Smyrna times., 1867-09-18
Anniversary Of Antietam.

The anniversary of the battle of Antietam
was celebrated on the battle ground yesterday.
Among the guests were President johnson,
Secretary Seward, Secretary McCuloch, and
Secretary WelleS, Postmaster General Randall,
Representatives of fforeign countries with mem
bers of the House OF Representatives and 9TH
er officials
This great battle took place FIVE years ago,
and was only equaed in Importance by Gettys-
burg and Lee 3 surrender. 1t was one of the
great struggles for the nations life.
A defiant rebel army, flushed with the vic
tories of the Peninsula, and fresh from the car
mage of the second Bull Run, had assumed the
Offensive-invaded Maryland, and threatened
to lay waste the fertile fields and desOlate the
homes of Pennsylvania. Discouraged by de-
feat and bad generalship, our troops had re-
formed their shattered ranks, after the terrible
disaster of Manassas in August, once more to
meet the enemy and drive him back across the
Potomac. They had little to nerve them for
this contest save the consciousness that on them
depended their country fate. The tide of mis-
fortune mast be rolled back.
! On the night of the 10th of September, 1862,
the troops of both armies, with arms in their
hands, faced each other through the night so
close, as correspondent described it at the
time, that they could look into each others
eyes. The deadly work commenced on the
right before the dawn. 1t closed on the left at
night, amid the deepening shadows oftwilight,
which fell upon both armies as a blessing from
heaven. How thrilling were the recitals of the
fearful contest. correspondent, describing
the fight on the right, and speaking Of the con,
dtiOn OF affairs in the carly part of the after
noon, writes:
The field and its ghastly harvest, which the
Reaper had gathered in those fatal hours, re
H..
lost and won. The dead are strewn so thickl,
that as you ride over it you cannot guide your
horses steps too carefully. Pale and bloody
faces are everywhere upturned. They are sad
and terrible, but there is nothing which make.
ones heart beat so quickly as the implorin,
look of sorely wounded men, who becEon wea-
rily for help which you cannot stop to give.
The same writer describes the scene visible
from McClcllan's s headquarters late in the af
ternoon:
The fight in the ravine was in full progress
the batteries in the centre were firing with new
vigOr, Franklin was blazing away on the right
and every hilltop, ridge, and wood along tn,
whole line was crested and veiled with whit
clouds Of smoke. All day had been clear an,
bright since the early cloudy morning, and nov
, the whole magnificent, unequaled scene Shon
with the splendor of an afternoon Septembe
: sun. rour mlleS OF Dattle, ltS glory all visible
its horrors all hidden, the fate OF the Republi
hanging on the hour-could any one be insen
sible to its grandeur?
Sill later. The sun is touching the horizon
and Burnside, who commenced late, is still hot
ly engaged on the left His messenger ride
up to Mcclellan with the message, Il wan
, troops and guns. 1t you do not send them
, cannot hold my pOsit on half an hour" Nc
Celan can send him only battery and an ia
junction to hold his ground at every cost. H
succeeds in doing this until night which nea
|. ends the strife, but it is not known until morr
ing that victory has been won, so close an
i uncertain has been the contest. Mcclellan
his bulletin of two days after states our loss @
j 2,0l0 killed. 9,4l6 wounded, aud l,043 mil
2 sing, making a total of l2.469.