The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-10-14
THE OFFICIAL FIGURES
or the Great But Indecisive Battle
Of SharpsburS.


Of Sharpsburg.
Our esteemed contemporary in its
local department has printed story
that rivals Baron Munchausen in its
marvellous picture Of the battle Of
Sharpsburg, Md, on the 18th of Sep
tember, 1862. The reporter has in
terviewed Confederate veteran who
made a remark about the 4lst ami
yersary of this battle taking place
last week, and the veteran is quoted
as giving some interesting facts,
among other things stating that after
this battle at Sharpsburg there we're
50, 900 dead on the field, the Confeder-
ate loss being 5000 and the Union
24.000"
This is an extraordinary statement
to come from Confederate veteran,
if he was on the field Of Sharpsburg,
and a charitable view is that the re-
porter misunderstood the figures,
which is not at all unlikely. The Of
fetal figures record the losses in both
armies as follows:
The Federal army had 2,loS killed;
9, 459 wounded; 753 captured, making
total of l2,410.
In the entire Maryland campaign
from Sept. II to Sept. 20, inclusive,
the Confederates lost 1885 killed;
9,348 wounded: 1867 captured; max
ing total Of 12,6o1. This loss was
incurred at Harper's Ferry, Cramp-
tons Gap, South Mountain, Sharps-
burg and Shepherdstown, FIVE distinct
and separate engagements.
The entire force Of Gen. Lee did
not reach 40, 900 on the field Of Sharps-
burg, even after the remainder OF
Jackson'S corps arrived from Harper's
Ferry in the afternoon. Gen. Nc
Clellan's army was estimated at l0O,-
600 effective men, and Gen. Lee in
reviewing the campaign Oct. 2,S1S62,
while the troops were lying around
Winchester, Va, wrote as follows IN
General Order No. 116: "On the field
of Sharpsburg, with less than one
third his numbers, you resisted from
DAYLIGHT until dark the whole army Of
the enemy, and repulsed every attack
along his entire front of more than
four miles in extent"
The News quotes the veteran as
saying: Both sides thought that
they were defeated and the Federals
began to withdraw" In J. D. Nc
Cabe's ''Life of Gen. Lee" the follow
ing appears: During the 18th the
Confederate army occupied the posi-
tion held on the previous day, except
in the centre, where the line was
drawn lin about two hundred yards.
Although not strong enough to as
sumo the offensive, Gen. Lee regarded
bis ability to repel another attack as
certain, and held his lines during the
day without apprehenSion.''
Edward A. Pollard:S Life and
Times Of Lee" has the following:
"Gen. Lee always claimed Sharpsburg
as victory. His force On that feled,
all told, including the divisions which
came up in the evening, was less than
40, 900 men, and with these numbers
he had Inflicted loss upon the enemy
of II, 500 and had gained some ground" !"
The -Federals have always called:
this battle Antietam, from the fact
that this little stream divided the
two armies. Gen. Lee on arriving
there from South Mountain took posi-
tion on range Of low bills near the
creek and in front of the little town
of Sharpsburg, which was almost IN
the centre of his line, and which gave
the Confederate name to the battle
that ensued two days after bis ar
rival.
1t may be very well to remark in
this connection that the heaviest loss
in any battle was at Gettysburg,
where the Federals had 1910 killed,
l4,497 wounded, 5, 434 captured, max
ing a total of 23,0Ol. The Confeder-
ates had 1882 killed, II, 706 wounded,
$3.50 captured, making total Of 20,-
44S. The combined losses at Gettys-
burg in killed. wounded and captured
we're 43.449, and the battle lasted
three days.-Greenville Montaineer.