The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-23 00:00:00

711 E CIVIL WAR 1N AMERICA.

The following extracts from the Southern papers
relating to some of the recent battles will be found
interesting :

THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.
(Special Correspondence of .Richmond Enquirer.)
Winchester, Sept. 22.
_ _ .

The commands of Generals Jackson, Lawton, and A. P.
Hill left Martinsburg on Saturday moaning, 13th instant,
upon their road to Harper's Ferry. General Walker ad-
vanced his division to the Loudon, and General M'Laws
marched towards the Maryland Heights. These forces
invested the place, and ultimately compelled its surrender.
Meanwhile, Generals D. H. Hill and Longstreet engaged
the advancing army of M'Clellan near Boonesborough,
with a portion of their forces, on Sunday, the 14th instant.
The engagement was severe, but the object of deterring the
main force from the relief of Harper's Ferry was fully ac-
complished. In this engagement the loss on either side was
heavy, and General Garland, of Lynchburg, was killed,
gallantly commanding his brigade. On Sunday evening
the Federal forces, commanded by General White and Col.
Miles (who has since died of his wounds), driven back from
Maryland heights, after a sharp engagement, by General
M'Laws, finding themselves effectually surrounded, con-
sented to surrender. The formal surrender was made on
Monday morning. Eleven thousand and upwards of pri-
soners, besides two or three thousand negroes (generally
runaway slaves), sixty pieces of cannon, the field pieces of
superior kind and quality, 20,000 stand of small arms, best
quality, many sabres and pistols, large supplies of ammu-
nition, quartermaster and commissary stores of considerable
value, horses, &c., were captured. Our loss in this affair
was trifling.

After Sunday's battle Generals Longstreet and D. H.
Hill fell back five miles from Boonesborough, en the Shop-
herdstown-road, to the high bluffs on this side of the Antie-
tam river, a short distance beyond Sharpsburg. The great
army of M•Clellan, Burnside, Porter, Heintzelman, &c.,
followed, and General Jackson made haste to join our forces.
On Tuesday evening he reached the battle field and at-
tacked the left wing of the army.
In the plan of battle the left wing was commanded by
General Jackson, the centre was held by General Daniel H.
Hill, and the right wing was General Longstreet. The
battle, begun the evening before, was resumed by General
Jackson on the left wing., at about 3 o'clock on Wednesday
morning, and about 6 o'clock became general along the en-
tire line. Our army formed the segment of a circle, and
was pressed upon by a force greatly larger, supposed by
those able to form a correct judgment fully three to one.
At about 10 o'clock General Jackson was reinforced on
the left wing by the fine troops of General 111‘Laws. At
2 o'clock the enemy was severely whipped on that wing
and driven back fully a mile. The fight at the centre was
terribly severe, but the troops of General D. H. Hill reso-
lutely and to the end maintained their ground. But it was
of the ui most moment to the enemy to turn our right flank
in order to cut off our communication with the Virginia
shore by the ford near Shepherdstown.
The pressure upon the gallant corps of General Longstreet
was almost irresistible, and anxiety as to the result grew
intense, when General A. P. Hill brought the reserve up
from Harper's Ferry to the relief of General Longstreet, at
about 3 o'clock, to reinstate the doubtful fortune of the day,
which, closing, left our troops in possession of all the ground
they held at the opening of the battle, and so much of the
enemy's as had been wrested from him by Jackson and
M'Laws.

The battle continued uninterrupted for 13 hours. Never
have our troops, exhausted by past labours as they were,
exhibited their courage and endurance to such advantage ;
never has the enemy contested a field so obstinately. It is
held by our troops to be the battle of the war. Our loss in
killed was not great, though we are called upon to lament
the fall of several gallant and distinguished officers. Gen.
Starke, of Jackson's division, commanding the splendid
Louisiana brigade, and Gen. L. O'B. Branch, of North
Carolina, are numbered with the dead. Many officers and
men are wounded ; not many very severely, however.
Our loss in killed, wounded, and missing, does not exceed
6,000 to 8,000, and the enemy's is calculated to be five times
as many.
The day succeeding the battle our troops were under arms
awaiting a renewal of the engagement, but the enemy found
himself in no condition to try it again. The dead were
buried, the wounded removed to Shepaerdstown, and with
nightfall came the general order, under which the trains
and troops were sent across the river, by the next morning's
dawn, without loss ur casualty. The splendid success of
this first pedis possessio in Maryland reflects the highest
credit on officers and soldiers engaged ; but all award the
highest meed of respect and consideration to our great com-
mander, Gen. Lee, who was present throughout these event-
ful days, to whose sagacity and profound military judg-
ment all—all is due.
Our troops having crossed the river safely, the enemy soon
appeared upon the thither bank, to commence a heavy
cannonading, which was answered by our batteries, already
put in position by Generel Pendleton.
This artillery duel was continued throughout a consider-
able part of the day, but the enemy did not attempt to cross
the river. On the next morning, however, the advance of
the enemy was heralded by a furious cannonading, and sub-
sequently one or more brigades attempted to cross the river.
A part were suffered to ascend the precipitous bank on this
side, to receive a very warm reception from the troops of
Jackson, taking them in flank. Their column, thrown into
the utmost confusion, attempted to recross the river, when
the grape of our masked batteries told a fearful tale of death
and destruction among the affrighted herd. Our loss in this
repulse of the enemy was small, and that of the enemy was
e ra t
very great. The troops were the flower of Burnside's divi-
sion, and the ford of the Potomac, fully 300 yards wide
was filled with them to
of thistuoriwtsheonletiralermitc little
aye fin ing p
capacity.
probably in Mary-
land ityk. Few
ocould i
o hnav ofe
escaped, and many dead Yankees have no doubt floated
down the river even to Washington. My next will afford
lyGa
no
General
eftu
jr particulars
gahekt.so Jackson.
.

THE BATTLE. OF BOTELER,S MILL.
(ROM the Richmond Whig, Sept. 25.)
The aght, Saturday last, on the Potomac, between, Goui