USA > Pennsylvania > History of the One hundred & sixth regiment, Pennsylvania volunteers, 2d brigade, 2d division, 2d corps, 1861-1865 > Part 10
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see the shelling, and hear the volleys of musketry ; see the differ- ent bodies of troops moving along the roads; but it was about dark as we wound our way down into the Middletown Valley, and soon after went into camp, having marched about sixteen miles. We were not left to rest long, as at midnight the assembly called us to arms. After a hasty preparation, we moved forward rapidly for about six miles through the fields, fording a small stream about one and a half feet deep, and rested about 3 o'clock at a point near Fox's Gap.
As soon as it was daylight, we found that where we lay had been contested ground. In an adjoining field were about 400 prisoners, that had been captured the day before, encamped under guard. We moved on about two miles, and again rested on the battlefield of the previous day. The large number of the enemy's dead that lay all over the field told how hotly contested the fight had been at that point, and their heavy loss. A surgeon and five men came in with a flag of truce to obtain the bodies of General Garland and two colonels, who were killed and left within our lines.
The battle of South Mountain, or, as designated by the Con- federates, the battle of Boonsboro, was fought by the troops under Reno and Hooker at Fox's and Turner's Gaps, and by Slocum at Crampton's Gap, about five miles further south, all of which the enemy defended. His object being to delay the advance of our army that he might protect his wagon train and unite his army, part of which under Longstreet was at Hagerstown and part under Jack- son was encompassing Harper's Ferry with a view to its capture, which he accomplished, owing to the cowardice of the officer commanding there, Colonel Dixon S. Miles, who, without making any effort to hold it or extricate his troops, surrendered it with over twelve thousand men and artillery and munitions of war. Reno began the fight at South Mountain early in the morning by an attack on Fox's Gap, and Hooker on the right in the afternoon, at Turner's Gap, both continuing it until after dark. Our men had to attack Hill's Division in their well-selected position at those gaps, charge up the mountain side, and fight their way from posi- tion to position, until they finally by a successful flank movement by Meade on the right, drove them from the mountain, notwith-
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standing that Hill had been strongly reinforced by Longstreet, who had turned back from Hagerstown, and Slocum by a gallant charge drove back Cobb and Semmes from their position at Crampton's Gap and swept over the mountain, capturing 400 prisoners, four colors and one gun, and the battle of South Moun- tain was won, and a victory for us. But General Lee had accom- plished his object, and delayed our army long enough to extricate his wagon trains from their perilous position, and enabled Jackson to capture Harper's Ferry, and join Lee in time to fight at Antie- tam. Our loss was very heavy amounting to 2,511 in killed, wounded and missing, including the death of General Jesse L. Reno. Their loss was equally heavy, including General Garland and Colonels Gayle and Strange killed, and about 1,500 prisoners, a total of little over 3,000. Our loss at Harper's Ferry was: killed 44, wounded 173, prisoners 12,520, total 12,737.
Continuing our march over the mountain, we passed through Boonsboro, about 3 o'clock, receiving the same generous hospi- tality that was accorded us at Frederick. About 5 o'clock we halted in a wood and rested until dark; then continued and passed through Keedysville, and went into camp about two miles further on, having marched about thirteen miles. At intervals during the day additional squads of prisoners were taken past us to the rear.
On the 16th, shortly after daylight, while lying in camp, the enemy opened on us with their artillery from their lines on the Antietam Creek, and for a little while poured shot and shell into us pretty lively, killing one man and wounding four others. Our batteries soon replied, and silenced them. We made no movement that day, but were ordered to pack everything in our knapsacks so as to leave them behind, and in the evening each man received eighty rounds of ammunition. In the afternoon Hooker crossed with his corps, over the Antietam Creek, drove in the enemy's advanced line and secured a good position.
At 6 o'clock on Wednesday morning, September 17th, we began ยท our movement towards that part of Maryland destined to be long remembered as the ground on which one of the hardest fought battles of the war took place. It was a beautiful bright day that was to witness so fierce a combat. Leaving our knapsacks and
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everything that would be likely to interfere with rapid movement, the command started in light marching order.
