THE FIGHT ON OUR RIGHT AND CENTER. Mansfield's corps, came up to his support, determined again to advance and carry the woods to the right of and beyond the corn-field. Going forward to reconnoiter on foot, Hooker satisfied himself as to the nature of the ground, returned and remounted amid a shower of Rebel bullets, which he had all the morning disregarded; but the next moment a musket-ball went through his foot, inflicting a severe and intensely painful wound; which compelled him, after giving his orders fully and deliberately, to leave the field at 9 A. M. Sumner, arriving at this moment, assumed command, sending forward Sedgwick's division of his own corps to support Crawford and Gordon; while Richardson and French, with his two remaining divisions, went forward farther to the left; Sedgwick again advancing in line through the corn-field already won and lost. But by this time McLaws-who, by marching all night, had reached Shepherdstown from Harper's Ferry that morning, and instantly crossed --had been sent forward by Lee to the aid of Jackson; while Walker's division had been hurried across from their as yet unassailed right. Again Hood's brigade was withdrawn from the front, while the fresh forces under Walker and McLaws advanced with desperate energy, seconded by Early on their left. Sedgwick was thrice badly wounded, and compelled to retire; Gens. Dana and Crawford were likewise wounded. The 34th New York-which had broken at a critical moment, while attempting a maneuver under a terrible fire-was nearly cut to pieces; and the 15th Massachusetts, which went into action 600 strong, was speedily reduced to 207 134. Gen. Howard, who took command of Sedgwick's division, was unable to restore its formation, and Sumner himself had no better success. Again the center of our right gave back, and the corn-field was retaken by the enemy. But the attempt of the Rebels to advance beyond it, under the fire of our batteries, was repelled with heavy loss on their part; Col. Manning, who led Walker's own brigade, being severely wounded, and his brigade driven back. Doubleday, on our farther right, held firmly; and it seemed settled that, while either party could repel a charge on this part of the line, neither could afford to make one. But now Franklin had come up with his fresh corps, and formed on the left; Slocum, commanding one of his divisions, was sent forward toward the center; while Smith, with the other, was ordered to retake the ground that had been so long and so hotly contested. It was no sooner said than done. Smith's regiments, cheering, went forward on a run, swept through the corn-field and the woods, cleared them in ten minutes, and held them. Their rush was so sudden and unexpected that their loss was comparatively small; and the ground thus retaken was not again lost. Nearer the center, French's division of Sumner's corps had attempted to carry the line of heights whereon the Rebels were posted, and had made some progress, repulsing a countercharge and capturing a number of prisoners, with some flags. Attempts successively to turn his right and then his left were foiled; but, after a bloody combat of four in advance of the position on which the fight had commenced, but without having carried the heights. hours, French paused, considerably | vanced as far as Dr. Piper's house, very near to Sharpsburg, and about the center of the Rebel army at the beginning of the battle. Here artillery was brought up-this division having thus far fought without it-and, while personally directing the fire of Capt. Graham's battery, 1st U. S. Artillery, Richardson fell mortally wounded, and was succeeded by Hancock. Gen. Meagher had fallen some time before: the command of his brigade devolving on Col. Burke, of the 63d New York. One or two more attempts or menaces were made on this part of our line, but not in great force; and, though its advance was drawn back a little to avoid an enfilading fire from Rebel batteries, to which it could not respond, it held its well advanced position when night closed the battle. Richardson's division of Sumner's corps advanced on the left of French, crossing the Antietam at 9 A. M., and going steadily forward under a heavy artillery fire, half way up from the creek to Sharpsburg, over very rugged ground, much of it covered with growing corn, and intersected by stone walls, which afforded every advantage to the defensive. The musketry fire on both sides was severe; but our men steadily gained ground; Caldwell's and Meagher's (Irish) brigade vieing with each other in steadiness and gallantry. Here Col. Francis C. Barlow, of Caldwell's brigade, signalized himself by seizing an opportunity to advance the 61st and 64th New York on the left, and take in flank a Rebel