The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-27

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yards and farm Enclosures at Miller's. and
the shells have changed TO shrapnel ana
men are dropping fast, the entire right
wing of the Sixth is across the pike n
wading through that westward field. tall,
many Of them, as the waving corn, and
despite the vicious spatter of lead. just
about as unbending. Still southwark goes
the long line of the corps, four brigades In
the foremos rank. four coming up in their
rear, and still those believing batteries
alone appear in front. No infantry is Wis
ible. Then up the pike, just as at Gaines
vile, comes galloping Battery "B, and
into the farmyard it turns, and there,
whirling the guns in line to the south. de-
livers its resonant answer. Telling takers
are these boomers of Campbelfs in this
fiery debate. The infantry lines are well
forward now. the left just breasting the
cornfield, so that the spherical case goes
whistling over their heads and bursting
among the Southern guns. The Sixth is
just striding out from the cornfeld and
into the woods to the west of the road
when, sudden as a thunderbolt. there bursts
on the ear the crash of an infantry volley,
and from front and right flank. so close
that the smoke jets forth in their faces,
a low-aimed lead storm shrieks through
their ranks and down goes half the wing
many, too many, biting the dust. Then
blaze the whole west wood and the hedge
row south of the cornfeld, and all from an
unseen foe! Flesh and blood cannot STAND
such a gale in the open. Ducking, bending
double, rolling. crawling, but turning to
fire as fast as they can reload, the sur
vivors swing back to the highway, rallying
instantly at the edge OF the field, and there'
fiat on their faces, they, too, take vigorous
hand in the fight, while Patrick's men,
close at their heels, rush in to prolong the
line to the right and fill the gaps at the
front. Five minutes-and both woods, east
and west, and the intervening cornfelds are
in dense clouds of sulphur smoke, for Rick
etts, too, has come up with his division on
the left of the corps, and a battle or giants
is on.
But vain are the efforts Of Hookers
brave men. Three fine disciplined divisions
he has led to the field, thinking to turn an
exposed left flank, while Mansfield. with
his new Twelfth Corps, supports the attack
and the main army. advancing in force
along the line of the Antietam, covers and
holds the long Confederate front extending
La ~ kAS 9OoNAl Va NAS
to blame nobody will say, but not until
Hooker's right division is swept by tapping
fires and fattened out by the fierce storm
of lead; not until Meade and Ricketts,, far
Their to the east, have charged again in line
with Doubleday's left; not until the corn
fields are slashed as. though with giant
sickle and leveled to earth, and strewn thick
with the dead and dying; not until Double
day. not whipped, but brought to a stand,
is fairly battling for breath. CO the brigades
of Mansfield appear at the east, coming
late into action, and even then by no means
prepared. Closed in mass and with crowd
ed intervals, they stride from the woods
and strive to deploy. But many battalions
are new and unskilled. and before the bril-
gade can be brought into line gallant, gray
headed old Mansfield drops dying from his
horse. Williams succeeds to command, but
before Hooker half finishes giving his or
ders he, too, commanding all troops at that
moment west of the stream, is stricken
and borne from the field, stripping 1t there
by of both corps commanders and leaving
the right to the care Of men ignorant Of
McClellan's plans and confronted by the
best fighters in the Southern host.
Oh, the pity of it! Half the horses of
Battery 'B" are stretched on the field in
front of the farmhouse. Full a third of the
gunners are down. Campbell, the captain,
is shot from his saddle. Half the right
wing of the Sixth is gone. Half the COM
manders are now killed or wounded. Not
a lieutenant colonel Is left in the Iron Bri-
gade. Allen. Bragg and Bachman are
borne from the line, the last named to his
soldier grave. The lone effort Is ~fruitless
save for its glories and the fierce punish
ment given the foemen in front. There, in
deed, is destruction equal to this in the
cornfields and along the Hagerstown pike.
No wonder Old Jack bows his head In grief
and supplicatIon. Again he has lost both
division commanders. Lawton and Jones
being wounded. Again. as at Gainesville.
has Starke taken command when his chief
is borne to the rear, and now dies at his
post in less than the hour. shot through by
three bullets. So, too, falls Douglas, head
ing Lawton's brigade, and with almost
breaking heart Jackson sends word to his
beloved general that half the commands of
Lawton and Hays and fully one-third of
Trimble's are killed or wounded, as are all
r~egimental commanders but two. Thank
God, tits their last fight with the Iron Bri-
gade!
With the rest of the battle we have moth
ing to do. Before breakfast is over at the
Pry house, where sit Little Mac and the
big staff, Hooker's fight on the right flank
is over and done. Then another is started
in front of the east wood, and later Others
occur along the line to the south, and wher-
ever a corps is sent in to attack Lee scrapes
up a corps to meet and repell it. Concerted
action might have given the Union a need.
ed, a much needed, victory, but concert
there is none. One splendid and disciplined
corps has been held in reserve, and when
toward the last, the serene young general.
in-chief, never excited or hurried, never
able to see flaw in his own dispositions
seemed yielding to pressure and about
sending them in he hearkens to the words
of their brilliant commander, so said vet.
eran regulars at the time: Remember
general. I command the last reserve of the
Army of the Potomac"
And so night settles down, and Lees lit
tie army, superbly led, has beaten back in
succession the scattered attacks of Nc.
Clellan's overwhelming force, sent in, sc
many at a time, to the end that, in spite
of hard fighting and devoted courage or
part of officers and men, the day is a fail.