USA > Pennsylvania > Our Campaigns: or, The marches, bivouacs, battles, incidents of camp life and history of our regiment during its three years term of service > Part 16
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The enemy was commanded by General R. E. Lee, and their force was composed of General Jackson's, Longstreet's, D. H. Hill, Stuart, Ransom's, Jenkins', and other troops, and from information obtained by the ex- amination of prisoners, deserters, spies, etc., previous to the battle, they were estimated to number ninety-seven thousand four hundred and forty-five men for duty, and four hundred guns. Our own force, composed of the corps of General Hooker, Sumner, Porter, Franklin, Burnside, Banks; the divisions of Couch and Pleasanton
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numbered eighty-seven thousand one hundred and sixty- four.
About daylight on the 16th the enemy opened a heavy fire of artillery on our guns in position, which was promptly returned; their fire being silenced for the time, but was frequently renewed during the day. Early in the morning our division moved off to the right of the Keedysville and Williamsport road, where it laid until near three o'clock in the afternoon, during which time we received sugar, coffee, and a few crackers, the roads from Frederick being so crowded with masses of infantry, cavalry and artillery, as to delay the arrival of the supply trains.
At this time our regiment numbered one hundred and seventy-one, rank and file, and four commissioned officers present for duty. Colonel McCandless, Lieutenant-colonel Woodward, and Major Neide being absent wounded, the command devolved upon Captain Byrnes. Adjutant Cross was acting as an aid to General Seymour. Captain Connors being wounded, the command of Company A devolved on Lieutenant Ross. Captain McDonough being on recruiting service, Lieutenant Jack absent wounded, and Lieutenant Manton absent sick, that of Company B, on Sergeant Cullen. Captain Byrnes being in command of the regiment, Lieutenant Robinson absent wounded, and Lieutenant Nightingale dead, that of Company C, on Sergeant Michael Crowley ; Captain Ellis having left his company, Lieutenant Curley being on recruiting service, and Lieutenant Young being absent sick, that of Com- pany D, on Orderly Sergeant Thomas Canavan. Captain Finnie being wounded, Lieutenant Black absent sick, and Lieutenant Fletcher dead, that of Company E, on Orderly Sergeant John Taylor. Captain Reitzel and Lieutenant Rhoads being sick, that of Company G, on Lieutenant Wimpfheimer. Captain Mealey was the only officer present in Company H. Lieutenants Kennedy and Clendinning being absent wounded, and Captain. Smith being wounded, Lieutenant Harvey detached to the
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Signal Corps, and Lieutenant Justus being absent sick, Company K was commanded by Sergeant Thomas May. Companies C and K, jointly, were under the command of Sergeant-major Woodward.
It was near three o'clock in the afternoon, when our division, followed by Rickett's and Doubleday's, which comprised Hooker's corps, crossed the Antietam at a ford and the upper bridge, and advanced to attack and, if possible, to turn the enemy's left. Some cavalry and Cooper's battery accompanied us, and after moving about a mile, we turned off into the fields to the left of the road, near the house of D. Miller, advancing slowly in columns of divisions, ready to form to resist cavalry, which threatened our flanks and front. Soon the enemy opened, sending their round shot and shell singing in among us, to which Cooper briskly replied, while the infantry advanced, and a severe contest commenced, in which we drove the enemy from the first strip of woods over the fields to the second, the battle lasting until eight o'clock, and the Reserves resting upon their arms on the ground won from the enemy, unassisted by the other divisions of the corps. During the battle, our most estimable and gallant adjutant, Augustus T. Cross, who, at the request of General Seymour, was acting on his staff, was killed, as was also Colonel McNeil, of the "Bucktails."
