Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-09-23
BuFn.ide's PaF5- g .Ls afeaI BaIlls Of

last, Dy cOfIts pouucul VI tlo new AolA
Tribune, we take the following stirringre-
cital of the part taken BY the gallant Gen
eral Burnside, upon whom the great duty
of the day was devolved:
Up to three o'clock Burnside had made
little progress. His attack on the bridge
had been successful, but the delay had been
so great that to the observer it appeared as
if McClellan's plans must have been Sc
riously disarranged. Itis impossible not to
suppose that the attacks on the right and
left were meant in measure to CORES
pond, for otherwise the enemy had only to
repel Hooker on the one hand, then trans
fer his troops, and hurl them against Burn
side.
Here was the difference between Smith
and Burnside. The former did all his work
at once and lost all his men at once-that
is, all whom he lost at all Burnside seems
to have attacked cautiously in order to save
his men, and sending successively INSULT
cient forces against position Of strength,
distributed his loss over greater period
of time, but yet lost none the less in the
end
Finally, at four o'clock, Mcclellan sent
simultaneous orders to Burnside and
Franklin; to the former to advance and
carry the batteries in front of him at all
hazards and at any cost; to the latter to
carry the woods next in front of him to
the right, which the rebels still held. The
order to Franklin, however, was practical
ly countermanded, in consequence Of
message from General Sumner that if
Franklin went on and was repulsed, his
own corps was not sufficiently reorganiEed
to be depended on as a reserve.
Franklin, thereupon, was directed to run
no risk of losing his present position, and,
instead Of sending his infantry into the
woods, contented himself with advancing
his batteries over the breadth of the fields
in 'front.' supporting them with heavy col
umns of infantry, and attacking with en-
ergy the rebel batteries Immediately op-
posed to him. His movement was suo-
cess, so far as it went, the batteries main
tanning their new ground, and sensibly
affecting the steadiness of the rebel FIRE.
That being accomplished, and all hazard
of the right being forced back having been
dispelled, the movement of Burnside be-
came at once the turning point Of success,
and the fate Of the day depended on him.
How extraordinary the situation was
may be judged from moments considers
ton of the facts. 1t is understood from
the outset that Burnside's attack was eX-
pected to be decisive, as it certainly must
have been if things went well elsewhere,
and if he succeeded in establishing him
self on the Sharpsburg road, in the rebels
rear.
Yet Hooker, and Sumner, and Franklin,
and Mansfield were all sent to the right
three miles away, while Porter seems to
have done double duty with his single
corps in front, both supporting the batter
les and holding himself in reserve. With
all this immense force on the right, but
10000 men were given to Burnside for the
decisive movement of the day.
Still more unfortunate in its results was
the total failure of these separate attacks
on the right and left to sustain, or in any
manner cooperate with each other.
Burnside hesitated for hours in front Of
the bridge, which should have been car
ried at once by coup de man. Meantime
Hooker had been fighting for four hours
with various fortune, but final success.
Sumner had come up too late to Join in the
ALAuEhf hu4G4 Lis GuILlGI dLLlHdl
would probably have converted into a COM
plete success; and Franklin reached the
scene only when Sumner had been re-
pulsed. Probably before his arrival the
rebels had transferred a considerable num-
Der of troops to their right to meet the at
tack of Burnside, the direction of which
was then suspected or developed.
Attacking first with one regiment, then
with two, and delaying both fer artillery,
Burnside was not over the bridge before
o o'clock-perhaps not till g. He advanced
slowly up the slopes in his front, his bat
teries in rear covering, to some extent the
of the infantry. A desperate
fight was going on in deep rayine on his
right, the rebel batteries were in full play,
and apparently very annoying and de-
structive, while heavy columns Of rebel
troops were plainly visible, advancing as
if careless of concealment, along the road
and over the hills, in the direction Of
time that Mcclellan sent him the orders
above given.
Burnside obeyed it most gallantly. Get
ting his troops well in hand, and sending
a portion of his artillery to the front he
advanced them with rapidity and the
most determined vigor, straight up the hill
in front, on top of which the rebels had
their most dangerous battery.
The movement was in plain view of Nc
Clellan's position, and as Franklin on the
other side, sent his batteries into the field |
1t the same time, the battle seemed to open
in all directions with greater activity than
ever.
The fight in the ravine was in full pro-
gress, the batteries which Porter supported
we're firing with new vigor, Franklin was
blazing away on the right, and every hill
top, ridge and wood along the whole line,
was crested and vailed with clouds of white
smoke. All day had been clear and bright
since the early cloudy morning, and now
,his whole magnificent, uneqUaled scene,
shone with the splendor of an afternoon
September sun. Four miles Of battle, its
glory all visible, its horrors all vailed, the
fate of the republic hanging on the hour
could any one be insensible to its gran
leur.
There are two hills on the left of the
road, the farthest the lowest The rebels |
have batteries on both Burnside is order !
ed to carry the nearest to him, whichis the |
furthest from the road. His guns opening
FIRST from this new position in front, soon
entirely controlled and silenced the enc
ny's artillery. The infantry came on at
once, moving rapidly and steadily up in
ong dark lines and broad, dark masses,
being plainly visible without 8 glass as
hey moved up the green hillside.
The next moment the road in which the |
rebel battery was planted was canopied
with clouds of dust swiftly descending into
The valley. Underneath was a tumult Of
wagons, guns, horses, and men flying at
speed down the road. The flashes OfsmOke
burst now and then among them, horse,
or a man, or half dozen went down, and !
hen the whirlwind swept on.
The hill was carried, but could it be heidi
The rebel columns, before seen moving to