New-York tribune., 1911-07-23
How Ant;etam Checked Lees Invasion.

! last a column planted a nag on the west
/ ern side, cheers going up on every size
/ from the Union soldiers who could sec the
/ feat Tho fords below had also bc"N
/ crossed The COnfcderates now gave way
/ along the line, and the Union troops
/ rea ached the crest of the hill. After receiV-
ing reinforcements the Union troops swung
/ around toward Sharpsburg. and came race
/ 10 face with the last OF Lees troops TO
! leave Harper's Ferry. tn" division com
/ manded by a. =. Hill, which had Just
/ marched seventeen miles I'm seYon hours.
/ Tho front ranks of Inns troops were
dressed in the blue United States uniforms
/ captured at Harper's Ferry. and for mo-
| mont the Union troops were deceived.
/ There is a halt" as an account pub
/ Iisbed I'm The Tribune Of Septemb r 90. lss2.
describes this moment I'm the struggle;
/ "thc rebel left gives way and scatters over
| the field: the rest stand fast and fire. More
! infantry comes up Burnside 's outnum-
/ bcred; fankcd, compelled TO yield the hill
/ bo took so bravcly. His position Is no
, longer one Of attack; he defends himself
with unfaltering firmness. but IA; sends TO
! Mcclellan for help. McClellans s glass ior
/ tho last half hour has seldom been turned
| away from the Ielt'
"Je sees clearly enough that Burnside Is
nressed-necds no messenger to tell nm
J that His face grows darker with anxious
/ thought Looking down into the valley
where fifteen thousand troops are IyIhE'
he turns a half-qucstoning look on fltZ
( John Porter who stands by his SIDE grave
~ scanning the field. They are Porter
| troops below: are fresh and only impatient
to share i'm this fight. But Porter slowly
| shakes his head, and one may WcH pf-
uevc that the same thought Is passing
through the minds of both gcnera's: lheE
a,. tho only reserves of the army; thcy
cannot be spared II is easy TO sec tina, the
,,o,,,o,,, has come vhon everything may
turn on one orGer given or withheld Wheh
the history Of the battle Is only 10 be writ
fen i'm thoughts and purposes and words OF
the general
..Htuneide's messenger rides up. HIS
,,,,,sa,,o a.. q want troops and guns. II
YOU do not send them cannot hold my
rnositiou for half an hour McClollan's only
answer for the moment is IA glance at the
western sky. Then Ec turns and speaks
elovIy. Tell General Burnside that TINS
is tbe battle Of the war. lie must hold
his ground til dark at any cost. VIII
send him Mllcrs battery. | can DO hoth-
ing more. have no infantry Then as
tho messenger was riding away he called
him back. Tell him II he cannot hold
his ground. then the bridge, to the last
man,-always the bridge! IL the bridge Is
lost, all is lost
..'rhe sun is already down; 1ot half an
hour Of daylight is left. TIL Burnsidc's
message came 1t had seemed plain to every
one that the battle could not be finished
to-day. But the rebels halted instead
of pushing on; their Vndictive cannonade
died away as the light faded Before it
was quite dark the battle was over Only
n solitary gun of Burnsides thundered
against the enemy. and presently this also
ceased, and the field was still"
The Union troops remained on the field.
but Rodman had been fatally wounded.
This was the last movement Of battle
I'm which blood had flowed like water. The
struggle had been one Of brute force.
charge upon charge, slaughter without re-
straint. The loss I'm killed and wounded
on the Union side was l2.4l0; on the Con-
federate approximately 1lO0o, or one-fourth
of Lees army. Although Lee remained op-
posite Mcclellan through the next day, the
latter did not take any further action. and
! I'm the course OF the night of the 18th Lee
, retreatcd unmolestcd. Mcclellan held the
ground. but he had not hurt Ice the
, way Lincoln had been urging him 10 do
Il H. f. s.