force, which, sheltered by a sunken road, was attempting to enfilade our line, capturing over 300 prisoners and 3 flags. The left of this division being now well advanced, the enemy, maneuvering behind a ridge, attempted to take it in flank and rear, but was signally defeated; the 5th New Hampshire and the 81st Pennsylvania facing to the left and meeting their charge by a countercharge, which was entirely successful. Some prisoners and the colors of the 4th North Carolina remained in our hands. The enemy next assailed the right of this division; but Col. Barlow, again advancing his two New York regiments, aided by Kimball's brigade on the right, easily repulsed it. Next, a charge was made directly on Richardson's front, which was defeated as before, and our line still farther ad Porter's corps, in our center, holding the roads from Sharpsburg to Middletown and Boonsborough, remained unengaged, east of the Antietam, until late in the afternoon; when two brigades of it were sent by McClellan to support our right; while six battalions of Sykes's regulars were thrown across the bridge on the main road to repel Rebel sharp-shooters, who were annoying Pleasanton's horse-batteries at that point. Warren's brigade was detached and sent to the right and rear of Burnside, leaving but little over 3,000 men with Porter. Burnside's corps held our extreme left, opposite the lowest of the three bridges crossing the Antietam. He was ordered, at 8 A. M., to cross this one, which was held by Gen. R. Toombs, with the 2d and 20th Georgia, backed by some sharp-shooters and sion down the hill toward the Antie- the batteries of Gen. D. R. Jones, on | his artillery, charged in front and Jackson, during the afternoon, had been ordered by Lee to turn our right and attack it in flank and rear; but, on reconnoitering for this purpose, he found our line extended nearly to the Potomac, and so strongly defended with artillery that to carry it was impossible; so he declined to make the attempt. So closed, indecisively, the bloodiest day that America ever saw. Gen. McClellan states his strength no doubt truly-in this battle at 87,164, including 4,320 cavalry, which was of small account on such ground and in such a struggle. General Couch's division, 5,000 strong, had been sent away toward Harper's Ferry-evidently through some misapprehension-and only arrived at a late hour next morning;" as did Humphrey's division of raw recruits, which had left Frederick--23 miles distant-at 4P.M. of the sanguinary 17th. It was an easy but a short-lived triumph; for, thus far, Lee had been able to spare but about 3,000 men, under D. R. Jones, to hold this flank of his position. Had this success been obtained hours earlier, it might have proved decisive. The Rebel forces throughout the greater part of the day had abundant occupation on our right, so that Lee was unable to spare sufficient troops to resist a determined advance by our left; but now, just as victory seemed to smile upon our arms, A. P. Hill's division -which had only been ordered from Harper's Ferry that morning, and started at 7 o'clock-came on the ground, and, covered by a heavy fire of artillery, charged our extreme left, when disordered by charging and fighting, and drove it back in still greater confusion. Gen. Rodman, all far too high. Lee says he had who commanded it, was mortally "under 40,000 men;" which probawounded; and the enemy, rallying bly includes neither cavalry nor A. with spirit and redoubling the fire of P. Hill's division; and perhaps not McClellan estimates Lee's strength at 97,445, including 6,000 artillery (400 guns), 6,400 cavalry, and making Jackson's corps number 24,778 VOL. II.-14 27 Sept. 18. McLaws's. The Richmond Enquirer | of the 23d (four days after the battle) says it has "authentic particulars" of the battle; and that "the ball was opened on Tuesday evening about 6 o'clock, by all of our available force, 60,000 strong, commanded by Gen. Robert E. Lee in person." And this seems to be the more probable aggregate. Pollard, in his "Southern History of the War," says of this battle: "It was fought for half the day with 45,000 men on the Confederate side; and for the remaining half with no more than an aggregate of 70,000 men." Gen. McClellan makes his entire loss in this battle 12,469: 2,010 killed, 9,416 wounded, and 1,043 missing; and says his army counted and buried "about 2,700" of the enemy, beside those buried by themselves: whence he estimates their total loss as "much greater" than ours. As the Rebels fought mainly on the defensive, under shelter of woods, and on ground commanded by their artillery, this might seem improbable. But Lee (writing his report on the 6th of March following) is silent as to his losses, while the account of them given as complete in the official publication of "Reports of the Operations of the Army of Virginia, from June, 1862, to Dec. 13th, 1862," is palpably and purposely an under-statement. That account makes the total Rebel loss in the Maryland battles only 10,291 viz., killed, 1,567; wounded, 8,724; and says nothing of missing; while McClellan gives details of considerable captures on several occasions, and sums up as follows: | D. H. Hill reports 3,241 disabled, including 4 Colonels, out of less than 5,000; and Lawton's brigade lost 554 out of 1,150. Among the Rebel killed were Maj.