Pope and McDowell exerted themselves to throw a strong force on to the heights above Bull Run; and the two brigades upon the left, Warren’s and Alexander’s, already overlapped, made a gallant effort to gain time for the occupation of the new position.

But the counterstroke of Lee was not to be withstood by a few regiments of infantry.  The field of Bull Run had seen many examples of the attack as executed by indifferent tacticians.  At the first battle isolated brigades had advanced at wide intervals of time.  At the second battle the Federals had assaulted by successive divisions.  Out of 50,000 infantry, no more than 20,000 had been simultaneously engaged, and when a partial success had been achieved there were no supports at hand to complete the victory.  When the Confederates came forward it was in other fashion; and those who had the wit to understand were now to learn the difference between mediocrity and genius, between the half-measures of the one and the resolution of the other.  Lee’s order for the advance embraced his whole army.  Every regiment, every battery, and every squadron was employed.  No reserves save the artillery were retained upon the ridge, but wave after wave of bayonets followed closely on the fighting-line.  To drive the attack forward by a quick succession of reinforcements, to push it home by weight of numbers, to pile blow on blow, to keep the defender occupied along his whole front, and to provide for retreat, should retreat be necessary, not by throwing in fresh troops, but by leaving the enemy so crippled that he would be powerless to pursue—­such were the tactics of the Confederate leader.

The field was still covered with Porter’s and Hatch’s disordered masses when Lee’s strong array advanced, and the sight was magnificent.  As far as the eye could reach the long grey lines of infantry, with the crimson of the colours gleaming like blood in the evening sun, swept with ordered ranks across the Groveton valley.  Batteries galloped furiously to the front; far away to the right fluttered the guidons of Stuart’s squadrons, and over all the massed artillery maintained a tremendous fire.  The men drew fresh vigour from this powerful combination.  The enthusiasm of the troops was as intense as their excitement.  With great difficulty, it is related, were the gunners restrained from joining in the charge, and the officers of the staff could scarcely resist the impulse to throw themselves with their victorious comrades upon the retreating foe.