Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-06

~ y : the field lying ad-
jacent and the
scene Of the same struggle which caused
the slaughter at Bloody Lane. That was a
long line OF PROSTATE men which eyewit-
nesses, Judging offhand from appearances,
named the dead Regiment"
The key Of the Confederate position on
their left flank at Antietam was an eleva-
ton in the vicinity of the woodland desig-
mated the west wood along the turnpike
near Dunker's Church. Some of the choic-
est troops of the south were massed there
the fiery Hoods splendid division, Stuart's
cavalry in its prime, the famous Washing
ton artillery and Stonewall Jackson's origi-
nal Army of the Shenandoah. Lee him
self, Jackson, Longstreet, ID. II. Hill and
Hood were there in person-the spot where
the battle was to be decided. On the Con
federate front OF that position upward Of
quarter of mile east Of the turnpike and
the long strip Of woods parallel to it was
small group of timber known in the battle
reports as the least wood" The space be-
tween these two pieces of woods was cleared
ground, partly pasture or meadow, partly
stubble and partly covered with tall stand
ing corn--that is. the corn was standing
when the battle opened, but long before the
end it had gone down as if under the blast OF
q terrible storm. The Confederate line ex-
tended in direction generally north and
south, the troops facing eastward. The
Union columns were approaching on the
north and east, and in order to hold them
at arms length the Confederates threw
their skirmishers into the east wood, and
bloody collision resulting naturally from
that maneuver decided the nature of the
combat over the whole field throughout the
memorable day of Sept. II.
Fighting Joe Hooker set the ball in mo-
ton ut an early morning hour by marching
his corps southwark along the pike. His
line of battle extended east and west at
right angles to the Confederate The Con-
federates were of course the strongest near
the pike and the west wood, where their
masses and reserves lay, and they checked
Rockers advance in that quarter so effec-
tually that his left columns, moving down
on the east wood and the open space be-
tween that point and the pike, got ahead
and started an independent fight in the
east wood and along the northern edge of
the cornfeld. Those troops on Hooker's
left were Meade's division. Lawton's di-
vision of Confederates were hidden in the
corn, with their skirmisbers posted in the
east wood. Meade's brigades came to a
halt along farm fence that separated the
cornfield on the north from an open field
and ridge, over which they marched and
where they dropped their artillery to 60
into battery and stand ready, when want
ed, either to cover retreat back over the
ridge or toss shell ahead to clear the way
for advance.
Meade's left brigade -Seymour's-struc
the east wood, and close and deadly shoot
ing instantly broke out between Lawton's
soldiers on one side of the wood and Sey-
mour's on the other Hooker's artillery
back on the ridges meanwhile threw shell
and occasionally canister into the corn.
Meade's brigades along the fence, west of
the little woods, were Anlerson's and Ma
jlton's Resting under fair shelter they
poured bullets into the corn on the flank of
Lawton's men, and the latter quickly
turned from attention to Seymour, who
was getting terrible punishment and adj
vanced northward to the ferice. A wild and
unequal but frightfully bloody contest then
ragged for an hour over the whole angle
formed by the east wood, the west wood
and the ridge where Hooker's batteries lay
Majiton's brigade backed off from the
fence to move around the east wood and
give support to Seymour. Lawton's men
saw the gap made in the Union line by
Majilton s withdrawal and rushed for it as
blindly as sheep over wall.
Ransom's Union battery was on ridge
just behind the gap, and the impetuous
southerners clambered over the rails, bay
onet in hand, to capture the guns. Ransom
opened with canister, moving down the
men in gray, who fell like the stalks of corn
behind them under the sameiron hail. Sey-
mour's men in the woods on Lawton's ex-
posed flank found easy shooting in the new
turn OF affairs. Majilton's fresh ranks
united with Seymour's, and the two bril-
gades, firing from the east side of the
angle, with Anderson's men on the north
side beyond the gap aiming obliquely,
caught the lucklcss Confederates in pen,
from which retreat was as deadly as adj