During the night, we laid in support of Cooper's bat- tery, which continued firing until after nine o'clock. Through the night, shots were continually exchanged between ours and the enemy's pickets, who laid within a short distance of each other in the second woods, and about two o'clock in the morning, the "Bucktails," who were determined the Reserves should have the honor of opening the second day's fight, as they had the first, opened a brisk fire, but they getting short of ammunition, we were sent to relieve them, arriving there just at the grey of the morning. Deploying, we crept on our bellies to our position, and opened a heavy fire upon the enemy,
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both parties keeping the ground and maintaining their positions. Sometime afterwards the whole of our corps came up, and the battle opened in earnest, the enemy being driven into the woods and pressed hard upon the /right of our line. The contest now became obstinate, and as the troops advanced the opposition became more determined and the number of the enemy greater. General Hooker then ordered up General Mansfield's corps, which had crossed the Antietam during the night, and bivouacked about a mile in our rear. General Wil- liams' division was deployed to the right, with its right brigade under General Crawford, right resting on the Hagerstown pike. The second division, under General Green, joining Williams' left. During the deployment, the gallant veteran Mansfield fell mortally wounded, while examining the ground in front of his troops.
The One-hundred-and-twenty-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteers were pushed across the turnpike into the woods, beyond J. Miller's house, with orders to hold the position as long as possible.
The command of this corps now devolved upon Gene- ral Williams, and its line of battle was formed, and it became engaged about seven A. M., the attack being opened by Knap's and Hampton's Pennsylvania, and Cothran's New York batteries. To meet this attack, the enemy had pushed a strong column of troops into the open fields in front of the turnpike, while he occupied the woods on the west of the pike in strong force. The woods were traversed by out-cropping ledges of rock. Several hundred yards to the right and rear was a hill, which commanded the debouche of the woods, and in the fields between was a long line of stone fences, con- tinued by breastworks or rails, which covered the enemy's infantry from our musketry. The same woods formed a screen, behind which his movements were concealed, and his batteries on the hill, and the rifle-works covered from the fire of our artillery in front.
For about two hours the battle raged with varied suc-
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cess, the enemy endeavoring to drive our troops into the second line of woods, and ours in turn to get posses- sion of the line in front.
Our troops ultimately succeeded in forcing the enemy back into the woods, near the pike, General Green, with his two brigades, crossing into the woods to the left of the Dunker Church. During this conflict, General Craw- ford was seriously wounded and taken from the field.
General Green being much exposed, the Thirteenth New Jersey, Twenty-seventh Indiana, and the Third Maryland were sent to his support, with a section of Knap's battery.
About nine o'clock, A. M., General Sedgwick's divi- sion of General Sumner's corps arrived. On nearing the scene of action, the column was formed in three parallel lines by brigade, and moved upon the field of battle, under fire from the enemy's concealed batteries. Pass- ing diagonally to the front across the open space and to the front of the first division of General Williams' Corps, this latter division withdrew.
Entering the woods on the west of the pike, and driving the enemy before them, the first line was met by a heavy fire of musketry and shell from the enemy's breastworks and batteries ; meantime a heavy column of the enemy had succeeded in crowding back the troops of General Green's division, and appeared in rear of the left of Sedg- wick's division. General Howard faced the third line to the rear, preparatory to a change of front, to meet the column advancing on the left; but this line suffered so severely from a destructive fire, both in front and on its left, which it was unable to return, gave way towards the right and rear in considerable confusion, and was soon followed by the first and second lines.
General Gorman's brigade, which constituted the first line, and one of General Dana's, soon rallied and checked the advance of the enemy on the right. The second and third lines now formed on the left of Gorman's brigade, and poured a destructive fire upon the enemy.
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During Sedgwick's attack, General Sumner ordered General Williams to support him. General Gordon, with a portion of his brigade, moved forward, but when he reached the woods, the left of General Sedgwick's divi- sion had given way; and finding himself opposed to a superior force, he withdrew to the rear of the batteries, at the second line of woods. As Gordon's troops un- masked our batteries on the left, they opened with canister, and the enemy unable to withstand their deadly fire in front, and the musketry fire from the right, they were driven back with great slaughter, behind the woods and rocks beyond the turnpike.
During this assault, Generals Sedgwick and Dana were seriously wounded and taken from the field. General Howard assumed command of Sedgwick's division. .
About the time of General Sedgwick's advance, Gene- ral Hooker, while gallantly urging on his men, was severely wounded in the foot, and General Meade was placed in command of our corps.
