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1862.1

SOUTH MOUNTAIN.

281

Fortunately, one of General Lee's orders, showing the whole plan of his campaign, was found in the quarters occupied by General D. H. Hill when in Frederick, and this gave General McClellan all the information he wanted of the enemy's movements. General Lee's intentions in invading Maryland were to keep open communications with Richmond through the Shenandoah Valley, and by moving through Maryland toward Pennsylvania to draw the Union army away from Washington. He supposed that when he crossed the Potomac and advanced to Frederick Harper's Ferry would be evacuated by the Union troops there; but they still held the place, and as that cut off his supplies, which he expected to reach him through the Valley, he had to divide his army and send part of it under Stonewall Jackson to capture it. McClellan, who saw how useless it was to try to hold Harper's Ferry after Lee had crossed into. Maryland, had advised that its garrison should be ordered either to retreat into Pennsylvania or to cross over to Maryland Heights, on the opposite side of the river, and hold them until he came; but General Halleck thought otherwise and ordered the place to be held. General McClellan found out from Lee's lost order that Lee had thus divided his army, and immediately marched. in pursuit of him.

While Jackson was engaged at Harper's Ferry, Lee moved with the rest of his army toward Boonesboro.

A continuation of the Blue Ridge of Virginia runs in a northeasterly direction from the Potomac through Maryland, where it is called the South Mountain range. There are two passes through this range, one called Turner's Gap, on the route from Frederick to Boonesboro, and the other Crampton's Gap, about six miles south of it. Lee hoped, after passing these gaps and getting on the west side of the mountains, that he would be rejoined by Jackson before McClellan could reach the passes, which he did not intend to defend. But McClellan pushed forward so fast that his advance was seen approaching South Mountain on the afternoon of September 13. Lee then saw that he would have to defend the passes in order to gain time for Jackson to come up. So he recalled his troops and prepared to resist the passage of the Union forces. On the next day a severe fight took place, the right wing of the Union army, under General Burnside, attacking Turner's Gap, and the left,

under General Franklin, Crampton's Gap. The fight at Turner's Gap is commonly called the battle of South Mountain, the other the battle of Crampton's Gap. The ground near Turner's Gap was so difficult that little artillery could be used; but the Confederates had the advantage, for their riflemen fought from behind trees, rocks, and stone walls, as the Union soldiers pushed their way up the steep hillsides. By four o'clock in the afternoon there was heavy fighting all along the mountain, the Confederates falling slowly back, bravely contesting every foot of the ground. By sunset the Union troops had won the crest

WILLIAM B. FRANKLIN.

of the mountain, but with a loss of fifteen hundred men, among whom was General Reno, commander of the Ninth Corps. The Confederate loss was about twice as many, one half of whom were prisoners. Among their killed was General Garland. During the night the Confederates, seeing that they could no longer hold the pass, withdrew, and the next morning the right and centre of the

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Union army marched through to the west side of the mountains. At Crampton's Gap General Franklin forced his way in a similar manner to the top of the mountain, with a loss of about five hundred, the Confederates losing as many, and by night his advance had reached Pleasant Valley, west of the mountains.

Crampton's Gap is only four or five miles from Maryland Heights, opposite Harper's Ferry, and General Franklin was now able to go to the aid of Colonel Miles, who commanded at Harper's Ferry. By General McClellan's orders he moved in that direction at daylight the next morning, but the time gained by Lee in defending the passes had been sufficient to enable Jackson to effect his purpose. Although Colonel Miles had sent word to McClellan on the morning of the 14th that he

1862.]

SURRENDER OF HARPER'S FERRY.

283

could hold out for two days, he surrendered at eight o'clock on the morning of the 15th, and when Franklin advanced toward Maryland Heights he was met by the Confederates in such force

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that he did not dare to attack them. Colonel Miles was killed by a cannon-shot just as he had hoisted the white flag in token of surrender. He had with him about fourteen thousand men,

of whom twenty-five hundred were cavalry; the cavalry escaped on the night of the 14th, but the remainder, eleven thousand five hundred men, fell into Jackson's hands. Among the other captures were seventy-three guns, thirteen thousand small-arms, many wagons, and large quantities of supplies. Jackson left A. P. Hill to arrange the terms of the surrender, and started at once to rejoin Lee, who was anxiously awaiting his coming near Sharpsburg, for the Confederate commander, hard pressed by McClellan, had been forced to fall back toward the Potomac so as to effect a junction of his divided army. On Monday, September 15, he took up a position on the west side of Antietam Creek, between that stream and Sharpsburg. On the next morning Jackson reached him with part of the troops which had captured Harper's Ferry, but even then, so great had been his losses, his whole force did not amount to more than forty thousand men. But he occupied a very strong position on rocky heights, with his right and centre on Antietam Creek and his left resting on the Potomac River. The few fords of the stream were difficult to cross, but there were four stone bridges, three of which were strongly defended by batteries and rifle-pits. McClellan's advance reached the east side of the Antietam on the same afternoon, but not in sufficient force to make an attack. During the next morning the rest of the Union army arrived, and preparations were made for battle. The upper bridge, marked No. 1 in the map, was found to be unguarded, and over this Hooker's corps crossed in the afternoon of the 16th. A sharp skirmish took place, which lasted until dark, when both armies rested for the night. The two lines lay so near each other that six Confederates were captured by the Union pickets. The men did not sleep much, for there were frequent alarms during the night, and when morning dawned both sides were ready to renew the fight. Between the two were open fields and cornfields, and here and there a patch. of woods.

During the night General Mansfield's corps crossed by the same bridge and took a position about a mile behind Hooker's troops. At dawn the battle opened furiously and raged all along the line with varying success, the Union forces at one time advancing a little and then falling back again before the Confederate fire. Many of the Union troops were the same men

1862.]

HOOKER WOUNDED.

285

who had retreated with Pope from Manassas, but they had confidence in Hooker and kept to their work with a will. Across a cornfield, over fences, and into the woods beyond they drove the enemy, closing up their shattered lines and cheering as they went. But at the edge of the woods they were met by fresh troops, who poured a volley of musketry into their ranks, and as they fell back sullenly, leaving the fields covered with their dead and dying, the Confederates pressed them back in turn with loud yells. Again fresh brigades of Union troops drove their foes through

fields and into the woods, but the Confederates still kept up a deadly fire. General Hartsuff was soon severely wounded, and General Mansfield, whose corps had come into the fight, fell mortally wounded. General Hooker saw the necessity of taking the woods, from which the musketry fire grew hotter and hotter. He rode forward to a little hill, dismounted and went to the front on foot. Having seen all he wished, he returned to his horse and remounted. He was a conspicuous sight, for he rode a white horse, and he had gone but a few paces when he was shot by a ball through the foot. Three men fell close beside him. He kept on his horse for a few minutes, but pain soon forced him to leave. Shouting his orders to carry the woods and hold them, he was carried from the field just as Sumner came up with his corps. General Sedgwick's division was in advance. That gallant soldier did his best to force back the Confederate line, and succeeded in winning the woods as far as the Dunker Church, seen near the middle of the map, but again the enemy rallied and attacked in force, and his division was driven. back in confusion, and he himself was three times wounded.

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EDWIN V. SUMNER.

At one o'clock everything looked gloomy. Hooker was wounded and Mansfield killed, and their corps were too badly

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