Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-05

Doubleday 1t is who now takes the
lead and, crossing the Antietam on the
afternoon Of the 10th, bears down from
the extreme flank upon the silent, wait
ing foe.
First in column as 1t circles the
front, the old division moves in to the
morning attack at the right OF Hook
er's embattled line, and right of the
line of the old division Is the doubled
rank of the old-the Iron-brigade. 1t
is the dawn of dreadful day.
In grove toward the Potomac,
backed by ridge, Stuart's restless
horsemen and Pelham's ready guns are
lurking, hidden from our view. So are
the crouching guardians of the groves
and fields to the south. Again is the
great organizer showing his infantry
in to the attack of an army in posi-
ton, over ground unsearched by cav
airy, though cavalry are with him in
abundance, eager to be of service, but
he knows not how to use them. East
of the big cornfield, to their left front
as they march, is still another grove,
the east wood, and in long, thin line,
at right angles to the pike, stretching
through the woods, through the corn
field, silently awaiting their coming
foe, are aligned the very men they
fought so savagely at sunset OF that
August evening barely three weeks
back
And, just as before, not man of the
hostile line is seen when the guns be-
gin the battle. Off to the left front,
spies the blue battalions issuing from
the skirt of the northward wood nearly
a mile away, dressed on their waving
colors, the skirmishers trotting we'll
out to the front. Then loud below the
guns and Shrek the shells as line upon
line, brigade upon brigade, Hooker
sends his new command, the newborn
First corps, in to it's bloody baptism.
The confederate flank is covered by
Stuart and his dashing horse batteries,
and there is abundant room and more
than abundant need for similar troops
between Doubleday's right and the
river, but not so much as squadron
rides where it may be of such Infinite
service Mcclellan holds his horses
east of the dividing stream, for again,
as on the peninsula, are his forces thus
bestowed.
Full 500 yards, almost due south,
march the doubled lines in blue,
Meade's little division of Pennsylva-
mans alongside and east of Double
days. Hatch's old brigade is on the
left of Gibbons, Patrick in it's rear, in
support, and for time the Sixth Wis
consin, at the post of honor, has the
Hagerstown road on it's right for a
guide. But now comes thin patch of
woods and turn-only slight turn
in the line of the pike, and here, little
by little, through pressure from the
center, the first company begins to
edge out over the highway, the second
follows, and by the time they are
bursting through the barnyards and
farm enclosures at Miller's. and the
shells have changed to shrapnel and
men are dropping fast, the entire right
wing of the Sixth is across the pike
and wading through that westward
field. Then up the pike, just as at
Gainesville, comes galloping battery
"B,' and into the farmyard it turns
and there, whirling the guns in line
to the south, delivers its resonant an
swer The Sixth is just striding Out
| from the cornfield and into the woods
to the west of the road VIXEN, sudden
as a thunderbolt, there bursts the
crash of an infantry volley, and from
front and right flank, so close that the
smoke jets forth in their faces, low.
aimed lead storm shrieks through theil
ranks and down goes half the wing
Then blaze the whole west wood anc
the he0aeroW south or the corDneic
and all from an unseen foe! Flesl
and blood cannot stand such q gall
in the open. The survivors swing bacl
to the highway, rallying instantly a
the edge Of the field, and there, fla
on their faces, they take vigorous hant
in the fight, while Patrick's men, clos
at their heels, rush in to prolong tn
line to the right and fill the gaps a
the front. Five minutes-and bot
woods, east and west, and the inter
vening cornfelds are in dense cloud
of sulphur smoke for Ricketts,, too, ha
come up with his division on the lef
of the corps, and battle of giants il
on
But vain are the efforts of Hooker
brave men. Three fine, disciplined di
visions he has led to the field, think
ing to turn an exposed left flank, Will
Mansfield, with his new Twelfth corps
supports the attack, and the mail
army advancing in force from the lin
of the Antietam, covers and holds tn
long confederate front extending far t,
the south of the town Just whom t.
blame nobody will say, but, not unit
Hooker's right division is swept b,
tapping fires and fattened out by tn
fierce storm of lead; not until Mead
and Ricketts,, farther to the east, hav
charged again in line with Doubleday
left. not until DolBbleday NOT whtDnef