The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1886-07-09

tais way that Lee beat Mcclellan at Sharpsburp
l nave made quite digression to expose som,
false statements that have been repeatedl,
made.
1t was impossible for Leo to supply his army
"i'h ammunition and rations for any length o.
ttme North of the Potomac. a sudden rain
ana rise In the river would have imperilled his
army. Already both horses and mon were on
ha'f rations. AS Mcclellan failed TO accent
Lees offer of battle on the 18th, our army was
ordered to cross the Potomac that night The
| Macpeth reached the river before twilight
and there we remained till dawn the next
morning. The infantry began to enter the
river as we drove up, and as the ford was deep
the crossing was slow. We were in our 50 d.
dies all night, expecting every moment
that we would be ordered forward
as we neared the Southern bank of the Poto
mac an exhausted horse in a battery in our
front fell. lie was too weak 10 pull out Of the
water. Gen. Lee riding out of the river iust
| then' watched the Intellectual efforts to put the
leeole animal on its feet, said, ''every minute
Is worth an hour to us. Roll him out Of the
| way. Tho horse went into the river md Lee
| and his men moved on
Three roads led from the r;v.r IN ,b. w.,
GINA side. For nearly mile the upper one ran
| along the waters edge, between a high ridge
| anu the river; at Shepardstown it deflected
from tho river at an angle of about forty-fye
aegrees and ran in n northwest direction TO
Martinsourg. The lower road made about the
same angle with the Potomac and ran in n soutb.
west direction to Charlestown, q place made
historic by the execution Of John Brown, of
harpers Ferry notoriety. The Central Road
ran directly to Winchester. Retreats always
have demoraliziug tendency. Crossing the
river at night-troops getting scpar atod
from their comrades-had O most unhappy
effect on Lees army. The army took
tho upper route, leading to Martinsburg
but thousands of our troops who got away from
their commands in crossing the river, followed
the lower road to Charlestown. Lieut.. Porter
came out Of the river with tho four guns that
came out of tho fight unhurt, and L" falling in "
behind this crowd of lest soldiers on the lower
road, went on to Charlestown and thence to
Winchester. Capt. Boyce, Lieut. Jeter and the
writer, by some means were thrown with tho
two disabled guns that got separated from the
battery in crossing the river, We followed the
army along the upper road. 1t would have
been serious matter for us hal Mcclellan dis
covered "rretreat in time to have planted some
the iotoaao as ne did later in tse da9 ... Of
disabled some Of our guns 80 as to have blocked
the road whore it leaves the river at Shepards- 1
town. The ridge to the left Of the road shut us
in beyond the possibility Of esoape.s As we
assembled the hill to Shepardstown looked back
to see II the Federsls were pursuing. The sun
was just rising. No Federals were in sight.
In going through Shepardstown we passed
the graves Of Dawkins, Miller Tand Rogers,
who had fallen two days previous at Sharpsburg.
It was sad to think that these gallant men who
stood by our side few days before, as huoyant
with hope as any Of the company, would NO
more share with US the joys of victory or the
humiliation Of defeat, or the trials, privation Q
and hardships Of q soldiers life. Just north or
Shepardstown we overlook Lees army resting
on either side Of the road. The Macbeth was
not there. A road leaving the one along which,
which We had just marched and ronning paral-
lei withsthe Potomac, entered the lower road q
few hundred yards from the ford. was or
dered TO follow this road in search Of battery .
At its junction with the road leading to-
Cliarlestown, I heard that Porter had gone ON
towards that place. BY this time the Federals
had planted some batteries on the hills ia st
over the riveran were sheling our side Of It
furiously. Ipassed back under this fre Fitz
John Porter pushed his corps across the river
under the cover of these guns He met with q