BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN. 197 meantime been all but lost; its gun- | only Reno's division on our side, and ners having been shot down or dri- Hill's on that of the Rebels, had ven off, and its guns saved from cap- been engaged. But, at 2 P. M., Hookture only by a determined charge of er's corps came up on our side, and the 23d Ohio, 100th Pennsylvania, took the old Hagerstown road, leadand 45th New York. ing away from the turnpike on our right, with intent to flank and crush the Rebel left. At 3 P. M., M., our line of battle was formed, with Ricketts's division on the right; King's, commanded by Hatch, in the center, with its right resting on the turnpike, and Reno's on the left; and a general advance commenced, under a heavy fire of artillery. BOUTII MOUNTAIN. The rattle of musketry ceased at noon, and for two hours only the roar of cannon was heard; the combatants on either side awaiting the arrival of rëenforcements. Hitherto, Meantime, Hill had sent pressing messages to Longstreet, at Hagerstown, for help; and two brigades had already arrived; as Longstreet himself, with seven more brigades, did very soon afterward; raising the Rebel force in action thereafter to some 25,000 or 30,000 men. Longstreet, ranking Hill, of course took command; little to the satisfaction of Hill, who evidently thinks he could have done much better.1o The enemy's advantage in position was still very great, every movement on our part being plainly visible to them; while we could know nothing of their positions nor their strength, except from their fire and its effect.. Our men were constantly struggling up rocky steeps, mainly wooded, where every wall, or fence, or inequality of ground, favors the combatants who stand on the defensive. The disparity in numbers between those actually engaged was not very great-possibly three to two-but then, our men were inspirited by the points; and, had these troops reported to me, the result might have been different. As it was, they took wrong positions: and, in their exhausted condition after a long march, they were broken and scattered." consciousness that a great army stood | ness arrested the conflict. behind them. Still, the ground was stubbornly contested, foot by foot; Gen. Hatch, commanding the 1st division, being disabled by a wound, and succeeded by Gen. A. Doubleday. Col. Wainwright, 76th New York, who now took command of Doubleday's brigade, was likewise wounded. But Hooker steadily advanced; and had fairly flanked and worsted the Rebel left, when darkness put an end to the fray. The struggle on our left commenced later, and was signalized by similar gallantry on both sides; but numbers prevailed over desperation, and the Rebels were steadily forced back until the crest of the mountain was won. Here fell, about sunset, Maj.-Gen. Jesse L. Reno, mortally wounded by a musket-ball, while, at the head of his division, he was watching through a glass the enemy's movements. Gen. Meade, with the Pennsylvania Reserves, had followed Hooker from Catoctin creek up the old Hagerstown road, so far as Mount Tabor church. He went into action on the right of Hatch's division, and was soon heavily engaged; his brigades being admirably handled by Gen. Seymour and Cols. Magilton and Gallagher, the last of whom was wounded. It had not fully reached the summit in its front, when dark 11 Gen. McClellan sent four successive dispatches to Gen. Halleck concerning this affair; whereof the following is the latest and most erroneous: "HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, "BOLIVAR Sept. 15-10 A. M. "To H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief: "Information this moment received completely confirms the rout and demoralization of the Rebel army. Gen. Lee is reported wounded Gen. Duryea's brigade of Ricketts's division, which had been ordered to its support, was just then coming into action. Our advance up the turnpike in the center, being contingent on success at either side, was made last, by Gibbon's brigade of Hatch's, and Hartsuff's of Ricketts's division the artillery fighting its way up the road, with the infantry supporting on either side. The struggle here was obstinate, and protracted till 9 o'clock, when Gibbon's brigade had nearly reached the top of the pass, and had exhausted every cartridge ; suffering, of course, severely. At midnight, it was relieved by Gorman's brigade of Sumner's corps, which, with Williams's, had reached the foot of the mountain a little after dark. Richardson's division had also arrived, and taken position in the rear of Hooker; while Sykes's division of regulars and the artillery reserve had halted for the night at Middletown; so that McClellan had most of his army in hand, ready to renew the action next morning. But Lee, who was also present, and whose end had been secured by the precious hours here gained for his Harper's