The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-06-16
The BATTLE OF ANTIETAM.
Interesting Statement from ono
Of Gen. Lees Officers,


The Cincinnati Commercial publishes COM
munication from person attached to the head.
quarters Of General R. E. Lee The following
statements relating to the battle of Aptietam
are curious and interesting:
At Antietam, about o'clock in the after.
noon. when the battle ragged fiercest and the
confederate line had broken on the RIGHT. I
never saw in that usually calm countenance
agony more plainly depicted. I was Just be.
hlnd him when he rode up to q battery that
was SUBJECT TO murderous enflading fire,
and exclaimed, Maintain your position, cap.
tain. at all hazards, tor the salvation of the
confederacy depends upon it"
That night heard him say to General A. P.
Hill, General, If we had had Jackson's stray.
glers, who are across the river, the fate of the
war would have been decided to-day"
The morning of the 18th, while sitting on
my horse, in front of the Generals quarters, I
was ordered to dismount and report to him
personally. On presenting myself he said.
Take this dispatch to General jackson" Civ.
ing me small note inclosed In an envelope.
AZ started out, he spoke abruptly to me,
Young man, you will find him on the ex-
treme left; make it your business to report to
me as soon as your horse will take you there
L
at such peremptory orders, but still determined
to execute them. On my arrival at Jackson's
headquarters, situated in the woods, delivered
my dispatch. He appeared surprised, and
turning to aid-de-camp Captain Woods, re-
marked, "Can it be things are 500" He Or
dered me to accompany him back, and on the
way heard remarks such as, us it possible?"
permit it." all tending to convince me there
were things afloat concerning the previous
days fight which reflected on some one who
was in the wrong. 1t did not require long, al
ter our arrival at headquarters, to find out
what that wrong was. We will premise by
stating that after the battle Ofthe 18th, contin-
ued until as late as nine o'clock in the night,
both armies. the following morning, mutually
exhausted, RETAINED from infantry practice,
and consequently no fighting, other than ar
tillery, disturbed the day.
The night of the 18th jackson ordered one
of his brigade commanders, the I'd Louisiana
brigade, to take q position, preparatory to
renewal of the fight on the following morn
ing which was positively contrary to Lees
tempt to cross the Potomac that night. This
brigade, by its excessive picket fighting, pre-
vented the crossing of the army. Thus Lee,
incensed at Jackson. had ordered him to re-
port. Jackson's staff were indignant at the
manner he was ordered to headquarters, and,
consequently, were rather belligerent in their
expressions However, Gen. jackson was re-
words was permitted to hear would never
lead me to suppose there was single harsh
feeling existing between the two.
Shortly after this was sent across the river
to Gen. j. E. B. Stuart, who was endeavoring
to organize the immense number Of stragglers
in and about Shepardstown. His orders we're
to bring his mounted force over the river, as
fhn % .sA o. II,
that night. Accordingly, he desisted his at
tempts and Immediately came over where
Lees army was encamped near Sharpsburg.
l have remarked since that although the
Richmond papers claimed that all had been ac-
complished that was designed by the invasion
of Maryland, viz the capture of Harpers Fer
ry; yet from such knowledge and information
and my opportunities were many-I was en-
abled to CLEAN that such was not the sole OBJ
ject Gen. Lees own manner was sufficiently
indicative of great disappointment. Besides,
while We were in Hagers own, e. Governor
Enoch Lewis Lowe, of Maryland, who was in
Richmond, was expressly dispatched, to my
certain knowledge, to hasten on to Maryland,
where he was to be invested with the power of
Military Governor of the State. On his way
thither he stopped night at Winchester, and
made speech from the portico of the hotel,
there stating whittier he was going, and for
what This is well known in Winchester, and
on my arrival there, dozens of persons who
had heard the speech told me of it. Alas for
for the Ex-Governor. He reached the Potomac
just In time to welcome US back to the sacred
soil.
1t was well known among US that an attempt
would be made that night to recrOss the river.
1t was hazardous, but imperative. We were
not more than two miles from the river with
an immense wagon and artillery train, and on
enemy in the front, whose picket line extend
ed to within two hundred yards of ours. How
ever, the attempt was made about IL o'clock
P. H., and shortly after dawn the whole army
was safely across. About sunrise the Union
artillery appeared on the hills opposite shep-
ardstown.
The town was full of disorganized troops, the
roads blocked up with wagons and batteries,
altogether just such another ecene of chaos as
nowhere presents itself save when large army
has become demoralized and is on its retreat.
While things were In this condition whir-r-r.
bang, and the well-known and hateful sound Of
shell came over and around us. ] am afraid
Gen. Lees exit from that hill, where he had
halted for short time, was not executed in
his usual dignified and deliberate manner. /,
for one, though, ann free to confess it was done
all too slow for my ardent and impetuous ma
ture, As had new horse, and was naturally
desirous to try his speed but such is the force
OF military etiquette refrained from passing my
commander.
The General had been most persistently
crammed with stories of the unanimous South
ern feeling of the State. 1T needs but
our army to show itself there" argued these
Marylanders, and untold numbers Of recruits
would be added to our army-some went
As high as $4,000. Well, the resu.t-some
three hundred, all told. The soldiery had
also been told BY the Marylanders among
them to what q land of milk and honey
they were geing; everything mind could
wish for, just for the asking-indeed, without
the asking, tor it would be one spontaneous
on the heads, or rather into the stomachs, of
their brave deliverers from the Iron heel of
despotism." 1t was, therefore, with o con-
siderable feeling of genuine disgust. that they
saw themselves, in almost every instance, COM
pelled to pay for what they procured to eat.
date from that invasion the decline in popu-
larity of the before famous song of Maryland,
my Maryland" 1t required considerable nerve