The Portland daily press., 1862-09-25

| they nad been slightly repulsed by the rebels.
The first and front line was formed by Ger
mans brigade. Next in their rear stood the
brigade of Gen. Dana Still further i'm their
rear was the line of Howard's brigade. First
came terrible fire upon their center, from
the rebels in front of them. 1t was supposed
their line was sufficiently supported upon the
lett. No apprehension was entertained of
fire from that quarter. While forming the
lines it was ascertainsd that the enemy were
there, and in moment a death-dealing cross
hre was added to that from the front.
| The severity of such fire of infantry both
rom the left and front, with artillery playing
| upon them all the time, was enough to make
veterans falter. The left broke and ran, but
the Fifteenth Massachusetts and the Eighty
second New York stood and received steadily
this tremendous attack. The Fifteenth Mas
sachusetts distinguished themselves by gal
liant and memorable deed. Under this CALLING
fire, voley upon volley, in the front and on the
lett, they charged upon the enemy in front of
them, captured his battle flag, and brought il
away from the field.
Gen. Sedgewick remained near the center of
his command and had his horse soon shot from
under him. Two bullets entered his body, and
on foot, in front of his command, covered
with the blood of his wounds, he insisted upon
remaining and encouraging his men to stand
firmly and not waver.
Gen. Sumner ordered them to fall back, and
then followed an important action Of
KIRBY's BATTERY.
When Sedgewick's division had fallen back,
the way was clear for Kirby's Regular Battery
to pour upon the rebels a fire of grape and
canister, which moved them down in winrows.
1t played upon them with a most terrible effect.
lmmnese numbers of the enemy rushed from
the woods upon the guns which had been
dealing such heavy blows and cutting such
gaps in their ranks. The infantry support of
the battery fell back in confusion and left it
alone. But most rapid discharge of shrap-
mel upon them, piled them in heaps. and their
dash was broken and the battery lmbered up
and moved away in safety. Sedgewick's divi-
sion had, meantime, reformed, and were again
IN line and ready to assist, and then
GEN. FRANKLIN's CORPS COMES INTO AC-
TIoN.
Smiths division takes the place Just occu-
pied by Sedgwicks, and the enemy throw in
fresh troops at the same time The fight is
renewed with the hottest impetuosity on both
sides, but the enemy begins to show signs of
weakness, and Smiths division drives them
and gains for us the hard fought battlefield.
atordng an opportunity of bringing off the
dead and wounded.
THE FIGHTfNG MOVES TOWARD THE CENTER.
The center now becomes the most absorbing
in interest and Importance. Rich's and
French's divisions of Summers corps are in
their turn taking the brunt Of the infantry
fighting, and the surging sound of the mus
kerry, as it comes from the center, is most ap-
palling, and tells a sad story of their losses
This action commenced at about ten o'clock
Gen. Richardson's division was crossed over
the Antietam in the morning, during the battle,
and advanced toward a hill of plowed ground
to form his command upon the left of French's
division. These two divisions were separated
by short interval from Sedgewick's, the re-
manning division of Summers corps, and this
short breach in our lines was the thing which
enabled the rebels to come in upon Sedgwick's
left flank with such destructive consequences
French's division was formed upon piece
of plowed ground, and Gen. Richardson gave
orders to Gen. Meagher to march around the
edge of hill, and form his brigade upon the
right, next to Gen. French, Gen. Richardson
remarking, Il will be there as soon as YOU
are Meagher's brigade took the position as
signed to them and lay down upon the ground
in line of battle. French's division, next up
on their right, was now desperately engaged
pouring into, and receiving from the enemy,
a fire of both shell and musketry.
The enemy had position which was shell
tered by fence. The rebels were afterwards
seen there, lying dead in heaps upon the
ground. But the fire was more than our men
could stand. They broke upon the left, and
just lhen came up, advancing IN splendid style,
THE IRISH BRIGADE.
The right of this invincible command rested
near the fence, upon the other side of which
the left of French's division ought to have
been in position. But the confusion upon
French's left was not of long continuance
They soon rallied again, and kept their line
continuous with the Irish Brigade.
Meagher's brigade suffered most severely of
all. Their ranks were iearfully thinned out
No praise could be extravagant in speaking of
their action.
Caldwell's and Brooks brigade marched up
in the same column, and across a road In
that road the piles of rebels tell of the hot
work which was done there. Caldwell fought
splendidy; Cross fought splendidly.
This firing of musketry continued from the
time this line was formed for four hours No
more interesting sight than those columns. as
they poured upon the enemy their fire of mus
kerry, and received the eneiny's fire in return,
could ever be seen upon a field of battle.
Ii was evident by mid-afternoon that the
contest was likely TO be indecisive. On the
right we were too much exhausted to attempt
a turning of their flank In the morning the
fever had been HIGH but now, like an invalid,
we must be quiet. Any attempt to carry the
position, when we had already expended so
much strength, would be disastrous. In the
intervals of the cannonade low moans came up
lrOm TIE nOuoWS between the r1dgeS, ike the
wall of the night wind on lonely shore,-it
nerved them to stand unflinchingly to the last
In the centre, for ten hours, the fiery surges
had rolled around the little hillock in front of
Sumner Sedgwick was gone. Mansfield had
received his death wound, and thousands of
brave men were lying in front of the enemy's
cannon, which were still in position, unmoved
by all the assaults we had made. Burnside
was struggling to keep his feet upon the west
ern shore of the Antietam. Such was the
views of the hour. Porter had been held in
reserve, and all through the day his men had
been silent but interested spectators Would
they be called in at this hour, and, with one
ponderons stroke, one furious onset break the
line of the enemy, and win the day? We had
one hundred and fifty cannon in reserve. which
through the day had been silent-coud they
not speak for the country in this hour.
1t seems that if that central point the rocky
stronghold could be carried, if we could but
force back the batteries at that spot the day
would be ours. 1t was the strong joint of the
vertebra. If we could disjont it by one grand
effort, by the concentration of fifty additional
cannon, then forevermore it would be a turn
ing point in history.
Wellington looked upon the little hillock of
Hougenont as the all-mportant point, the
possession of which would give him the victo-
ry of Waterloo. So Napoleon saw its vaue
and strived to obtain the spot. Lee and Jack
son evidently regarded that spot beneath the
forest trees as the al-important portion of their
line. They held it flercely, defiantly.
BURNsIDE's FIGHTING ON THE EXTREME