The cannonading began at daylight, as Hooked began to advance his corps from the position he had attained the night before and attacked the enemy's left under Hood, and step by step his three divisions, under Doubleday, Meade and Ricketts, drove Hood from the east wood, through a field of standing corn, across the Hagerstown pike, when Hood was reinforced by D. H. Hill, and stopped Hooker's advance and finally drove him back through that cornfield and to the right. Hooker, seeing the guns of his pursuers glistening through the standing corn directed all of his batteries that could bring their guns to bear upon that field to open fire upon it ; the slaughter was fearful. We quote Hook- er's own words describing the result of that fire, "Every stalk of corn in the greater part of that field was cut as closely as could be done with a knife, and the slain lay in rows precisely as they stood in their ranks a few minutes before. It was never my for- tune to witness a more dismal battlefield". It was then that Mansfield's Corps, sent to Hooker's assistance by General Sumner arrived upon the field, but before he had time to get his troops engaged, General Mansfield fell mortally wounded. General Williams succeeded him in command, and he pressed forward to- wards the Dunker Church, slowly gaining ground, but meeting with heavy loss. When Early emerged from the wood west of the Hagerstown road, he threw his whole force upon Williams, driving him back. He had no support. Hooker was badly wounded, and Meade placed in command of his corps and with- drew it from the field. Williams was fast losing the ground gained, when General Sumner arrived with his corps, having waded the Antietam at the same ford, near Fry's Mills, at which a portion of Hooker's Corps had crossed the night before, at one of the four bridges that cross the Antietam near Keedysville. The water was over knee deep, running swiftly, and it was with difficulty that the men kept part of their ammunition dry, as many carried about half of it in their pockets.
Our Division was commanded by General Sedgwick, who had just been promoted and tendered the command of the Twelfth Corps, but he preferred to remain with and fight his old division
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once more, and was on the advance or right of the corps; Third Division under French next, and the First Division under Richard- son on the left. Our Brigade, still commanded by General Howard, was on the right as we moved in three lines and crossed the creek. When all were across, the line was halted and then faced to the left. This brought the division in three lines of battle with the First Brigade under General Gorman in the first line, followed by the Third Brigade under General Dana, and our brigade forming the third line, the Seventy-First Regiment on the right with the One Hundred and Sixth on their left, then the Sixty-Ninth and the Seventy-Second, the left of the line. For nearly a mile, almost due west, our line advanced through woods and fields, over fences and through a barn yard, all of which tended greatly to break the line and cause more or less confusion, but they closed up prompt- ly and continued to advance now southwesterly, over the ground gained and lost by Hooker and Mansfield. Emerging from the east woods east of the road into that famous cornfield, thence obliquely over the Hagerstown turnpike, subjected to a terrible artillery fire, being all the time greatly encouraged by the brave Howard, who rode behind the One Hundred and Sixth Regiment, speaking quietly to the men of his brigade, saying: "Steady men, don't hurry" ; "Get over the fence carefully"; "Be careful of your guns ;" "Keep the muzzles well up;" "Don't hurt any one with your bayonets" .... Stubbornly and solidly did we push our way over the ground now covered with the dead and wounded of both armies, General Howard again urging us to keep steady, and "be careful not to step on those poor men", meaning the wounded.
A correspondent of a New York paper, who had gotten well up front in the east wood, where he had an excellent view of the whole of that part of this battlefield, thus graphically describes Sedgwick's Division going into action.
As it's head rode the grim and dauntless old Sumner with his staff and small cavalry escort. There too, was the intrepid "Uncle John" Sedgwick, about to lead his column of hope, the hitherto unbeaten "Second Division" into battle to retrieve the awful mishap to Hooker. All were "full of ginger", undaunted by the all pervading evidence of rout.
