Maryland free press., 1867-06-06

fnON ne ptSHeQ on WIN VlgOr
Eehnsyi yiyauiaawas the known ohjectlof hi
1I'I3nntii Every card in the hand of Lee wa
Saos his whole game exposed his combina
f6n5 Heated in advance. Unless the fighting
$pDthern army changed the result, th,
A. esgE I'll was as good as decided.
6nhyisnis policy of Mcclellan was to pusf
foll-x forward, break through the passes O
I;Sputff ii Mountain, relieve ITarpers Ferry, and
ldttack Lee while his army was divided into two
fpartS. He set about his task with rapidity and
Eenergy; that he did not succeed was not his
1Mult. Human nerve conquers fate sometimes,
hard fighting more than makes up for numbers
Mcclellan ought to have forced the mountain
lpasses on the 18th. lie could not do so until
Esthe 14th. He ought to have cut Lee to pieces
before Jackson arrived. He could not come Up
with him. He ought to have routed the south
ern army on the field of Sharpsburg-and that
fight, three to one was the fc!earest drawn battle
ofhistory. The nerve of the ConfeGerates more
than made up for numbers. We shall prove
that
Un1the 18th of September the great game of
che bad commenced in earnest From that
forW&rd eve-v hour was to be big with events !;
evegHRanoven 40 of the adversaries was counted.
McQldflan W, pushing after Lee, intent on re-
lieyIng Harp5fs Ferry, and cutting his great
opEouent to pieces. The hard and stubborn
muscle of the Virginian had turned many a
swords edge-but it seemed that at last the wea
pom was heavy and sharp enough to accomplish
itss0h9ect-tto to cut even to the dividing asunder
ofahe end marrow"
Insufer ighorance meanwhile of the great mis-
fortune Nl4frh had befallen him, General Lee
was prqsH Forward to the execution of his
plans-- 4afring doubtfully at the unwonted
confdenee % 8aYersary, but certain TO catch
him riff}fs eng. The Confederates were
in exce1lent$nlflI8ij8 j8St and laughter prevailed.
The Cavalry 78A hged near Frederick, where
Hamptof &R captured "a battery, but
the infantry 6dRfching quietly, caring lit
Onstiles HE 14th, lLee's "Order Of
Marchi WAS fI 5| IN nfoceSs of accomplishment.
hongsfreet IxEerstown wi,h,tle advance
force of the army EH. Hill was holding the
gap near Boons and small force was at
c'ramPtons 81 3a> khs on Loudoun, and Nc
Laws on Mar Nights; Jackson was in
front--South' 'gf 3{Hffs Ferry, and would at
tack.t at earl aMh Unless rcli wed that
nlght good Ryeh Hfrpers Ferry, its II, 900
mcr and 73 csEson.
Thensbeganthe struggle. Mcclellan thunder
ed In 'front.' OF BoonsboFo' and Champions gaps,
llStenngsan XlousIy forthe cannon Of Jackson.
Al eyeryssfep OF his ad dtance-which thelcavalry,
u ndfF stewart, ohstinHtelv opposed-the Federal
commantier Tired. signal guns, which said to the
omcer commanding at Nlrper's Ferry Il am
coming livery Eohr he despatched scouts
10 penetrate the lines, f,ch the Ferry, and SHY
'Hold on ;sdo not sLri iknder, will soon release
You ~
" Ihe cavalry, under Erncral Steuart, fell back
Deiore hlm, materially fmpeding his progress by
its gallant resistance, ami GAINING time for prepar.
atoms to oppose his adv fnce. ."-LEE's REPORT.
