The National tribune., 1883-09-27
SOUTH MOUNTAIN,
And the Part the Pennsylvania Reserves Took in
the Battle.


To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
In your issue of August %, Comrads A. B.
Crnmmel, Thirtieth Ohio infantry, seems to
think his brigade of Ohio troops did nearly all
the fighting at South Mountain when the gall
liant Reno was killed Now, have no desire,
of course, to disparage the services of the Ohio
boys in that engagement, but if they will re-
feet moment. they will admit that en- front
as long as we possessed at South Mountain,
theirs would have been meager line to oppose
Longstreets "inyincibles." ] propose, there
fore, to show what we, the Pennsylvania re-
serves We're doing upon our right while the
gallant Ohio boys were engaged upon our left,
under General Reno. Hooker-"0ld Joe -
the man with no nonsense about him-was
directing the fighting on that right and it is
folly to suppose that Old Joe" would be upon
a battlefield without finding the thick CT it,
especially when supported by old Google
Eyes" Yes, General Meade was there, too,
commanding the Pennsylvania Reserves, having
broken camp on the Monocacy, on Sunday, the
14th, and passed through Frederick proceed
ing thence through Middletown, where we
halted at ] p. M, and, after resting an hour
took the Mount Tabor road. At the church
we deployed, and no sooner had we formed
than whiz came few shots from the mountain,
but, donble-qnicking, we soon passed out of
sight around the point occupied by the rebel
and as early as half past three returned the
rebel fire, but with little effect, as only the
smoke indicated the direction of the rebel
artillery. Hooker ordered the First Massachu-
setts cavalry up the valley to our right to OBJ
serve the movements of the enemy, and Cap
tain John Clark, commanding the Third regi-
ment, was placed by General Meade TO guard
the road the Massachusetts, cavalry had taken.
The other diyisons-Hatch's and Ricketts,
were present. General Gibbons brigade was
detached from Hatchs division by General
Burnside for the purpose of making demon
stration upon the enemy's center.
THE MOVEMENT of THE RESERVES.
The country in front of us {the Pennsylvania
Reserves was broken into deep guIleys or
gorges running parallel; and as we advanced
the country became still more broken until
the mountain was reached. So irregular was
the terraine, indeed, that TO keep anything like
a line was next to impossible. Here there were
great rocks to be scaled by pushing and pulling
each other up, or making detours around i'm
penetrable patches of briars that everywhere
covered those mountains. The Bucktails were
skirmishing sharply in our front, and General
Meade's orders were to "outfank the enemy
and attack him on the mountain" TO accom-
plish this 1t was necessary that this broken
country should be traversed, and that, too, in
the face of one of the best disciplined bodies of
AiiSit III thS oSfSlCb. hltdUS IiES
OF battle was: First brigade General SEYMOUR
on the right, Second brigade Colonel Mc(sil-
tom on the left, with Colonel Gallagher in the
center. Thus formed the advance was ordered
TO attack, but so dense was the forest and so
irregular the surface Of the country that the
line could not be seen on either side 100 yards
distant. The discharge of musketry was the
only Indication of our success. McNeil's Buck
tails, with their Sharp's rifles, soon dislodged
fba rphpl Sbars nd %}.a,., len
upon their line of battle. And now came the
tug of war. Our line had followed them up
closely, and at the command to charge we
rushed forward, driving them from their
covert and capturing some prisoners, besides
killing and Wounding many. Lest Comrade
Crummel should think this fancy sketch,
will say that took the blanket from my KNAPP
sack and wrapped it about poor rebel lad who
had his ankle broken by mimic, and who was
suffering terribly from the cold upon the
mountain. Isufiered considerably myself from
the loss of my blanket, yet | had no regrets
when ! remembered the thanks of the poor,
misguided boy so badly injured. And here let
me say that | at this late day look upon that
act as one of the brightest of my life.
Arriving at the crest of the mountain, a tre-
rlendons cheer was given as the scattered
enemy retreated down the other side in the
gloom of the evening Colonel Gallagher was
severely wounded in the engagement. The
Eighth Pennsylvania regiment formed the ex-
treme left OF the division and fought its way
at every step, and sustained a heavier loss than
all the other regiments of the brigade COM
bined. The Second brigade was longer in gain
ing the crest than the Others. The enemy,
finding themselves outHanked, fed in dismay,
but on account of darkness and the rough
country pursuit was impossible.
Our loss at South Mountain was I,55S-312
killed, l,234 wounded, aud % missing. The
Reserves went into the fight 5000 strong, and
lost 399 killed and wounded.
FRANK HoLSINGER,
Co. F, 6th Pa. Reserve; Bvt. Major.
ARKANSAS CITY, Mo.