The battles lines fully deployed. They are pressing steadily for- ward, gay with flaunting colors, glorious with resolute purpose,
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stimulating cheers, and encouraging shouts. The first line swung by in stately style, slightly curved, with a convex front to the enemy. There was another line that moved past with a twisting formation. And yet another* line forged quickly ahead. Officers with waving swords rode along the rear of the lines and shouted loud commands and words of encouragement. Down went onet from his horse, which reared and fell upon his rider, whose men rush to his rescue. As the third* line passed, the slimy trail of battle came in view behind it, for the field was speckled with the first crop of its ghastly harvest ready to be gathered.
The last of the charging lines had gone beyond, and was sweep- ing majestically into the jaws of death, when the mass seemed to halt, while from the front line sprouted forth a long angry sheet of flame from innumerable gun-barrels. Men were falling fast now, as unseen batteries were pelting the lines with an iron storm, and the Confederate bullets were finding the object of their flight. It was pitiful to see the men drop, at times in groups, knocked over by solid shot, or riddled with musket and rifle balls or bits of shell or case or canister.
Cheered by their mounted and line officers, the lines advance and pass on, without halt or hesitation, and then, the battle vanish- ed as a fading vision, while a thick cloud of smoke rolled by like a blinding fog and hid them from view.
From the above description it will be seen that the advance of our Division was certainly one of the finest sights of the war. Striking the Hagerstown pike obliquely, the right first reaching it and climbing the post and six-rail fence on each side, pushed on into the west woods that surrounded the Dunker Church, the left of the line reaching to the church and the right continuing across the open field beyond and into the woods, ful- filling General Sedgwick's orders to "Push into the woods", which sheltered us from their artillery fire, they also using canister with terrible effect. Adjutant Pleis had his horse shot from under him and instantly killed by a round shot, before reaching the Hagerstown road. The First Brigade under Gorman, closely followed by the Third under Dana, and that by the Second under Howard, was pressing through the woods and down a slight in- clination when they uncovered the enemy under McLaws, who had just arrived from Harper's Ferry, then massing in a cornfield below them, beyond which rose quite an elevation on which their
* The Philadelphia Brigade.
+ Adjutant Pleis of the 106th Penna.
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batteries were placed. The infantry opened with volley after volley into our line as soon as it came into sight and the artillery poured into us a heavy fire of shot and shell. Our advance halted and at once opened fire. Early and Starke joined McLaws and the fire became intense. Gorman met them with successive volleys, but his men could not stand that combined attack and that terrible fire, so gave way and back they came through Dana's line, destroying its usefulness, and carried most all of it back with them and would no doubt have carried our brigade too, but for the coolness and prompt action of its commander, General How- ard, who instructed them to lie down and reserve their fire, and as soon as his front was cleared of the retreating troops, gave . the order to fire. Its effectiveness checked their advance, and had he been supported could have held his ground, designated by General Jackson as the key of the battlefield.
Lieutenant James C. Lynch, then in command of Company A of the One Hundred and Sixth, called the attention of Colonel Owen, of the Sixty-Ninth, to their column, now plainly visible on our left flank ; Colonel Owen said he saw them and had called General Howard's attention to them, and he had replied that he knew it, but his orders were to move right oblique. At this mo- ment General Sumner rode in front of our brigade from left to right, his hat in hand, his white locks blown by the breeze, his eye flashing fire, gave an order which our men thought was to charge, and answered him with a cheer, rose up, began to fix bayonets, but the General cried "Back Boys, for God's sake move back ; you are in a bad fix". He had seen the enemy fast getting around our flank, and had sent two different aides with orders to General Howard to change front on the left to meet them, but one was killed and the other wounded, and General Howard never re- ceived the order ; so General Sumner rode up himself to save his men, and, waving his hat backwards, the men understood and reluctantly began to retire in good order. For the first time in its history was Sedgwick's Division compelled to retire before the enemy, and its brave commander twice wounded, refusing to leave the field when first wounded. As we emerged from the woods the enemy opened with their artillery a terrific fire of canister from batteries they had rushed into position on our left
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flank, with terrible effect, and then their infantry rushed into the gap, poured volley after volley into the flank of our now retreat- ing line; this hastened our retreat and broke our line, then mov- ing rapidly off towards the right, causing a very heavy loss, especially in the Seventy-Second Regiment, then on the left.
