, 1862-09-22
Gbe Gtit:t&nf,
MONDAY. SEPTEMBER q, 1868.
1KE.eREAT BATTLE OF WED
.NeSDAy.
DESPERATE AND TERRIFIC
ENCOUNTERS.
The Wh0le Rebel Force En-
gagged.
Alternate Success Of Both
Armies.
Two Hundred Thousand Troops
Engaged.
Awful Garnage on Roth Sides,
Tho Rebels era Driven from One
Position to Another.
EEnER AT. VTCTORV
The Whole Rebel Force En-
gagged.
Alternate Success Of Both
Armies.
Two Hundred Thousand Troops
Engaged.
Awful Carnage on Roth Sides,
The Rebels era Driven from One
Position to Another.
FEDERAL VICTORY.

battle r1ELu or SuARrsBURa, Nd.
Wednesday evening, Sept. II, 1869.
The greatest battle Of the war was fought
to-day, lasting from daylight TIL dark. The
g~ged for fourteen hours. Two hundred
1tousand men have fought with the utmost
determination On bo:h sides. Neither CAT
claim complete victory, but Mcclellan has
partially carried the rebel position, holding
1nost fayorab1e ground for renewing the at
tack, ard holding all the ground which Was
gained at any time during the fight.
All our own d. aa and wounded, and many
Gf the enemy's, arc ID our hauda
On the lett Of the rebel position, Hooker,
Surner and Franklin have crossed Antietam
Ertk, and have driven the enemy from the
ground they chose to cover their t1anks IN
1:ont Of our batteries, and troops have steadily
advanced and occupy tonight range OF hills
considerably beyond those first taken
On The rebel right, they have lost the bridge
over the creek, which was carried after hard
fight, apd Burnside has crossed with all his
The result Of the days fight, therefore,
thai the rcb.ls have eyerrWhere lost
r,cprd, their position is contracted. bah
1lgnke attacked with success. and their rear
and only line Of retreat se1ionsly threatened
After the brilliant victory on Sunday at
South Mountain, near Middle:own, McClel-
Ian pushed b sarmy rapidly forward, sending
cavalry md nrtillcrg out On the Hagers:own
1osd, Burnside through Fox Gap to the Sh lrps-
brsg rcad, and the rest OF his forces through
Boorehoro to Ktedysvi1le, and thence to-
Na1G SGar1seurg.
On the crest .: tie lill this side of sharps-
7urg, the enemy were discovered in great
force. Their troops had been brought down
frcm Hagerstoxn, up from HArper's Ferry,
I'll par. Of the azn,y held in EirEiuia as re-
e.rye. Lee, 1orsstrtet. Hill, and all The best
Er1 cEals left with them were there, end with
all tfhk.Tf IrhFf
Except occasional artillery contests, the
srni.s iuced cach other in quiet during tue
,ett on Mcnday.
On Tuesday there was m movement On ou7
side I'LL towards hight. The rebel. had kept
latte1iss in position, bu: thur infantry was
tain whether they were retreatiog or re-iu-
1oruin. About in the afternoon OF Taes-
day Hook6r was ordered to cross Antic
tam Creek, at the Upper ford on the rignt.
viii, bus who corps, attack the cnemy's left
aid occupy a Position on Lhgir 1Ank. He
airy ski1m:shers who were speedily driven
aaek, and then advancing with his Who'll.
ice about 6, took Possession Of strons
:ss,'uud, close TO the rebsl's l-st, and bScame
saeaged with artillery aud infantry. Dark
n.ts tndcd Itr fight with slight loss on eI;nes
ec, Booker Carrying and holding the woods
1!nu Which the caenly's fire frss came
TbcEe were Constant alarms during the
Tight, the hostile pickets bglrg close to each
s:.reF Ill alcng the line. E.riy IN the evening
1ac ,cbtls teck to Sighting among themselves
:n,n several heavy ro1'eys were delivered there
ecfOre they Cfsceycsed their mistake.
At daybtcak the tight was renewed sud
denly and vehenertlS, both sides opening fire
7cg*tber. The nuulo=r and p,sision Of the
rebel batteries the evening befJrc had dis
CLOSE d that thty were io great force on the
1igE:, aEd sECri lad b:en sent to Mcclellan to
Aks-
did MT: arrive on the tield til 10 the morning
NcC:ellan's lila1 Gf batt1e WIS brica; as fol-
lows Hooker was to cross the creek on the
right, aE bcfore slated; Summer, franklin and
Asant1le1d to co-o serxte with aud sustain his
a:;1tk. In Irent the batteries were to pusn
1o t,e made TO carry the nights on the left
Burnside was1o cross The crctk BY the bridge
aid :atack Tire rebe: right, 1noyirE On Shar5s
1urE aieo, which YVES in their rear, aud taus
cut otr thtir st1rrat. Porter and 81 kes wer4
ntld in fessrvc- The plan, If successful, must
re.nlt not merely in the defeat but tue de-
fIuc1ion or surrender Of tho Trbt1 army. The
Ert'urd is peculiar.
Thc rebel 1fue was formed on crescent
shaped ridge, which in froat slopes down iato
En- pldu,a11us valley irregulayly broken by
conne cling ranges Of hills. B.hiud the crest
titlona, sheltered By ridges and hllls, aud espa
<aally e'ronS On the tlan6s. Antictam Ceeal1
as11tam TOO deep 10 be 1or3ed excep: 10 ve1s
few I1sces, swerI,s By the base OF their POSI-
lion aic protected 1t from assault.
