Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-26

massachusetts, and the 35th Massa-
ohusetts Volunteer Infantry.
Leaving the bridge and climbing out
OF the deep. narrow valley through
which the creek runs you come to a
field of monuments. There is the Nc
kiniey monument erected by the state
OF Ohio in memory of President Will
liam Mckinley. who was OF the Esd
Ohio Regiment. and there are monu-
rlents TO the 5th. eth, sth. 18th. 18th.
ed. 2sth. Goth, 36th and Goth Ohio
Regiments Of Volunteer Infantry, to the
4sth. 50th. list. 45th, Tooth, 124th.
130th. 1890. 18th. i25th and i29th
Pennsylvania Regiments of Infantry.
and to Durelrs Battery: to the sth.
i4th and 10th Connecticut Regiments
OF Infantry, and to the 4th and Goth
New York Infantry Regiments. The
Maryland monument. the Philadelphia
Brigade monument. the Massachusetts
state monument aud the monument OF
the 9Th New York are the costly monu-
ments of the field. There are many
simple monuments Of granite and there
is .one which has this inscription:
Erected by the survivors Of Companies A and
l the memory of fallen comrades who
fell on this spot September u. 1852. This stone
marks the extreme advance Of Weber's Brigade.
French's Division. ID Army Corps. 9th Maryland
Volunteer Infantry.
Homeward bound. the Rambler start
ed south from Sharpsburg. following
the Harpers Ferry road. which carried
him along the position taken up by A.
=. Hills command. when he came upon
the field in the afternoon of the 18th.
Two old fieldpieces stand as the mark
ers of the position occupied by the Con-
federate batteries of Pegram. Braxton
and Crenshaw-all of them Virginia
batteries. Near these old guns. but far
Their up the road toward Sharpsburg
and on the edge of a cornfeld. within
an old rail fence, the Rambler stopped
to read the inscription on a little gran
lite marker. 1t is an inscription that
ought to be of interest to everybody in
and from southern Maryland. 1t fol-
ellis Division. c. $. A. This battery.
under command of Capt. William F.
Demant. occupied a position in the field
in the rear of this marker. The monu-
ment to the MARYLAND troops is near
the Dunkard Church" That battery was
recruited by young men from Prince
Georges and Charles counties and was
organized at Fredericksburg.
There is more history of a political
than a military kind woven around the
battle of Antietam: Mcclellan would
enemies at Washington prevailed, but
would have been kept in command of
the fortif1cations and troops for the de-
h Tense Of M s.id After the battle
command without authority. When Lee
retired to Virginia after the battle Of
Antietam without being pursued the
mcclellan faction adopted their ia.
miliar tactics of traducing Little Mac"
That is an old and a painful story. and
the Rambler has no space In which to
tell 1t again. Mcclellan and his friends
have told ii and the other side has been
told by the friends of Gen. Halleck.
Mcclellan was recalled from the Do.
ninsula campaign while the operati ons
against Richmond promised success.
Troops that he wanted were not sent
him. His army was taken from him and
put under Pope. The second Bull Run
campaign-Groveton. Sudiey and the
fields around the crossing of the War
renton pike and the Sudley Manassas
road. and Chantilly - spelled demor-
alization for the forces of Pope Lin
coin thought Washington would be cap.
tured. Mcclellan was recalled to COM
mand, and the disorganized army. fall.
ing back to the protection of the de.
with acclaim. New spirit seemed to
have been infused into the army Lee
did not move against Washington, but
crossed the upper Potomac and swung
north and east. Mcclellan and the army
marched from Washington. South
mountain was fought and the Union
Champions and Brownsville passes A
few days later came Ant:etam.
Strategists in the quiet of their IL
braries, with map and text book be-
fore them. say that Antietam from the
Union standpoint was not well fought
That is true in a way. There was lack
of prompt and facile coordination be-
tween the various corps. There was
miscarriage and misunderstanding Of
orders Little cogs in a big plan slip
ped. ungearing the whole plan. Things
of the same nature happened in every
civil war battle before and after Antie-
tam. They happen in all battles and
will always happen, but perhaps to .
less extent than formerly.