Upon the repulse of Sedgwick, on our right, the battle in our front became more desperate, the woods resound- ing with one continuous roar of musketry, and the line of flame and smoke swaying to and fro. Already had Captain Mealey been taken from the field, severely wounded, and the gallant Lieutenant Wimpfheimer fallen. The regiment on our right had given way, the enemy were pressing us hard; forcing back our right flank and curving us into a semi-circle, but steadily our boys stood their ground, pouring into the enemy a con- stant fire, before which their advance withered away. General Seymour was there cheering us on, and General Hartsuff, of our corps, was wounded in our ranks, but notwithstanding the gallant efforts of the officers and heroically brave conduct of the men, we were over- powered by superior numbers and forced back. But no rout-no precipitate retreat-but steadily and in good order, the brave men delivered their fire upon the ad- vancing foe; and though we were retiring, our flag
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flaunted proudly over our heads. At this time, unex- pectedly, a column of. the enemy suddenly opened upon us, from the right, a deafening crash of musketry, before which our little band was swept away, and breaking, we were driven over the field in confusion, but reaching a favorable position, Captain Byrnes, who had acted throughout with conspicuous bravery, rallied the men once more around the standard and reformed the regi- ment. Though weakened and exhausted with over six hours hard fighting, the wearied limbs and brave hearts of the men sought not repose. The Reserves had not yet been defeated, nor did they intend to be, for as long as there are brave men to stand by the colors, there is hope of victory.
The batteries of the Reserves were pushed forward in front of the first line of woods to our right, and opened a murderous fire of case-shot and canister that swept the advancing foe back. and again the Reserves charged with loud cheers over the ploughed field into the cornfield and the woods beyond, where the hardest and deadliest struggles of the day took place. Some times pressed hard, we were forced back, and at others the foe yielded to our charge. But as the battle wore on, out of the woods came sudden heavy and terrible volleys from fresh troops, that with their weight of fire bent and bore down to the ground the front, forcing back our shattered lines, that slowly and sullenly retired to the woods where our lines were formed to meet the foc, whom we again hurled back.
While the conflict was so obstinately raging in our front and on the right, General French was engaged with the enemy further to the left. His division was formed in three columns. General Max Weber's brigade in front, Colonel Dwight Morris' of raw troops next, and General Kimball's brigade last. The division advanced under a heavy artillery fire, and driving in the enemy's skirmish- ers, encountered their infantry at the group of houses on Roulette's farm, and drove them from their position,
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While General Weber was hotly engaged with his brig- ade, General French ordered the brigade of Kimball to the front, and passing to the left of Weber, they drove the enemy back to near the crest of a hill, where he was encountered in greater strength in a sunken road, form- ing a natural rifle-pit. In a cornfield in rear of this road were also strong bodies of the enemy. As Kimball's line reached the crest of the hill, a galling fire was opened on it from the sunken road and cornfield. Here a terrible fire of musketry burst from both lines, and the battle raged with great slaughter.
The enemy attempted to turn the left of the line, but were gallantly repulsed by the One hundred and thirty: second Pennsylvania and Seventh Virginia Volunteers. Foiled in this, they assaulted the front, but were charged and driven back with severe loss and three hundred prisoners, and several stands of colors captured. They having been repulsed with severe loss on the extreme right, they now attempted to assist the attack on French's division by assailing him on his right to turn his flank, but they were met and checked by the Fourteenth In- diana and Eighth Ohio Volunteers, and by canister from Captain Tompkin's battery First Rhode Island artillery. Having been under an almost continuous fire for nearly four hours, and the ammunition nearly expended, the division now took position immediately below the crest of the heights on which they had so gallantly fought, the enemy making no attempt to regain their lost ground.
On the left of General French, General Richardson's division was hotly engaged. They advanced in line with General Meagher's brigade on the right, General Cald- well's on the left, and Colonel Brooks' in support. They moved steadily, and soon became engaged with the enemy posted to the left and in front of Roulette's house. Pressing on under a heavy fire to the crest of the hill, they found the enemy posted in a continuation of the sunken road and cornfield before referred to. Here the brave Irish brigade opened upon the enemy a terrible
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musketry fire. After suffering terribly in officers and men, and strewing the ground with the enemy as they drove them back, their ammunition nearly expended, and their commander, General Meagher, disabled by the fall of his horse shot under him, the brigade was ordered to give place to General Caldwell's, which advanced to a short distance in its rear. The lines were passed by Meagher's brigade breaking by company to the rear, and General Caldwell's by company to the front as steadily as on drill.
