The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-03-23
THE RATTLE OF ANTIETAM.

Battles of the ClVH war, Tie aSSouh1
of the battle of Antietam usually known
as the battle of Sharpsburg at
the SOUTH is written by Judge
| Walter Clark and is very
vivid and graphic narrative of that his
| toric day. This battle was fought IN
MARYLAND, ON the north bank of the Po-
tomac. 18th of September, 1862. He was
| at the time of the battle, in which he par
ticipated, lad of 10 or 16 years of age
| and adjutant of the Both n. c. Regiment
| The division to which his regiment be-
| longed was first stationed on the ex-
| treme right, to defend the passag. by
which Burnside's Corps crossed late in
| the afternoon. About nine O'Clock foam
| fiecked couriers dashed up with orders
| to move the division rapidly to the left
as the centre of the Confederate left was
slowly yielding ground under the i'm
pact of the heavy masses hurled aginst
it, Thus the division traversed nearly
the whole Confederate line of battle and
our young soldier, being a mounted Off
GER had an opportunity to survey nearly
the entire field of battle, an advantage
given to few participants in great bat
tie, their knowledge being generally limi-
ted to the restricted area over which
fights the command to which they are
attached.
The division reached the Confederate
left wing as the centre of that wing was
broken, the blue lines were pouring
through the gap and the rout of the en-
tire army seemed inevitable. The divis-
ion swung on its right pivot into line,
like gate on its hinges and closed the
breah, the hostile lines coming together
like a clap of thunder. The brigade
to which our writer belonged (Gen.
Robert Ransom's) retook the famous
West Woods just north of the Dunkard
church from which Hoods brave Texans
had just been driven out. For hours
the ''thin gray line of Confederates,
largely composed of North Carolinians,
stood the assaults Of the enemy, four sue
cessive lines of battle being broken to
pieces and driven back, each composed
of full corps.
Judge Clark criticises Lees conduct in
fighting this battle with inferior forces
with a great river at his back as vio-
lation of the principles of the Art of
War and the most faulty disposition ever
made by that great captain, and quotes
Napoleon's saying SHE has made war
only a short time who has not committed
some great blunder.' He attributes Lees
rashness to his mistake in supposing that
only a portion of McClellan's army was
in front of him and his knowledge of the
overcaution of that General. Mcclellan
on the other hand vastly overrated Lees
strength which at the time he estimated
at 10000 men.
The truth, as now known, (but which
was then hidden from the opposing gene
rals) is that Mcclellan had present 1922
900 electives and Lee only $4,000 till
the arrival of Hills Light Division and
other re-inforcements about p. M. from
Harper's Ferry raised the total to $4,000
Confederates. Hills men came in just
in time to drive back Burnside who could
easily have advanced at any earlier hour
in the day and have cut off the Confede-
rate army from its only line of retreat.
1t was On Hills advance that the brave
General l.. OBJ. Branch, of this city,
was killed.
Mcclellan is severely criticised by
Judge Clark, who points out that if he
had sent in his successive corps, in quick
succession, one after the other, they
would have shattered the single Confede
rate line like the blows of mighty trip
hammer, for the Confederates had no
reserves. But the space left between
the successive assaults gave the Confede-
rates breathing spell and time to reorgan-
ize, to carry off the wounded and get in
fresh ammunition. During the battle,
Mcclellan telegraphed to President Lin
coin, zone of the greatest battles, and
possibly the greatest in all history is now
in progress" His great respect for Lees
ability acquired in the old army, and
heightened by the recent defeats he had
sustained in the Seven Days Fight
around Richmond added to his natural
caution and his great overestimate of
Lees forces alone saved the Southern
army from humiliation Had its lines bro
ken again at a single point it had no re-
serves and it could not possibly have re-
crossed the river, by single ford, in the
face Of victorious enemy. 'The army"
Judge Clark says, cat no time so closely
escaped destruction. Had Grant been
in command, instead Of Mcclellan, he
would have pounded us to pieces the first
10, III la1 Io l. 4