The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-05-24

(northeast OF Bears tree) was still Wis
ible, but repeated plowing since 1888
has entirely effaced it,
Our excursion was entirely for pleas
ure; we had no thought of controversy,
nor even Of the enlightenment OF the
Sharpsburg people. who knew nothing
OF the true locality where Mansfield was
wounded. but were showing two or three
erroneous places to visitors. We de-
Tended the truth, photographed the po-
sition. but found IL difficult, for several
reasons, TO decide by several feet upon
the exact spot OF the wounding.
1t is necessary now to go back 10
1862 and tell the story of the battle as
seen by the 10th Me; and as since the
war a generation has grown up that
knows nothing OF the way soldiers are
arranged for marching and fighting. IL
is best TO give great many explana-
tions that may seem unnecessary 10 an
old soldier.
The Part Taken by the 10th Ne.
The Twelfth Corps, Mansfield COM
manding, marched on the Boonsboro
pike, late at night of Sept. l6, from
1.-The center through Keedysville to
the farm OF George Line CO. Lyons on
the old maps). and there rested till day
break. Gen. Mansfield slept on the west
side of a fence which ran south from
Lines garden to woods. His bed was
the grass and his roof a blanket. The
10th Me. was on the east side Of the
fence (see map). and some of our boys
who INDUCED i'm loud talk were ordered
by the General to lower their tones TO
a whisper. The other regiments of our
brigade were near us, while the other
brigades of the corps appeared 10 be
behind ours (or easD. Our brigade
Crawford's Brigade. 46th Pa, Col.
Knipe: 10th Me-, Col. Beal; 2Sth y. Y,
a4I. -
Hawley. 125th Pa. Col. Higgins: 12Sth
Pa, Col. Samuel Croasdale (killed)-
was the advance of the corps. and
marched little before o'clock on the
morning of the battle, first to the west
across the Smoketown road. and nearly
to John Poffenberger's, and then south
to nearly abreast of Joseph Poffenberg-
er's (marked $40 on the map), and
there halted for almost an hour. during
all Of which time-that is, from before
5 a. m.-Hooker'S Corps was fighting
in and around "the great cornfield," the
enemy being south and west of it.
AS we'll as could be judged, all of the
Twelfth Corps followed our movements
and halted to the right or left of the
rear of our brigade.
The 124th and 125th Pa. were de-
tached from the brigade at some early
hour, but at 1920 by my watch, which
may have been five to 10 minutes fast,
the other four regiments were started
for the fight
The 10th Me. was guided by Gen.
Mansfield in person. We had all seen
him for some time previous sitting on
his horse at the northwest corner OF
the East Wood, marked w on the map.
He hurried us, first to the front, down
hill through a field where several piles
of stone lay, the Smoketown road still
being on our left. We barely entered
the "10-acre cornfield'' when Mansfield
beckoned us to move to our left. We
then marched a few steps by what the
tactics call left oblique," but did not
gain ground to the left sufficiently to
suit the General, so Col. Beal COM
man faced east, and we presently
knocked over the two fences of the
Smoketown road and marched into
Sam Poffenberger's field. While going
across the Smoketown road Gen. Hook
er rode from the woods (M) and told
Col. Beal, 1.-THE enemy are breaking
through my lines; you must hold these
woods" (meaning East Woods).
After crossing the road bullets from
the enemy began to whiz over and
around us. When well into Sam Pof-
fenberger's field the Colonel command
ed Right flank" then each man again
faced south Cor west of south to be
more exact), and we all marched
straight for the enemy, whom some or
US could see in the woods, close to
where our Mansfield marker is now
standing, marked NJ on the map.
Deployfng From Column.
The 10th Me. was in double column
at half distance" Cor double column
in mass" as some remember.)