The ground over which Generals Richardson's and French's division were fighting, was very irregular, in- tersected by numerous ravines, hills covered with grow- ing corn, inclosed by stone walls, behind which the enemy could advance unobserved upon any exposed point of our lines. Taking advantage of this, the enemy attempted to gain the right of Richardson's position in a cornfield near Roulette's house, where the division had become separated from that of General French's. A change of front by the Fifty Second New York and Sec- ond Delaware Volunteers of Richardson's division, and the attack made by the Fifty-third Pennsylvania volun- teers sent further to the right to close this gap in the line, and the movement of the One hundred and thirty- second Pennsylvania and Seventh Virginia Volunteers of French's division, before referred to, drove the enemy from the cornfield and restored the line.
The brigade of Caldwell, with determined gallantry, pushed the enemy back opposite the left and centre of Richardson's division, but sheltered in the sunken road, they still held our forces on the right of Caldwell in check. Colonel Barlow, commanding the Sixty-first and Sixty-fourth New York regiments, seeing a favorable opportunity, advanced the regiments on the left, taking the enemy in the sunken road in flank, and compelling them to surrender, capturing over three hundred prison- ers and three stands of colors. The whole brigade, with the Fifty-seventh and Sixty-sixth New York regiments,
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of Colonel Brooks' brigade, who had joined Caldwell's, now advanced with gallantry, driving the enemy before them in confusion into the corn-field beyond the sunken road. The left of Richardson's division was now well advanced, when the enemy, concealed by an intervening ridge, endeavored to turn its left and rear.
Colonel Cross, Fifth New Hampshire, by a change of front to the left and rear, brought his regiment facing the advancing line. Here a spirited charge arose to gain a commanding height, the opposing forces moving paral- lel to each other, giving and receiving fire. The Fifth gained the advantage, faced to the right and delivered its volley. The enemy staggered, but rallied and ad- vanced desperately at a charge. Being reinforced by the Eighty-first Pennsylvania, these regiments met the advance by a counter-charge. The enemy fled, leaving many killed, wounded, and prisoners, and the colors of the Fourth North Carolina, in our hands.
Another column of the enemy, advancing under shelter of a stone wall and corn-field, pressed down on the right of the division ; but Colonel Barlow again advanced the Sixty-first and Sixty-fourth New York against them, and with the attack of Kimball's brigade, of French's division, on the right, drove them from this position.
Our troops on the left of this part of the line having driven the enemy far back, they, with reinforced num- bers, made a determined attack in front. To meet this, Colonel Barlow brought his two regiments to their posi- tion in line, and drove the enemy through the corn-field into the orchard beyond, under a heavy fire of musketry, and a fire of canister from two pieces of artillery in the orchard, and a battery further to the right, throwing shell and cose shot. This advance gave us possession of Piper's house, the strong point contended for by the enemy at this part of the line, it being a defensible build- ing several hundred yards in advance of the sunken road. The infantry fighting at this point of the line now ceased. Holding Piper's house, General Richardson
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withdrew the line a little way to the crest of a hill, a more advantageous position. Up to this time the divi- sion was without artillery, and in the new position suffered severely from artillery fire, which it could not reply to. A section of Captain Robertson's horse battery now arived and opened, and soon after Captain Graham's battery took position on the crest of the hill, and silenced the guns in the orchard. Graham's battery, however, being smooth-bores, was unable to reach a rifled battery of the enemy, of greater range, further to the right, and was forced to retire. General Richardson was here mort- ally wounded.
General Hancock was placed in command of the divi- sion after the fall of General Richardson. Meagher's brigade, now commanded by Colonel Burk, having refilled their cartridge-boxes, again advanced and took position in the centre of the line. The division now formed one line of battle in close proximity to the enemy, and Colonel Morris, with the Fourteenth Con- necticut and a detachment of the One-hundred-and-eighth New York, was sent by General French to reinforce them, and were placed in an interval in the line between Caldwell's and Burk's brigades. Hancock's division, though suffering severely from the enemy's artillery, was able to hold its position, but not to attack the enemy's artillery, as it was too weak to form a second line of battle, and was, by its advanced position, enfiladed by the enemy's batteries on the right.
