Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1862-09-23
The Fight on the Left Wednesday

description o. Burnside part in the great bat
tie of Wednesday
Up to 3 o'clock Burnside had made little pro
gress. His attack on the bridge had been suc-
cessful, but the delay had been 30 great that to
the observer it appeared as If McClelan's plans
must have been seriously dsarranged. 1t is
impossible not to suppose that the attacks on
the right and left were meant to correspond, for
otherwise the enemy had only to repel Hooker
on the one hand then transfer his lroops and
hurl them against Burnside.
Here was the difference between Smith ana
Burnside. The former did his work at once,
and lost all his men at 0nce-that is, all whom
he lost at all Burnside seems to have attacked
cautiously in order to save his men, and sending
successfully insufficient forces against position
OF strength distributed his loss over greater
period of time but yet lost none the less in the
end.
Finally at clock Mcclellan sent smulta-
neous orders to Burnside and Franklin to the
former 10 advance and carry the batteries in his
front at all hazards and 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 practically counter
manded, in consequence Of a message from Gen.
Sumner that il Franklin went on and was re-
pulsed his own corps WAS not yet sufficiently re-
organized to be depended on as a reserve
Franklin, thereupon, was directed to ran no
risk of losing his present position, ard, instead
81 sending his infantry into the woods, on.ent
ed himself with advancing his batteries over the
breadth Of the fields in front, supporting them
with heavy columns OF infantry, and attacking
with energy the rebel batteries mmeIatcly op
posed to him. His movement was a success, 50
tar as it went the batteries maintaining their
new ground and seusIbly affecting the oteadness
Of therebel fire. That being once accomplished,
and all hazard OF the right being again forced
back having been dIspelled, thu movement Of
Burnside became Ut once the turning poin, OF
success, and the fate Of the day depended on
him.
How extraordinary the situation wa, may BE-
Judged from moments consideration OF the
facts, 1t is understood that from tn outset
Burnside attack was expected to be decisive,
as it certainly must have been if things went
well elsewhere, and II he succeeded in establish
ing himself on the Sharpsburg road in the rebel
rear.
Yet Hooker, and Sumner, and Franklin, and
WIIt All hClll W tuC llEiA bilIN AlllI1
away, while Porter seems to have done double
duty with hs single corps il front, both sup
porting the batteries and holding himself in re-
serve. With all this immense force en- the right,
but 10000 men were gwen 10 Burnside for the
decisive movement OF the day
Still more unfortunate in its results vas the
total failure Of these separate attacks on the
right and left to sustain, or IN any manner CO.
operate with each other. Burnside hesltated
for E0urs in ront OF the bridge which should
have been carried at once by coup de man.
Meantime Hooker had been fighting for four
hours with various fortune, but final sue
cess Sumner had come up too late to Join in
the decisive attack which his earlier arrival
would probably have converted into complete
success and Franklin reached the scene only
when Sumner had been repulsed. Probably be-
/ fore his arrival the rebels had transferred con-
siderable number of troops To their right to
meet the attack of Burnside. the direction of
which was then suspected or developed,
Attacking first with one regiment, then with
two, and delaying both for artillery, Burnside
was not over the bridge before 2 ocloCk-per-
haps not till g. He advanced slowly up the
slopes in his front, his batteries In rear cover
lll1, s1IUt tAltubs VIC VI thV
ry. desperate fight was going on in deep
rayine IN his right, the rebel batteries were IN
full pay and, apparently, very annoying and
DESTRUCTIVE, while heav7 columns OF rebel troops
were plainly visible, advancing as II careless OF
concesnent. along the road and over the hills
in the Erection OF Burnside forces. IL was at
this point of time that Mcclellan sent him the
order ABOVE given
Burnside obeycd it most calamity. Getting
his trgps well in and, and sending por ion
3 Of his artillery to the front, he advanced them
with ,apidity and the most determined yigor,
straight up the hill in front on the top OF which
: the reels had maintained their most dangerous
u battery. The movement was in plain view OF
NlcCalan's position, and as Franklin on the
other ,Ide sent his batteries into the field about
the .3me time, the battle seemed to open IN all
directions with greater activity than ever.
Th6eht IN the ravlne was in full progress,
the b4.teries which Porter supported were hiring
o. wlthtsy yigor, Franklin was blazing away on
9, the r,ht, and every hilltop, ridge and wood
, along ,he whole line was crested and yaileC
with white clouds Of smoke. All day had beer
clear md bright since the early cloudy morning
!" and low this whole magnificent, unequae,
. scene ShOhe Win tue ePl0Huol Va a." u "N''
~ Septnber sun Four miles OF battles, Its glo
d nv al visible its horrors all vailed, the late
y the Repnbc hanging on the hour-could an,
Nc one o. insensible of its granduer,
a. a, There are two hills on the lett OF the road
DO the + rtbest the lowest The Rebels have bate
rte. m both. Burnside is ordered to carry tn
u! nearest 10 him. which IS the furthest from tn
W. ~, road His guns opening first from this new pc
WI sitn in front, soon entirely controlled and S
's Y, lenod the enemy's artillery. The intanlT
c1 can. on at once, moving rapidly and steadll
ed up Iong dark lines, and broad, dark masses BE-
ing plainly visible without a lass as they move
Ova the green hillside ,..,n,
mo next moment the road in which the Reb
.,. battery was planted was canopied with clou'
D"' Of lust swiftly descending into the valley VI
b. beneath was a tumult OF wagons, guns, horse
,rts au men flying at speed down the road BIZ
Rl.g.