That assurance seensed reliable The enor-
nous advantage OF fknoking an adversarv's plan
and p2Sitieno oyas neverA in all the annal. ofwar
oe tteH SlaaNsnArsWltn Lbngstreet at IIagerstnwn
an tsl9e k,ri,erk Ferry, McClellap knew
wei lllak bis nlaFxmentB were free-and he pres
:ea on VIA artls,rsfp atstin the prize.
soon the stllittFtff pfhn obstinate combat rose
rom BooHshoft 4H1h where Hooker attacked
IA Ill. Succeeded sIM warning his flank, and al
lighifall had siftQg gl plsscss:on of the gap-for
which the worthrg< <lef<fal Reno dnl fifteen hun
ed men bo ,.fsSt "a. ilAt the samet time an
,nraneuert tf,ozsi,i.5ie ~ Htmpton gap, near |
,r tn tbe ptA6rnsnN N riith the same oiect-to |
,re,l, tbrouol, MT III slcror of LA "pers Ferry
Roonsbor4,is ;,s55sass : ckmbat-dvsion again 81
Ii vision -thSsfght at Champions was fasco. |
Federal svvFi fer sielfss sbfw General Franklin's
,ornsswfiji Slocnn,,s d;Ifsion on tie right and
Smiths division ON tI,e left attacked "a great
y superior force of Glnifdera'es IN the pass
orced them up the sloT'' ana aIter 'hrse nourS
lard contest carried thetc'eSt 'akihg ~ U priSoh
rs, The ssoreatlv shIerior force thus
sailed bvtwo 6ivs;onsf Twas Colonel Tom Mum
ord with ahout dred dismounied c,val-
" and ono niece ,f lcry. When the three
'rgades ofGeneral ClH' -'Ii inc ihHth'ry Una,
Il any time was anywhF near the gap-afr''cu
rom Maryland Heightsl tie crest hai occh car
led and Colonel Nnnf3rd was moving down
he west side of the mountain The enemy
lcld the gap-General 3Csbb's troops::were bad
y put in and made lItlf hSnt--Ino foo pris,
nsrs' were of his CONF ma Inc ftc's staten
ERE are surprising-butln1,V, ,, arc ttctS. nc IT,
9aorrs of General Stuart twill establish them
rwo hnndre,] mon held IN cneck two divisions.
" hen night fell ON tlf l4th, Nc Cielan had
,roken through the m ,,lh ain-or, to speak more
ccnrately. he held the laps at Boonsboro and
yramnton,s readv IN mlrch ut dawn. Al dawn
e m .rched /: but sudde1ly n long continuous
from HFpers $ Ferry. JACKSON
'Rs satfacking. Az
Mcclellan pushed forg gsard the ominous roar
HEEagEFy continueAm CESSATION. Then all
tonrc II stopped -~fos rgr JRson w& preparing
. storm the works Nsttfhis infintry That 81
ance was worse than thethunder of tine cannon,
nd the Federal commander must have compre-
ended its meaning Infect jackson had thrown
onward Pender-the assault had sjust begun
he men were rushing ohwth shouts to carry
he Federal defenccs at ihe point of bayonet-
Then all at once white Jag was seen to hutter
pom the DreaStWorkS. FUOl0net Miles had sur
endered his l,G0O men, l3, 900 stand of arms,
nd 73 pieces of artillery.
Harper's Ferry had fallen.
Fallen at tie moment when McClellan was
My short march from il, with almost nothing
etween-at the moment when Miles could al
nost hear the shouts the troops coming to his
eief; when in II few hours McLaws, ON Mary
and Heights. would have been captured
ackson would have been cut offifrom junction
With the main body, and Lee would have been
eteaed or driven across the Potomac.
At that supreme moment, when victory and
lilure were suspended in the balance, the heavy
rm of jackson fell. "Too late' was written,
in words of fame against the southern sky,
oward which the southern commander gazed.
oon he knew that his second and greatest aim
vas in like manner defa.ed.
Lee had fallen back with Hill, by way of
'oonsboro' toward Sharpsburg; Longstreet was
ummoned tc the same point from Htgerstown.
On the morning of the 10th, when Mcclellan,
ushing forward, had reached the Antietam,
pposie Sharpsburg, he had, there in front os
in on the.hills beyond the stream, both Long
treet and Jackson-retnrned from Higerstown
nd Harper's Ferry. The two halves of the
riny were once more united Lee was masSed