Ferry operations, withdrew his forces during the night; so that, when our skirmishers advanced next morning, they encountered only the dead and the desperately wounded." and Garland killed. Gen. Hooker alone has over a thousand more prisoners; 700 having been sent to Frederick. It is stated that Lee gives his loss as fifteen thousand. We are following as rapidly as the men can move. GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN, Major-Gen." McClellan seems here to suppose that he had fought and beaten the main body of the Rebel army; yet how could he think so with Lee's order of the 9th before him? FIGHT AT CRAMPTON'S GAP-HARPER'S FERRY. McClellan states his losses in this affair at 312 killed, 1,234 wounded, and 22 missing: total, 1,568; claims about 1,500 prisoners-no guns-and says: "The loss to the enemy in killed was much greater than our own, and probably also in wounded." This is hardly credible; since the Rebels fought with every advantage of position and shelter, and were nowhere so driven as to lose heavily by a fire upon huddled, disorganized masses, when retreating in disorder." Maj.-Gen. Franklin, with the 6th corps, composed of his own, Couch's, and Sykes's divisions, forming the left wing of McClellan's army, had advanced cautiously up the north bank of the Potomac, through Tenallytown, Darnestown, and Poolesville -his right passing through Rockville-until McClellan's discovery that Lee had divided his army in order to clutch Harper's Ferry induced a general quickening of movement on our side. Still advancing, he approached, at noon on the 14th, the pass through CRAMPTON'S GAP in the South Mountain, just beyond Burkettsville, several miles southwestward of that at which Burnside, leading our main advance, had, some hours earlier, found his march obstructed by Hill. Before him was Howell Cobb, with two or three brigades of McLaws's division, whereof the larger portion was some miles farther on, operating against Maryland Heights and Harper's Ferry. The Gap afforded good positions for defense; but the disparity of numbers was decisive; and Cobb-who, 199 of course, had orders to hold on at any cost-was finally driven out, after a smart contest of four or five hours, wherein his force was badly cut up. Our loss here was 115 killed and 418 wounded; our trophies, 400 prisoners, one gun, and 700 small arms. Could Franklin but have realized how precious were the moments, he was still in time to have relieved Harper's Ferry; whence, following up his advantage with moderate vigor, he was but six miles distant when it surrendered at 8 next morning. Stonewall Jackson, leaving Frederick on the 10th, had pushed swiftly through Middletown and Boonsborough to Williamsport, where he recrossed the Potomac next day; striking thence at Martinsburg, which was held by Gen. Julius White, with some 2,000 Unionists. But White, warned of Jackson's approach in overwhelming strength, fled during the night of the 11th to Harper's Ferry; where he found Col. D. S. Miles, of Bull Run dishonor, in command of some 10,000 men, partly withdrawn from Winchester and other points up the Valley, but in good part composed of green regiments, hastily levied on tidings of the Chickahominy disasters, and officered by local politicians, who had never yet seen a shot fired at a line of armed men. White ranked Miles, and should have taken command; but he waived his right in deference to Miles's experience as an old army officer, and offered to serve under him; which was accepted. Jackson, who had cheaply acquired 12 Hill says that Gen. Rhodes, commanding Alabama, was among his killed; and Col. one of his brigades, estimates his loss at 422 O'Neal, 24th, and Lt.-Col. Pickens, 12th Alaout of 1,200 taken into action. Col. Gayle, 12th | bama, were severely wounded. with an abatis in its front; where McLaws's advance appeared and commenced skirmishing the same day. a good supply of provisions and muni- | breastwork of trees near the crest, tions at Martinsburg, did not allow himself to be detained by them; but, hurrying on, was before Harper's Ferry at 11 A. M. of the 13th. Waiting only to ascertain that McLaws, who was to cooperate on the other side. of the Potomac, and Walker, who was dispatched simultaneously from Frederick, with orders to cross the Potomac at Point of Rocks and come up on the south, so as to shut in and assail our garrison from that side of the Shenandoah, were already in position, he ordered A. P. Hill, with his division, to move down the north bank of the Shenandoah into Harper's Ferry; while Lawton, with Ewell's, and J. R. Jones, with Jackson's own division, were to advance upon and threaten the beleaguered Unionists farther and farther to their right. Harper's Ferry is little more than a deep ravine or gorge, commanded on three sides by steep mountains, and of course defensible only from one or more of these. A commander who was neither a fool nor a traitor, seeing enemies swarming against him from every side, would either have evacuated in haste, and tried to make his way out of the trap, or concentrated his force on one of the adjacent heights, and here held out, until time had been afforded for his relief. Miles did neither. He posted" the 32d Ohio, Col. T. H. Ford, on Maryland Heights; where they were rëenforced" by the 39th and 126th New York, and next day by the 115th New York and part of a Maryland regiment. Ford's requisition for axes and spades was not filled; and the only 10 axes that could be obtained were used in constructing" a slight Sept. 12. 