1862. "We march to Keedysville through the usual marks of an enemy's hasty retreat, broken-down wagons, dead mules, crippled caissons, houses filled with wounded, the road strewed with muskets, knapsacks, and butternut jackets. "At Keedysville we halt for the night, and Tuesday afternoon our corps marches leisurely up the river. There seem to be no indications of an engagement, except that Hooker looks all alive. He sits uneasily in his saddle, and his look means mischief. Suddenly a little puff of smoke shoots out of a little thicket on our right and front, and a single shell comes shrieking over our heads, and explodes far in the rear: too much elevation and too long a fuse, Mr. Reb. A few more in the same style, and Thompson's battery dashes into position, and soon makes the rebels' ground too hot for them. 'Battalion! front! forward!' we are met with a light fire from the thickets, and a dose of canister. "A sergeant of Company G, whom we left in Washington, suddenly appears upon the scene with, "Captain, can't I take my place in line?' 666 Why, sergeant! where are you from?' "Oh! they brought me to Frederick, and I slipped away from there.' Well: but you have no rifle.' "He does 'go in:' and, as we move on, a canister-shot crashes through the brain of a man in Company C, on our left; and our watchful sergeant pounces on him like an eagle on his prey, tears the rifle from his dying grasp, and triumphantly rejoins his company. "Our gray-haired chaplain is full of fight, gets a musket and takes his place in line, and comes out of the evening's flurry with the traditional bullet buried in the traditional Bible in the traditional breast-pocket over his heart. "We capture a picket-line in the darkness, among them a captain of the First Texas, a lawyer of Austin, and a man of intelligence. After this little affair is over, we lie down on our arms in a cornfield; and this captain happens to pillow his head on the next hill of corn to the writer. He tells us to our surprise that the whole rebel army is in front of us; points out the lights at the headquarters of Lee, Jackson, and Longstreet; says that the prolonged cheering we hear all along the rebel lines is caused by the reading of Jackson's report of his capture of the entire Union force at Harper's Ferry. This is the first we have 1862. heard of Gen. Miles's disaster. He tells us that South Mountain, which we had deemed a decisive victory, was in reality a defeat; as we were held in check till Jackson had bagged our army at the Ferry, and rejoined their main body. "Picket-firing, and movements of artillery and troops, gave little chance for sleep that night. "As soon as morning dawned through a damp, foggy atmosphere, Hartsuff's brigade was ordered to fall in. Our friend of the First Texas and the rest of the prisoners were sent to the provost-guard in the rear, and we moved forward. Company I had the colors, G on the left of the colors, and C on the left of G. "Forward, still as death, up a lane, out to the right, through a little thicket, into a plain field. "Forward in line of battle: the fog lifts, and in an instant a rebel battery on our right opens on us, with rather poor range at first, but they soon get it closer; and by command down we go, our faces in the dust. Thompson's battery, that has followed close in our rear, unlimbers, and opens on them: other batteries in position open fire, but the enemy's fire does not slacken. Up again and onward. The shells are well aimed now, and we have gaps in our lines to close up. Through the field to the heavy fence that bordered the memorable cornfield, where, later in the day, the dead were literally piled up. 'Down with the fence, boys!' and they went at it with a will. Just then a shell struck the fence, and exploded right in the midst of us. It seemed for a moment that all was chaos, as the dust, splinters, and smoke filled the air; but it staggered us only for an instant, and, rubbing our eyes, we saw that most of us were still in fighting trim. Onward into the cornfield. Not a rifle-shot fired yet, that dreadful battery on our right still ploughing through our ranks. Still forward. Ah, there they are! a long line of graybacks is seen filing out on our left and front. 'Give it to them, boys!' This makes us feel better, as we open fire within good range. Still those dreadful shot and shell plough through Company I. We have halted now, and the battery has the exact range Just to the right of the colors it makes its fearful furrow. But the men close right in to fill the gap, with true heroism, choosing rather to face certain death than to acknowledge, even to themselves, that they are not 'clear grit.' "But the zip of the rifle-balls grows more frequent, a terrible musketry fire opens on us, and the air seems full of leaden missiles. 1862. Sept. 17. "Rifles are shot to pieces in the hands of the soldiers, canteens and haversacks are riddled with bullets, the dead and wounded go down in scores. The smoke and fog lift; and almost at our feet, concealed in a hollow behind a demolished fence, lies a rebel brigade pouring into our ranks the most deadly fire of the war. What there are left of us open on them with a cheer; and the next day the burial-parties put up a board immediately in front of the position held by the Twelfth with the following inscription: In this trench lie buried the colonel, major, six line officers, and one hundred and forty men of the Georgia Regiment.' "For three hours we stood this terrible fire: and, when we were relieved, our color-guard were all killed or wounded; of thirty-two men in Company G seven were killed and twenty wounded, and the other companies lost in the same proportion. "Our brigade captured the colors of the First Texas; and, when they were delivered to the provost-guard, our friend, the lawyer-captain, said he felt quite at home." The length of time Hartsuff's brigade was in action seems to be a matter of dispute. In the above graphic story the time is set as "three hours." Major Gould of the Thirteenth Massachusetts claimed to have timed the The best-brigade" portion of the story seems to have been universally accepted. If it is correct, the message must have been sent to Ricketts not Doubleday. Gen. Hooker in after-years had no recollection of ever sending such a message, and no trace of it can be found among his staff in that battle. After the battle, and while in Washington recovering from his wound, Gen. Hooker, in discussing the fight, claimed that his corps fought the entire rebel army. It is an actual fact, that, so furious was Hooker's attack, Lee stripped his right to re-enforce his left. Had Burnside availed himself of his opportunity, Antietam might have been a decisive victory for the Union cause. Confronted by a single brigade of Georgia troops, the Ninth Corps commander, with his corps at his back, wasted time. As bridge ater in the day, when it at di ision, it is no stive to -97 te esried it caller, when held only by .1 3. Cletrar's Clan of batte was a A the enemy's fee, turn his rigia, and erush ceeded in the first; Euraside faile K , it was useless estes the tru was made on the Confederate een ie Union victory, for Lee abandoned the 1st Harper's Ferry; for I ee was obliged ne his zeker of Northern invasion, and the ver t ite back to Virginia. And, whatever may have Det okun's faults and weaknesses, it is simple jusaward him great praise for so inspinting Pope's at and disheartened legions as to make them capa1 of fighting such a battle a fortnight after their Bullfun experience. Certain wiseacres at home, who were termally crying, "Why don't the army move?" biame at McClol Me kan for not following Lee pell-mell. P been two weeks before the battle should 事 ched against what Lee's army was after the this point is adjudicated. 3 spent on the battle-tiel burying the dead and suc Proggi tule wooded. Capt. Cook comma dud what was % of the reimert. Col. Bates nssumed command, having been I from maior of Thiny-third Massachusetts to Pweth. we A.M., cruer. to march having been "eAt five A.M. naresing orders were Coc Part of rehing orders res ved and count:rmand‹ 1. egiment lating with part of Niti New York--getsued to guud re'l wounded. Cool rights, fud Hewing hero in direction of II pu's kerry. In siternoon moved nearer the river, one hundred rods fran 2 capel. |