McClt llan'h 10rcts wcrc first formed in front
at 1warcs ttrown to the right and left Taere
is li't1c or ro grous,i on our side equal il
height 10 the 1eoc} position
H'tkcr SUSTAINED. uaafded, tue attack OF
1he rebel le1f sores. nearly fuur houra. His liut
Lad l,een termed the night before aud fougt
7o-day in the Fame order. Ricketts, diyisio.
$1fat t..$F ~. r1.9~ TYz.
seryts in 1he centcr, Doubleday's division o,
the right THESE terms are, OF COURSE, to b
understood as referring o1ly TO Hooaerse line
not to: the whule field. There was artflier
II al points. Meade gained ssonnd ia his hrs
attack.
Eickctts nlso went forward through th
woods in his front, and Doubleday, With hi
EuE>. he'd front against . htayy caanona1e
81, As:tt advancing, finally met heavy bodf q
fresh troops thrown suddenly and vigoronsl
1y14' st hios ard was driven back over part q
the round he had just VOL Ricketts, line va
4! tie saue ruie hard pressed and became dc
EeTted. Mansfield, vino had come over tn
crttk the hight ttforc, WIS osaered into tt
Tncds to Kirktttsr support, and Hxrtsufr
Brigade, par: If Doublcday's command. va
'scul 10 eus.sin Meade M4retiGld took tn
Srcatt part IF his tronps TO R.cketts' hell
hu1 tfry were una ale to extend their liae, an
IN the effort to lush for 1ard his men, Gar
MArsGeld was mof-Aily wou uded. Gen Uar1
BII =uysncrd ~ The rt;iirt OF Meade with III
1--: aa;c 18th Massachusetts anG another res
mkt Tnc TetEs1 1raLia tI,1p' were rrtiriu
IN haste aId eome confusion: 81 H.rt.uT ectze
h1:dre In front of the field over which 1h
1:ar j. were pressing, and held it In spleud,
sly: tJr more than. half an hour against
s.f;a;'y Euptri.r stack. His men behaye
7''st fniia: .ly. standing on tais txpos:
.roa: d ilrirg Steadily end never raYe1ia
<,rre.
Cen H,rsnfr
Cd. His 1.uois rctaiutd their position. an
1h:l'}- VI ths i'fec,hlou and rap{ditg Of the
1ise, compelling The euems to retreat inst1.1'
u, aIrancs.o IL purcuit, while tley la3 bee
err: Ecd. Hooker ordered up era ~ford's ~
1o'ton,e briEades to their support Ht.eu
dtu allowed in supp 3rs- 4 rcbrl oatt<rs q
1he flSht. which had brtn most annoytpc b
~ ehAiaatne IRE, was asont the sane tin
E,lsnced n1 Donsledsy,s guns, nna Hook
O1ds rcd hts ~hole line forKa.d-
Tne rebels we're driven through the cor
f. Id again Into the y. DDS beyond where tn
could not e@si1y be dI=lodged without ar:
1rry. Gtn. Hook~r who ali the morning h
htTt limsen upecr fire aud generally il /
no:,tet ut 1t, rude forward to examine l.
ground in fr.:nt iu order TO plant batter
As he rode up the bill he became a consplc
1uE marx for the reoe1 eharpshooters; tht
asrr tncrcastd very suddenly aud Gen. Hook
Waf wounded in The left loot, q bullet pas>i
= Hntirely through it. The wound WIS e1ct
= eivcl5 ecvcse aud palnlu,. and he was conn.
ca TO leave the field. Three men we're eh
down By his side ut the same moment he y y
wounded.
Up TO this time the attack has been 81
ecss. The harcest fought ground was the 3
disputed position of Houke17 7s troops. aud
last order. as be Vas bora. from the field ":
that Craeforo's md Gordon's orlgades shou
Immediately aGv~nce and caz1y the woods
the .fGht- The whole line tbad gone forwi
th the widest cheering and everythi
Tucked like complete aud speedy succe
AT this fortunate moment, Gen. Sumner
rivtd on tie field ut the head OF his yete,
corlB. Pursuing the forward movement,
led bis men Immediately g4inat the rebel ii
divisions the flower of the Peninsula ART
advanced On the right, Richardson =
french Ut q considerable interval Of the Il
lhe nfss Tolley from SedxWick's troops =
Tremendous, but 1t was answered by : heay
0nc.
Crawford bad found the ret,t,. ,n vr..+ r.,
In the woods, and was already IN need Of
sistance.: 8eogwick's hank also hec.na
Io6ed on the lett In consequences Of fhc i
1ance between him and 1he other diyisions
The rebals perceived their advantages. :
at The same lime pressing Crawford aud
fasktng on setgwick's broke CTawfoed's Ii
Xhtch fell back In confusion On Sodg~i
The s4th New York on the left was forced
give way at the tame tine, and the wo
were yielded to the enemy.
GH. eeogwick wss eevcre1y WoQnded
the shoulder. leg and wrist, but refused
- 1eaye<he field I'll his division retired.
Gan. Howard then took command md
dtrcd the division IN the nm, Nafor ss
wick, aid OF Gen. Sedgvick, wss shos thro1
the body, but ts not morfally wound
Many OF the regiments suffered eevcr,
The 18th MaEsaehusetts1o lost nine outof sev