Then reinforcements from all the Eastern and Southeast portion of the country would have been cut off from Beauregard. The enemy have Huntsville now, and with all these designs accomplished, his army would have been effectually flanked. The mind and heart shrink appalled at the awful consequences that would have followed the success of this one act. When Fuller, Murphy, and Cain started from Big Shanty _on foot, to capture that fugitive engine_, they were involuntarily laughed at by the crowd, serious as the matter was--and to most observers it was indeed most ludicrous; but _that footrace saved us_, and prevented the consummation of these tremendous consequences. One fact we must not omit to mention, is the valuable assistance rendered by Peter Bracken, the engineer on the down freight train which Fuller and Murphy turned back. He ran his engine fifty and a half miles--two of them backing the whole freight train up to Adairsville--made twelve stops, coupled to the two cars which the fugitives had dropped, and switched them off on sidings--all this, _in one hour and five minutes_. We doubt if the victory of Manasses or Corinth were worth as much to us as the frustration of this grand _coup d' etat_. It is not by any means certain that the annihilation of Beauregard's whole army at Corinth would be so fatal a blow to us as would have been the burning of the bridges at that time and by these men.