The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-11-17


center. and half-right-a face of q
portion of the troops there, and McClel.
Ian now pushed forward some of his bat.
teries until they had the range of this
sunken road. Grape and canister went
screaming and shrieking through the
massed Confederates, and not one half of
them escaped from the trap. Citiyens
here who looked down into that sunken
road the next day after the fight, and
before corpse of all those thousands on
that bloody field had been buried, tell me
that it was the most awful sight men had
ever looked upon.
IT WAS A SLAUGHTER Pen
And worsc yet. Heads, arms, legs, feet,
hands and bloody trunks of mangled hu.
manity filled the road from bank 10 bank,
and old soldiers looked down from the
banEs and turned away sick at heart.
BURNsIDE's BRIDGE.
They call it by that name TO this day.
1t is..a stone bridge overth he Antietum, and
in crossing it from McClellan's battle line
to Lees position there is deep cut in
the hills rs the road rises TO surmollnt the
range: McClellan's right and center had
moved forward and fought At noon
Hooker had pushed Jackson Il mile and
q half and the center had advanced
mile, forcing Lee to change his headquar-
ters to brick hcuse half mile back Of
the town. Had Burnside advanced at 8
o'clock in the morning Lee would have
been driven at every point. His right
was terribly weak, as I4ongstreets men
strung olt all the way from the bridge
to Harpel's Ferry. The order was to
carry the bridge, but there is no point
for quarter of mile up or down that
a soldier could not ford and keep his
cartridge box dry. A skirmish line was
sent forward, a few shots were fred and
that WAS Burnside's effort to carry
out orders. AT 9 Hooker had lost
1000 men, and burnside had hardly fired
gun. At 10 the center had lost 1000
men. and Burnside had not killed a
Confederate. At II lie was where day
light found him. AT noon Federals lay
dead, and Burnside had not lost man.
lie is dead now, but he lived TO have
historians ask him if he was not cowardly
seeking new downfall for Mcclellan by
thus cowardly refusing to obey orders.
At o'clock Col. Kay was ordered by
Mcclellan to force the bridge with
Burnside's troops if Burnside would
not lead them himself, and then the side
whiskered General moved. What was
in front? The answer is that two single
Federal regiments carried the bridge in
ten minutes as soon as let loose Lee
had been sending trops TO aid Jackson,
and his contempt for Burnside was shown
in placing less han 800 men to guard
this approach to his right.
HOLDING BACK.
Burnside had the bridge, but Lee held
the heights above. One rush would
have captured his guns or driven them
through;the town, but Burnside advanced,
halted, advanced, fought faintly and
finally sent back for reinforceH,cnts when
he-had five men to Longstreet's one. 1t
is bitter pill to swallow, but history has
written the prescription. Some Of the
guns on the height had no support what
ever. One rush from brigade would
have cleared half mile of the ridge.
AROUND THE BRIDGE.
can count fifty bullet marks on the
bridge, although part Of the present
structure is new. From the creek below
q dozen muskets were fished out only
ter days ago. Bullets can be Gug out of
the clay banks beyond, and as / climb
the road and turn into the pasture lands
l find the scare ofwar on every tree and
rock. But j. was mere skirmish here.
WHERE TIE WHEAT GROWS HIGHEST.
Over between where the Sunken Road
dcbouches into the pike and the road
skirting the woods where Hooker fought
is where the wheat grows highest. Here
the Confederate brigades of Walker and
McLaws hurried into the fight as Jackson
had lost all hope. There was cornfield
here then. In the morning the stalks aud
down stalk and leaf and husk where red
with the ssPattered blood, and corpse out;
numbered the corn hills. Battle lines did
fought until they were absorbed. When
Burnside had lost fifty men on the right
more than 1000 of Hooker and Mansfield
lay dead in this field, which now growa
wheat so tall that can hardy reach the
riped heads.
PORTERS RESERVES.
From the bunker Church I can see
across the valley 10 where the right OF
Porter's $4,000 reserves lay all that day
behind the dark pines without iiring q
shot. Mcclellan was blamed for not
using them. He did use them. They
were n menance to Lee. But for
them he would have pushed over Burn
side bridge and struck Burnside in flank
and crushed him back in the center.
But for them men whom Jackson sent
down the Snnken Read would have
| struck McClellan's center in flank and
rear. Only for them Lee would have
held his lines and invited attack next
day. Sharpsburg was drawn battle
Burnside could have made it rout fol
Lee.
BAGGING LEES ARMY.
What n storm the North raised be.
cause Mcclellan did not bag Lees army
Hooker, Mansfield and Sumner driven
back 10 their battle line of the morning
Burnside plotting, hestating-the cen
ter having enough TO hold its owD, and i!
was Mcclellan who would have been
bagged but for the menance ofthe reserves
lying along the Red Hill. There was Q
great flaunt made of Lees army being
demoraliZed. Demoralized armies dc
not go into camp rs he did that night
within cannon shot of his battle line
! and coolly wait for river to fall and
uncover ford. He waited and showed
his teeth. When he retreated he fastened
his teeth into the flesh of those that fol.
lowed. When our advance guard push.
ed on after that "demoralized" army the
Potomac.ran red with the blood of Porter'i
men. | pull off my boots and wade the