The record-union., 1897-10-31

have made up pretty near half the
army.
The Union regiments were we'll filed
at that time, and there were none OF
them so reduced as that South Carolina
regiment of rebels that is reported as
having gone into action with forty
eight men. When they had the chance
to fight they fought bravely The
army was probably affected by the ap-
prehension of the commander that he
was facing a superior force, and it
must have been depressed by the
knowledge that the fight was made a
day too late and then without effective
cooperation of the right, left, and CEN
ter. Before the battle was ended, how
ever, the rebels were $4,000 stronger
than when it began by the addition of
the force that had been diverted to
capture Harper's Ferry, and when it
was over Mcclellan had taken 5000
prisoners, reducing Lees army to that
extent in addition to his losses in killed
and wounded
One brave soldier, who held command
under McClellan-Sumner of the Sec
ond Corps-had a conviction on the
night of the 18th, the day before the
battle, that the attack on the right
ought to be more vigorous than Hooker
and his corps could make it. He went
to the Pry House, where Mcclellan had
his headquarters, and proposed that he
should be allowed to move after Hook
el in the morning and be ready to sup
port his attack on the rebel left. Nc
Clellan heard him, and answered: "Come
and see me in the morning
Sumner aroused his corps at daylight
AT o'clock they were fed and under
arms ready to march. Sumner went
again to the Pry House. Mcclellan was
not yet up, nor had he left orders to
be given to Summer. The wait was
interminable to Sumner, and his mind
was following Hooker, who was then
about to make his attack on the rebel
line About 1880 o'clock Mcclellan de-
scended from his bedroom Summer
advanced rapidly to meet him, but was
received with the clam remark: II do
not think it best to make the disposition
Of your corps that you have suggested
Sumner went back to his corps and
waited until long after Hooker had be-
gun to fight, in fact. until he had been
demoralized dispersed, practically
beaten for the lack Of just such sup
port that Sumner would have given
him. Then, at an hour much too late,
his corps went into the fight at the cen
ter to encourage some of the men who
had not long before helped to repulse
as eager and brave body of men as
ever went into g. battle. 1t was Sum
ner's opinion that if his suggestion had
been carried out, the rebel right would
have been overwhelmed. and that it
would have been comparatively easy
to complete the victory over them by
a timely attack on the rebelsright.
West of Sharpsburg about two miles
is the Shepherdstown ford and BoteEer's
ford, across which, after the fight was
over and Mcclellan was still in doubt
as to whether he would resume the at
tack, Lee deliberately moved his army
back into Virginia. People who have
lived thereabout all their lives say that
the scene is unchanged. There was a
hot fight as this crossing between the
rebels and the Union forces, fought des-
perately by the rebels, who had the ad-
vantage of superior position and the
stimulation of the idea of repelling in
vasion.
There are few monuments at Ante
TAM Beside that of the Ninth New
York there is a very handsome one to
the Philadelphia Brigade, on the high
ground over which the Second Corps
fought and in which the brigade lost
about 450 men.