Colonel Morehead's horse was shot from under him, and, falling, held him fast until released by Sergeant Joseph Taylor and Cor- porals McNeal and Stephen Taylor of Company C. After going some distance to the rear the Colonel found he had lost his sword, a handsome one, that had been presented to him by the Regi- ment, and went back after it, though urged not to do so by the men, but he said, "Yes I will, that sword was given me by my men and I told them I would protect it with my life and never see it dishonored, and I am not going to let them damned rebels get it", so he went back to where his horse lay and got it and returned in safety to the regiment although the enemy was near enough to demand his surrender, and fired at him because he refused.
Arriving at a fence, running at right angles to the Hagerstown pike across the open field north of the Dunker Church, an effort was made to rally and check the advance of the now elated enemy, who were emerging from the woods in large numbers. Here Sergeant Benjamin F. Sloanaker, of Company C, Color Sergeant, and with Sergeants Rose and Foy of Company H, planted the colors on the fence and called upon the Regiment to "rally on the colors". Captain Allen and Lieutenant Tyler rallied the other men, calling upon them to stand by their colors, and stand they did, detachments of other regiments joining them. Col- onel Morehead opened fire, pouring volley after volley in quick succession into the advancing enemy, who, thinking they had struck our second line, checked their advance, and finally fell back under cover of the wood. Colonel Morehead, though in- jured by the fall of his horse, remained on the field.
A portion of the Regiment, principally Company A, had fallen back part of the way to some haystacks further to the right of the position, where the Regiment made its stand, and there formed and opened fire. It was joined by a detachment of a Massachusetts regiment under a captain, who was almost in- stantly killed upon reaching there, by a round shot. (We have
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since been informed that this was the Fifteenth Massachusetts.) These detachments from this point opened fire, and by their well- directed and constant volleys materially assisted in checking that advance. This detachment soon after joined the Regiment, and went with it to the support of the artillery. We cannot pass on, without referring to the personal gallantry of Sergeant Charles E. Hickman of Company A, who, with his gun in both hands across his body, marching backwards all the way, called upon his men to keep steady, and by his example kept the company closed up, and then in good order retired, firing as they fell back. Here Sergeant Hickman gave his life for his country, being instantly killed.
This ended the contest in our front. The One Hundred and Sixth Regiment then fell back still further to the right, and again formed between a house and barn, receiving many of the members that had been separated from them, and was then ordered by General Howard back, and around to the left to support the artil- lery, and took their position in the edge of the woods on the east side of that cornfield, being the same woods through which they advanced early in the morning. Now known as the "East Woods".
In the meantime, French with his Division was manfully trying to keep up with Sedgwick, but meeting the formidable lines of D. H. Hill in his front and extending far on his left, he was unable to do so, but slowly and persistently he pushed forward and gradu- ally forced Hill from his position at the Roulette House, but Hill, reinforced by Anderson, persisted in keeping east of the Hagers- town road and took up a strong position in a sunken road. Rich- ardson with his Division extended French's line to the left and attacked Hill and Anderson. Irwin and Brooke's Brigades from Franklin's Corps were sent to reinforce Richardson, who, push- ing Irwin's Brigade across the Hagerstown pike, cleared the ground around the Dunker Church, and a gallant charge of two regiments from Caldwell's Brigade, led by Colonel Barlow, finally drove Hill from the sunken road and the battle ended on that part of the field, but not before the brave General Richardson fell mortally wounded and General Hancock was assigned to the com- mand of his division.
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It cannot be regretted that Sedgwick was compelled to yield the ground that had cost so much to gain ; and as has been said, it was the first time that his division had been compelled to retreat before an advancing enemy in battle, but he had no support and no connection, he was in fact alone. Hooker's and Mansfield's corps seems to have faded from sight, either withdrawn, or might truly be said to have been cut to pieces, but Swinton says :
Hooker had lost nearly half his effective force by straggling ; his offensive power was completely gone, for there was nothing left of them.
Not a detachment of either corps was on the ground over which Sedgwick advanced, except those assisting the wounded to the rear. Sumner had seen Hooker badly wounded, his corps gone, and in his report says :
I saw nothing of his (Hooker's) corps at all as I was advancing . with my command on the field.