-Gen. Starke, of Miss., Brig.Gens. L. O'B. Branch, of N. C., and G. B. Anderson; Cols. Douglass (commanding Lawton's brigade), Liddell, 11th Miss., Tew, 2d N. C., Barnes, 12th S. C., Mulligan, 15th Ga., Barclay, 23d do., and Smith, 27th do. Among their wounded were Maj.Gen. R. H. Anderson, Brig.-Gens. Lawton, Rhodes, Ripley, Armistead, Gregg, of S. C., R. Toombs and Wright, of Ga. Lee, of course, did not care to renew the battle on the morrow of such a day; and McClellan, though rëenforced that morning by about 14,000 men, stood still also. He says he purposed to renew the combat the next morning;" but, when his cavalry advance reached the river, they discovered that Lee had quietly moved off across the Potomac during the night, leaving us only his dead and some 2,000 of his desperately wounded. Lee having posted 8 batteries on the Virginia bluffs of the Potomac, supported by 600 infantry under Pen29 Sept. 19 "Thirteen guns, 39 colors, upward of "Jackson expressly states that A. P. Hill's losses were not included in his return. STUART RIDES AGAIN AROUND OUR ARMY. 211 dleton, to cover his crossing, Gen. | loss into Virginia at White's Ford, Porter, at dark," sent across Gen. Griffin, with his own and Barnes's brigades, to carry them. This was gallantly done, under the fire of those batteries, and 4 guns taken; but a reconnoissance in force, made by part of Porter's division next morning," was ambushed by A. P. Hill, a mile from the ford, and driven pell-mell into the river, with considerable loss, after a brief struggle; the Rebels taking 200 prisoners. They held that bank thenceforth unmolested until next day, and then quietly disappeared. Lee moved westward, with the bulk of his army, to the Opequan creek, near Martinsburg; his cavalry, under Stuart, recrossing the Potomac to Williamsport, whence he escaped on the approach of Gen. Couch's division. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was now pretty thoroughly destroyed for some distance by the Rebels-neither for the first nor the last time. Gen. McClellan sent forward Gen. Williams on his left to retake Maryland Heights, which he did" without opposition; as Gen. Sumner, two days later, occupied Harper's Ferry. Lee soon retired to the vicinity of Bunker Hill and Winchester; whence, seeing that he was not pursued nor imperiled by McClellan, he dispatched" Stuart, with 1,800 cavalry, on a bold raid into. Pennsylvania. Crossing the Potomac above Williamsport, Stuart pushed on rapidly to Chambersburg, where he destroyed a large amount of supplies; and, retiring as hurriedly as he came, he made a second circuit of McClellan's army, recrossing without below Harper's Ferry. McClellan, hearing he had gone on this raid, felt entirely confident that he could not escape destruction, and made extensive preparations to insure it; but his plans were foiled by lack of energy and zeal. Stuart paroled at Chambersburg 275 sick and wounded, whom he found there in hospital; burned the railroad dépôt, machineshops, and several trains of loaded cars, destroying 5,000 muskets and large amounts of army clothing. Perhaps these paid the Rebels for their inevitable waste of horse-flesh, and perhaps not. Here ensued a renewal of the old game of cross-purposes-McClellan calling loudly and frequently for reenforcements, horses, clothing, shoes, and supplies of all kinds, which were readily promised, but not always so promptly supplied; Halleck sending orders to advance, which were not obeyed with alacrity, if at all. A distemper among the horses threw 4,000 out of service, in addition to the heavy losses by Rebel bullets and by over-work. Halleck states that McClellan's army had 31,000 horses on the 14th of October; McClellan responds that 10,980 were required to move ten days' provisions for that army, now swelled to 110,000 men, beside 12,000 teamsters, &c.; and that, after picketing the line of the Potomac, he had not 1,000 desirable cavalry. His entire cavalry force was 5,046; his artillery horses, 6,836; he needed 17,832 animals to draw his forage; so that he was still 10,000 short of the number actually required for an advance. At length, Gen. McClellan crossed |