Another differing aspect of Christian's training was the prohibition of the consumption of alcohol and insisted that his officers sign a temperance pledge.

[2] During this time, he married Mary Timmerman on November 6, 1861, and both remained on the fort until May 1862 until when new orders arrived that the 26th New York would be transferred to Irvin McDowell's III Corps of the new Army of Virginia of John Pope.

This was because when Longstreet's Command came to begin an assault on the line, he found Christian lying under a tree and wrapped in a blanket, being attended to by Surgeon Dr. Coventry as Christian had apparently had heatstroke and a case of poison ivy on his hands although he made a miraculous recovery and then went to take the place of Zealous Bates Tower as Brigadier as Tower was wounded and the brigade made their way back to Centreville, Virginia.

[1][2] While the situation was going bad for Duryée and Hartsuff, Christian decided that now would be a good time to run the men through the manual of arms but as he was doing this, Confederate Artillery from Nicodemus Heights and the Dunker Church and the artillery strikes were sending sharp chunks of wood in the air as well as knocking down entire trees.

[2][3] As he fled, his men could do nothing but watch, confused and left the brigade in a nearly complete leadership vacuum as they did nothing, wanting things to sort themselves out.

[1][4][2] When he got home, Christian lied about why he departed as he told everyone that he left by intrigue among some of his fellow officers but the truth eventually caught up to him in both talk and his own mind.

After the disaster, Christian actively sought to regain any chance of military commands, even proposing at one point to serve without pay but to no avail.

[1][3] An instance of his worsening mental health as one time, Christian was seen placing a saddle over the banister of his front porch, mounting it, and delivering orders to a nonexistent group of soldiers.