The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-10-12

L,
but stern array Of gray veterans ready
to dispute Burnside passage. His
orders were to effect the crossing by
Q clock and disperse the troops on
the ridge. These Georgia rifles proved
tough proposition to the federal off
GER Every effort to carry the bridge
paid dearly in dead and wounded from
the rifles of the Cracker" brigade.
Quoting from the federal historian,
NJ. Quad
His (BurDside's) orders were to
carry the bridge by o'clock, but
there is no point for a quarter of q
mile up or down that soldier could
not ford and keep his cartridge box
dry. AT 8 O'Clock Hooker had lost
1000 men and Burnside had hardly
fred gun. BY 10 o'clock the center
had lost 1000 men and Burnside had
not killed Confederate. At l l clock
he was where daylight had found him.
AT noon, 5000 federal lay dead. At
o'clock Col. Key was ordered by Nc
Clcllan to force the bridge with Burn
side 8 troops leading them himself if
Burnside would not then the latter
moved.
Burnside has the bridge, but Lee
holds the heights above. One deter
mined rush will capture his guns
massed there, or drive them back
through the town; but Burnside ad-
vances, halts; advances, hesitates :;
and finally sends back for reinforce.
ments, although he has already f We to
| one.
Some Of the guns on Lees right are
positively without infantry supports.
A dash by single brigade may de-
eide the battle, but it is not made.
Franklin with Sumner) can hold
Jackson, but nothing more. Lee had
made his center secure in it's position,
and sny direct assault means the de.
struction of the assailants. Burnside
can break through Lees right with.
out losing 1000 me- !, and he had force
enough to crush that wing back on the
center, but he is not the man for the
emergency.
1--WE could see the right of Porter's
$4,000 reserves lying hidden along the
red hill across the valley. Let Burn
side move with vigor and strike a
worthy blow, and hs con have aid to
follow up his success. These reserves
are menace to Lee. They prevent
his right and center from any advance
when any opportunity offers. But for
them, he would, in the early morning,
have flung the few skeleton brigades
composing his right across the bridge
and boldly sought to drive Burnside's 8
whole corps down on the federal CEN
ter.
Night comes and the battle dies
away, each army clinging fast to its
position. 1t is a drawn fight. Burn
side could have made it defeat to
Lee"
On the right, so :hinly manned, any
determined action by Burnside must
have eventusted in breaking Lees
line. One battery, denuded of its
gunners, stood silent, though sin
battery" Gen. Longstroet, passing
along this part Of the line with DOR
tion of his staff and, seeing the move
ment of Burnside, halted and dis
mounting Coils. Sorrel and Latrobe
and Maj. Fairfag became impromptu
cannoneers, manning the guns, open.
ed brisk FIRE on the advancing foe,
and thus became no small factor in
the repulse of the federal left.
Night dropped the curtain of dark
ness upon one of the bloodiest battles
of modern times-each army clingipg
with death grip to It's position.
Morning found the combatants still
in line, but silent--one TOO weak, the
other too terribly punished to assume
the aggressive. And 80 passed the
18th, excepting for q truce for bury
ing the dead. That night Mcclellan,
receiving two divisions and the river
receding and making practicable its
fords, Lee quietly withdrew to the
Virginia bank of the river.
Nistaking the movement Of Lee on
the 18th, Mcclellan sent Porter's
corps in hot pursuit.. This crossed
the Potomac and came up with A. P.
Hill, who. with 1900 muskets and
sufficient artillery, turned upon Por.
ter and drove him into and beyond the
Potomac. So savage was the repulse
and consequent demorai::a::3u, the
loss to Porter in the river was terri.