(He had advanced with Sedgwick's Division.)
There were some troops on the left which I took to be Mans- field's command,
and trying to find Hooker's line he further says:
I sent one of my own staff to find where they were, and General Ricketts, the only officer we could find, said he could not raise three hundred men of his corps.
There were therefore no troops in reserve near us, or none that could be sent ; Sedgwick could get no support, and therefore had to retreat.
Then, Sedgwick formed his lines, a brigade in each line, too close together, only about twenty or thirty paces apart, so that when the first line gave way and came back through the second, it carried it along with it, and they together broke the effective force of the third, which held its ground until ordered back by General Sumner in person. Besides, had they not been so close together, the rear line could readily have changed front to the left, and pre- vented the line being flanked, and perhaps saved most of the heavy loss sustained by the division, which was the heaviest of any division in that battle, being 355 killed, 1,579 wounded, and 321 missing ; a total of 2,555.
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Again, had French been able to push forward his division more rapidly, insisting upon keeping his connection with Sedgwick, the enemy could not have got around on Sedgwick's flank, and there would have been no necessity of retreat, for the enemy could not then have concentrated their ten brigades, with all their artillery, against Sedgwick's three brigades.
And last, it would have been better for Sumner, who accom- panied Sedgwick's division, not to have advanced it beyond its support. If French could not cross the Hagerstown road, he should not have pushed Sedgwick beyond it, except as a flanking column against the troops opposing French's further advance; one brigade would have been sufficient for that purpose, and, if successful, would have had the other two brigades as support; then there would have been no gap for the enemy to take advant- age of.
Swinton thus describes our advance :
Sumner threw Sedgwick's division on his right across the open field into the woods opposite-the woods in which Crawford had been fighting-he easily drove the shattered Confederate troops before him, and held definite possession of the woods around the Dunker Church. At the moment that Sedgwick appeared to grasp victory in his hands, and the troops of Jackson and Hood were retreating in disorder, two Confederate divisions under McLaws and Walker reached the field and immediately turned the fortunes of the day. A considerable interval had been left between Sumner's right division under Sedgwick and his centre division under French. Through this the enemy penetrated, enveloping Sedg- wick's left flank, and, pressing heavily at the same time on his front, forced him out of the woods on the west side of the Hagers- town road, and back across the open field into the woods on the east side of the road-the original position held in the morning.
General Sedgwick being wounded, General Howard assumed command of the division, and Colonel Owen the brigade.
Colonel Palfrey is in error when he says in his book, "Antietam and Fredericksburg", page 87: "The third line, the Philadelphia Brigade so called, was the first to go." It did not leave the wood until ordered to do so by General Sumner, and then not until after the first and second lines had broken, and portions of them were coming back through the line of the Philadelphia Brigade. Gen-
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eral Isaac J. Wistar, then Colonel commanding the Seventy-First Pennsylvania, the right of our brigade, in a letter to the writer says :
I personally saw the second line break before the wild rush of fugitives from the front line, and for a few minutes my greatest difficulty was from these fugitives, since they masked the fire of the Seventy-First.
In his letter replying to Colonel Palfrey, he says:
Upon the integrity of this last line, which he (Palfrey) com- plained was "the first to go", now depended the entire right of the line, and a stern resistance was maintained by it, both to the fugitives and the enemy.
General Sumner did not try "to face it about, preparatory to a change of front", but waved them back, hat in hand, using the words "Back, boys, for God's sake back". He had sent orders twice to General Howard to change front to the left, but General Howard never received them on account of one aide being killed and the other wounded.
Again the brigade was not "the first to go", but when General Sumner rode in their front and gave the command to move back there were no troops in their front, and the men, thinking he wanted them to charge, rose up cheering and some fixed bayonets, and when they understood what he wanted moved back well in hand, and not as Palfrey says: "In spite of all efforts to restrain them", and they were the last to go, but upon emerging from the woods and receiving that terrible flank fire of artillery and infantry their line became broken and all formation lost.
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