Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-11-14
A MARYLANDER'S ACCOUNT OF THE BAT
TIES IN THAT STATE.

of the late battles to friend in Charles
town, Mass, in which some of the false
newspaper accounts are corrected. He
says:
Far too little has been made at the
North of that weeks perils, achievements
and consequences. Crafty insinuations,
ungenerous silence and even dark suspic-
ions have been all that from some quar-
ters men that claim to be loyal and just
have offered to that patriotic general and
his army in return for their services 1t
has been a sore trial, grievous dis
appointment to loyal Marylanders to see
this. Men will yet be ashamed of this.
History will in due time repair the
wrong
THE battles of South Mountain and An
tietam were fearful lattles and glorious VIC
tories,-no matter who, North or South,
may disparge the perils, military skill,
the great success and the vast advanta-
ges that characterized them. To any one
who knows TIE South Mountain, its roads
and passes, its capabilities of defense,
the full time and means of the invading
enemy to fortify the mountain, the
achievements of the national army in
storming those heights must always appear
as one of the most remarkable in military
history. The rebels had no idea of their
ever being driven from its Businesses.
Their defeat there on Sunday, Sept A.,
utterly surprised them, and sent a panic
into considerable portion of their forces
Boonsboro and Hagerstown!
"The battle of Antietam on the l7th
was nevertheless a terrific one The en-
cmy had in every possible mode published
their resolve and firm expectation to hold
Maryland Their public, formal procla-
nations, and the constant declarations of
officers and men in private conversations,
were all to this effect. The fight of
Wednesday began almost before the dawn
by fearful cannonading whose sounds
in couple of hours were literally drown
ed in the yet far more fearful peals Of
musketry-raged all day. That fight
was won; but not till again and again
that day our ranks, often of new troops,
had been broken and some of our bra.
vest, most fighting generals had been
forced to dread utter defeat in their own
parts of the line Of battle,-in all about
four miles long. Nothing saved oul
army and ?ur cause that day but the en-
tbusiastic devotion and confidence tht
men and officers felt towards General Nc
ClelIan; and his skill and daring perse
verance. An army dishearten<d by re
cent defeats, or in many of its parts com
posed of men not then one month in thu
service, were thrown forward on an army
equal or superior in numbers, quite as
we'll armed, as q whole--more thoroughly
drilled, long in service and full OF despe-
rate valor (for no one need deny this vir
tue to the enemy,) who fought like dem
ons, as one of our officers said to me =
an army suddenly checked indeed, bu
impelled by the very fear of the consc
ouences to themselves and their cause, o
defeat and expulsion from Maryland =
against such foe did Mcclellan leac
his soldiers. And they won that fight
won it clearly and fully, but just won it
i, and no more.
"The victory was clear and entire. Gu
forces held most of the battle field tha
night, and permanently. The eyes tha
saw the dead of the defeated army lyini
thick on that sad plain the next day, sa,
with whom lay the victory and hoy
complete it was. But our hospitals, ant
the rows Of fresh graves, and the man.
Union dead yet lying unburied on Thurs
day evening, told at how fearful cos
the victory had been won. Two weeks
rapid marching. and one week of fight
ing had well nigh broken down our army
! The cost to us of Wednesdays struggl
, had been very SORE The enemv, thoug
, defeated, we're not routed. They were i
, good order, and desperate temper. Thel
would have been great risk in our wear
and thinned army rushing on them ;