13 Sept. 5. 14 15 HARPER'S FERRY. An attack in force was made, early next morning," and was repulsed; but was followed at 9 o'clock by another and more determined, whenCol. E. Sherrill, 126th New York, being severely wounded-his regiment broke and fled in utter rout, and the remaining regiments soon followed the example, alleging an order to retreat from Maj. Hewitt, who denied having given it. Our men were rallied after running a short distance, and rëoccupied part of the ground they had so culpably abandoned, but did not regain their breastwork; and of course left the enemy in a commanding position. At 2 o'clock next morning," Ford, without being further assailed, abandoned the Heights, so far as we still retained them, spiking his guns : 4 of which, at a later hour in the morning, were brought off by four companies, under Maj. Wood, who went over on a reconnoissance and encountered no opposition. McLaws, with his own and Anderson's divisions, leaving Frederick on the 10th, had entered Pleasant Valley, Sept. 12. 16 Sept. 13. Sept. 14. 17 MILES SURRENDERS HARPER'S FERRY. 19 201 via Burkettsville, on the 11th; and, | Col. Crutchfield, Jackson's chief of perceiving at once that Maryland artillery, ferried 10 of Ewell's guns Heights was the key of the position, across the Shenandoah, and estabhad sent" Kershaw, with his own lished them where they could take and Barksdale's brigades, up a rug- in reverse our best intrenchments on ged mountain road, impracticable Bolivar Heights; soon compelling for artillery, to the crest of the Elk their evacuation and our retreat to an Mountains, two or three miles north- inferior position, considerably nearer ward of Maryland Heights, with or- the Ferry, and of course more exders to follow along that crest, and posed to and commanded by Mcso approach and carry our position; Laws's guns on Maryland Heights. while Wright's brigade, with 2 guns, At 9 P. M., our cavalry, some was to take post on the southern face 2,000 strong, under Col. Davis, 12th of South Mountain, and so command Illinois, made their escape from the all the approaches along the Poto- Ferry, across the pontoon-bridge, to mac. Meanwhile, McLaws, with the the Maryland bank; passing up the rest of his force, save the brigades Potomac unassailed, through a reholding Crampton's Gap, moved down gion swarming with enemies, to the Pleasant Valley to the river. mouth of the Antietam, thence striking northward across Maryland, reaching Greencastle, Pa., next morning; having captured by the way the ammunition train of Gen. Longstreet, consisting of 50 to 60 wagons. Miles assented to this escape; but refused permission to infantry officers who asked leave to cut their way out: saying he was ordered to hold the Ferry to the last extremity. Kershaw advanced according to order, through dense woods and over very rough ground, until he encountered and worsted Ford's command on the Heights, as we have seen; while Wright and Anderson took, unopposed, the positions assigned them, and McLaws advanced to Sandy Hook, barring all egress from Harper's Ferry down the Potomac. Next morning at daybreak," the Rebel batteries reopened from seven commanding points, directing their fire principally at our batteries on Bolivar Heights. At 7 A. M., Miles. stated to Gen. White that a surrender was inevitable, his artillery ammunition being all but exhausted; when the brigade commanders were called together and assented. A white flag was thereupon raised; but the Rebels, not perceiving it, continued their fire some 30 to 40 minutes, whereby Miles was mortally wounded. Jackson was just impelling a general infantry attack, when informed that the 19 Sept. 14. Sept. 15. The morning of the 14th was spent by McLaws in cutting a road practicable for artillery to the crest of Maryland Heights, whence fire was opened from 4 guns at 2 P. M.; not only shelling our forces at the Ferry, but commanding our position on Bolivar Heights, beyond it. Before night, Walker's guns opened like wise from Loudon Heights, and Jackson's batteries were playing from several points, some of them enfilading our batteries on Bolivar Heights; while shots from others reached our helpless and huddled men in their rear. During the night, Sept. 12. 18 20 |