Maryland free press., 1867-06-06

! A. u. OF the army states, Lee s numbers at ~
900 of all arms.
What were Genral McClellan's?
"0ur forces," b says, sat the battle of An
tietam, were, totaTn action, 81, ,l64."
Deduct "cavary dyision. 4, $780," and We hav
80, S44 Federal infntry and artillery in action.
| Deduct 4, 600 caalry from General Lees total
and We have Con faerate infantry and artiller.
in action, az, 600
Of these 33, O0a, boat 5000 did not arriv
from Harpers Ferry until the middle ofthe day
The hard fighting e the whole morning wa
really borne by abot 25, 900 in line of battle.
| More still-the min assault was against tn
Confederate left, WIRE jackson, with d, 900, NE
and repulsed 40, 00Qs
"La driJletsf" Ah,s! what would Lee have
thought of driblets sf divisions and whole corps
One of these driblea was l8, 000smen.
The truth is, thatNntil noon the Confederate!
fought more than three to one; that threughou
the action they werenever opposed by less than
two and a-half 10 orn; that Jackson, ON the left
remained nnmoved fr hours, though the enemy
threw against him ABOUT ten to one.
These, statements sAsT be regarded as ''rehe
exaggerations" Thai is not important; they
are on record, and history will protect her own
Lee might thus have retired, without impuia-
tions upon his courage might have recrossed
into Virginia and declined battle. He remained
upon the soil of Maryland and accepted it.
Sharpsburg followe& aud this great combat
we now proceed to trace in outline.
On the afternoon ofthe 10th, Lee had about
25, 900 men in line of battle, his back to Sharps
burg, his left hand touching the Potomac, his
right extending into the angle formed BY the
river and Antetam creek.
Sharpshurg is a village, in the midst of a roll
ling country, dotted with farm houses, lost in
orchards; fields divided by stone walls; and
through the valley in front of it rolls the narrow
and crooked Antietam, spanned by bridges on
the Boonsboro' and other roads.
On the high ground beyond, at the foot of a
mountain, McClellsn's numerous infantry and
artillery were drawn up, his main strength NILS
sed on the right, td strike the southern left
The plans ola general are more interesting
than the fighting OF his troops McClellan's de-
sign here was to turn the Confederate left, dri-
wing Lee into the river, and he never ceased
hammering at that I" fatal eft'' until his right
wing was nearly shattered by the hard anvil
against which this tt torhammcr struck
On the evening ofthe 10Th, Hooker. comman-
ling the Federal right; crossed the stream and
gained ground, alter sharp fighting. On the
morning of the 18th, the day of SharpSburg, he
attacked from this advanced position.
At the first streak of dawn, in the clear autumn
sky, before the variegated leaves of the forest
trees were REDEEMED hy sunrise the opposin9 aes
began to thunder.
Hooker, with Is, 600 men, and Mansfeld's S
corps, fastening forward to support him, was
the 900 men of Jackson The woods
rcverbrrated, the echoes rolled among the hills,
the feds were full of the long, crashing rattle
of musketrv, mingled with shouts and cheers -
Jackson grapp'ed with his adversary. and held
his ground go well that Hooker was wholly una
ble TO drive him back.
Such was the state ofihings when at I, jnst
aS the san was soaring above the mountain in
his rear, General Mansfield arrived and threw
bis corps into action Before this great reinforce
ment the COn:edrra'eS were pressed back, and a
roint of wonds bevond the llagerstown road as
seized by the Federals; not, However, without
terrible loss and disnrganizlrion. Jacksons loss
was frightful, but his opp4nents' worse. General
Mansfield was nIi'fsssFss wounded; GenArsI i iIo"ef
sl.lt sad hein9 borne from 'he field; the
Federal troops were breaking in spite of their
success, when the corps of Summer arrived, and
was thrown forward, just in time TO prevent a
rout.
That statement will he regarded rs Confederate
exaggeration. Hear the evidence of General
Sumner.
''On going upon the field. found that General
Hooker corps had en- dispersed aud routed
passed him, some distance in the rear, where
ne had been carried, wounded, but saw nothing
)f his corps at all as | was advancing with my
command on the field. ! sent one OF my stuff Of
icers to find where they were, and General
ticketts, the only officer we could find stated
hat lie could not raise three hundred men of the
corps"
Strange result of the great assault of Hooker
md Mansfield, with their $4,000 men, against
he 1000 of jackson!
81 saw nothing of his corDs at ALP,
"lie could not raise three hundred mnn!'
1t was IN reference to this portion of the action
hat General Sumner groanel out that the troops
we're sent i'll ''in driGlets that is, corps after
;orpS.
Such was the result on f!:c Federal side-re-
'ul with terrible loss: VI IN ;finld killed: Hooker
wounded; the line breaking On the Confed-
rate side the mortality was truly frightful.-
ienera Starke, commanding Jackso's division,
vas killed; more than half of some brgades,
nore than third of Others disabled-in mlnv
eglments there were almost no commissioned
ficers. Jackson had repulsed the great assault
'ut the ground, on which his firm foot yet rested,
vas bath I'd in the best blood of the South.
But this was the mere pref,ce-the ante cham
er to the temple of horror Pausng only to
aut and recover their breath af,er the fierce
truggle, the Federal forces reformed their line;
heers rose from the great mass, and the huge
rave rolled forward-this time bent on envelop-
ng Jackson's left and driving him back Oh the
entire.
The a'tack was met with desperation. Each
older seemed 10 feel that on his firmness depen-
ed the fate of General Lee. Jackson half faced
o the left, the two small brgades OF ITood-one
f them numbering, he says, but S64 men-rush-
d forward and filled the gap thus made on jack
on's right. In an instant the fierccst wreste of
he great day of Sharpshurg began, in the midst
f cheers, shouts, thunder and lightning.
The brush offs grand painter could alone con-
ey something like a conception of that wild
rapple. Jackson, reinforced by Hood, had now
bout 5000 men engaged in all, and these were
tubbornly breasting the great rnsh of Hooker
Iansfeld and Sumner. The odds were beyond
lortal endurace. Worn out and decimated by
he very attrition of the struggle, jackson was
eing forced back, when McLaws and Walker at
asst arrived with reinforcement then everything
nddenly changed.
Never in all the war was the value of "fresh
roops," however small their number, more con
lusivey shown.
In the twnkling ofar eye, the southern lines
Tere reformed and ce;isel retiring. Cheers rose;
volleys followed; Jackson's whole
me advanced with wild shouts, and drove the
ederal line back. Befire he stopped the ad-
ance, Jackson had forfed back Hooker more