The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-09-27
-ur GREAT BATTLE OF WEDNES
SAN DAY.
c,.,n,e and Interesting Particulars.

cr.,nic and Interesting Farsicnlars.
-, cor,s,ponsesce ct NJ r. tribune. -
~ Barrie vnID OF sHAsrssuRa.
., wednesday Evening. Sept II, 1855
y;e,ce and desperate battle between 100000
non has ragged since daylight, yet night closes
m nn =, uncertain FIELD Il 10 the greatest light
w .acs Waterloo-all over ths fsld contested with
. ~ obstiuscy equal even 70 Waterloo. # not
-holly victory 70 night, believe II is the pre-
,,de 70 victory to morrow. But what can be
s,ss.old Of the future Of 6ghsin which from
~ .ha morning till In the evening the best
.roops Of the continent have fought without de-
c'' In.rs no time for speculation time even
J.. ,.ther details Of the battls-osly time 10
go 10 broadsst fsatsres--thsn mount md spur
TOT H M.. ia brilliant victory near Middletown,
~ W.f!iellsn pushed forward his army rapidly,
~" ga ,.sshed Kesdysville With three corps on
M NJ nisht. That march has already been
s..o.;hsd, On the day following the two armies
s.osd ZACH other Idly, until night, Artillery
'. NAV A. intervals; once in the morning open
~. lin shirt, and continuing for half IN hour
vish sieor, sill The rebel battery, - ussal, WAS
TcClellan vas on the hill where Benjamin's
,...srv ~ stationed and found himself sudden.
" nnder rather heavy 6re.e % Il wssstiil ancer-
Ain whether The rebels wers rstreAtiDg or rsln--
sorcins-tbeir batteries would remain in position
n either case, and Is they had Withdrawn nearly
All their troops from view, there wss only the
do,htfal indications Of columnecof dust 70 the
,..r L.g sqyieys5 sd &c siip gasca rar s
On the evening Of Tuesday, Hooker Was Or
ao,ed 70 cross the Antietam Greek with HE
corns. and. feeling the left Of the enemy, to be
resdv 70 attack next morning. During the day
of .nnsreut inactivity, Mcclellan had been MAJ
turine hia plan of battle, Of which Hooker's
movement was one developsmept sslaa y es
The position on either side was peculisr.-
when Richardson advanced on Monday be found
.he enemy deploysd and displayed m force on
crescent shaped ridge. the outline of which fol-
loved more or Lees exactly the course Of Ante
tam Creek. Their lines were then forming, and
the revelation of force in front OF the ground
which they really intended to hold, vas probably
meant to delay our stack sntil their arrange
ments to receive it were complete. se - -
During that day they kept their troops expos
ed and did not move them even to avoid the Ar
.ilery FIRE. which must have been occasionally
ANNOYING. Next morning the lines and columns
which had dsrkened corn fields and hill crests,
had been Withdrawn. Broken and wooded
ground behind the sheltering bills concealed the
rebel masses What from our front looked like
op]v narrow summit fFingeaawieh woods was
broad table.land Of forest and ravine; cover for
troops everywhere, nowhere easy access for An
enomy. The smoothly sloping surface in front
and the sweeping crescent Of slowly mingling
lines was only delusion. II was oil q rebel
stronghold. s-tfs'.e "a Hasa. 60 "a see.g q
L. Is thoao hs11a no dam
stream called Antietam Greek, fordable only at
distant pointa Three bridges cross It, one on
the Hsgerstown road one on the Sharpsbufg
bike, one to the left in deep recess of steeply
falling hills Hooker passed the first to reach
the ford BY which be crossed, and it was held by
Pleasanton with reserve Of cavalry during the
battle. The second was close under the Rebel
center, and no way important 70 yesterdays fight
At the third, Burnside attacked and finally cross
ed Between the first and third lay most of the
battle lines. They stretched four miles from
right TO left. ata a,a. q e.isl e5V aaI 81 gs
Unsided attack in frontwas impossible. Nc
Clellsn's forces 10y behind low, disconnected
ridees. in front Of the Rebel SUBMITS, all or
nearly al unwooded. They gave some cover for
artillery and guns we're therefore massed on the
center. The enemy had the Shepherdstown
road and the Hagerstown and sWilliamsport
road both omen 70 him in resr for retreat-
Along one or the other, If beaten, no must
ay. This. smong other reasons, determined,
perhaps. the plan Of battle which Mcclellan
finally resolved on. ,'s', % eJ }'-S.i.-
The plan was generally as follows Hooker
was to cross on the right, establish himself on
the enemys left, If possible, fanking his posi-.
ton, and to open the fight Sumner, Franklin
and NAnsfeld were 70 send their forces also to
The right, CO operating with and sustaining
Hooker's attack while advancing also nearer the
center. The heavy work In the center was lett
mostly 70 he batteries, Porter massing bis in.
fantry supports In the hollows On the tef'
Burnside VS. 70 carry the bridge already refer
red TO, advancing then BY road which enter
the pike at sharpsburg, turning at once the
Rebelleft flank and destroying he line OF re-
treat, Porter and Sykes were held In reserve
Il 4 obvious that the complete SUCCESS Of plar
contemplating widely divergent movemsnts o.
separate corps, must largely depend on accurate
timing. that he attacks should be .simultaneoul
and not successive. naa;os hfA fiese 1.e 90 80
Hooker. moved on Tuesday afternoon at four
crossing the creek at ford above the bridgs
and we'll 70 the right, without opposition. -
Fronting Southwest, his line advanced not quits
on the Rebel Aank but overlapping and threat
enine il Turning OF from the road altar passing
the stream, he cent forward cavalry skirmishsr'
straiGht into the woods and over the fields b.
youd. Rebel picksts Withdrew slovly befor'
them, firing scattering and harmless shot IT,
Turning again to the lsft the cavalry went dow
on the Rebel flank, coming suddenly close to
battery which met them with unexpected craps
and canister. II being the nature Of cavalry <
retire before batteries, this company loyalty fol
lowed the Law Of its being, and came swiftly bacl
without pursuit. \. .s.,s -, ~. o.
Artillery was sent to the 'front.' infantry va
rapidly deploysd, and skirmishers went out II
front and on either flank. The corps move!
forward compactly, Hooker Is usual reconnoi
tering in p<7sou. They came 1t last to, an ope,
grass sovn field inclosed on two sides will
woods, protected ON the right by hill, and on
tered through corn field In the rear. skir.
nishers entering these woods were instantly me
BY Rebel shots, but held their ground and
soon 10 supported advanced and cleared to
Amber Revond on the left and In 'front.' vol