With the exception of some minor fighting and the repulse of a heavy line of infantry by General Pleasanton with sixteen guns, the operations on this portion of the field closed.
About noon General Franklin's Corps arrived having left Crampton's Pass at six A. M. It was at first deter- mined to hold them in reserve, but the right under Sumner and Meade being hardly pressed it was at once sent to their relief. On nearing the field, finding that battery A, Fourth United States Artillery, was hotly
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engaged without support, two regiments were sent to its relief, Afterwards the remaining regiments of Han- cock's brigade with Captains Frank's and Cowen's bat- teries were also sent there. Finding the enemy still advancing, the Third brigade of Smith's division com- manded by Colonel Irwin, Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers was ordered up, and drove back the advance until abreast of the Dunker Church. As the right of the brigade came opposite the woods it received a de- structive fire, which checked the advance and threw the brigade somewhat into confusion. It formed again behind a rise of ground in the open space in advance of the batteries.
General French having reported to General Franklin that his ammunition was nearly expended, General Brooks, with his brigade was ordered to reinforce him. The brigade was formed on the right of General French, where they remained during the remainder of the day and night, frequently under the fire of the enemy's artillery.
The advance of General Franklin's Corps was oppor- tune. The attack of the enemy on this position, but for the timely arrival of his Corps, must have been disas- trous, had it succeeded in piercing the line between General Sedgwick's and French's divisions.
General Porter's Corps was stationed on the east side of the Antietam upon the main turnpike leading to Sharpsburg, and opposite the centre of the enemy's lines to act in case the enemy should attempt to pierce the centre and turn our rear, as well as capture or destroy our supply trains.
Towards the middle of the afternoon, General McClel- lan found that Sumner's, Meade's and Mansfield's Corps had met with serious losses, that several general officers had been carried from the field severely wounded, and the aspect of affairs was anything but promising. Orders were given to reinforce this portion of the line with two brigades from Porter's Corps, and to renew the attack,
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but General Sumner expressed the most decided opinion against another attempt that day to assault the enemy's position in front. In view of these circumstances, the different commanders were directed to hold their positions, and the orders to Porter's brigades were coun- termanded.
General Slocum's division replaced a portion of Sum- ner's troops, and batteries were placed in positions in front of the woods. The enemy opened with several heavy fires of artillery on our troops after this, but our batteries soon silenced them.
In the morning, General Pleasanton, with his cavalry division and the horse batteries, under Captains Robert- son, Tidball, Gibson, and Lieutenant Haines, was ordered to cross the bridge on the Keedysville and Sharpsburg turnpike and advance towards the latter place, and sup- port the left of General Sumner's line. The bridge being covered by a fire of artillery and sharpshooters, cavalry skirmishers were thrown out, and Captain Tidball's battery advanced by piece and drove off the enemy with canister sufficiently to establish the other batteries, which opened on the enemy with effect. The firing was kept up for about two hours, when, the enemy's fire slacken- ing, the batteries were relieved by Randall's and Van Reed's. About three o'clock, Tidball, Robertson and Haines returned to their positions on the west of Antie- tam, and did good service, concentrating their fire on the column of the enemy about to attack General Han- cock's position, and compelling it to find shelter behind the hills in the rear. The batteries under Pleasanton were supported by five battalions of United States infantry who acted with great gallantry.
General Burnside's Corps held the left on the line opposite the bridge on the Rohrersville and Sharpsburg road, and as it was intended the attack on the right should be supported by an attack on the left, General McClellan ordered him at eight o'clock to carry the bridge, gain possession of the heights beyond, and to
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advance along their crest upon Sharpsburg and its rear. After much delay, the bridge was carried about one o'clock, by a brilliant charge of the Fifty-first Pennsyl- vania and Fifty-first New York Volunteers. Other troops were then thrown over and the opposite bank occupied, but for some reason a halt was ordered, and it was three o'clock before the advance resumed, when they gallantly charged driving the enemy from their guns, handsomely carrying the heights and a portion of them even reaching the outskirts of Sharpsburg. By this time it was nearly dark, and strong reinforcements just then reaching the enemy from Harper's Ferry, attacked General Burnside's troops on their left flank, and forced them to retire to a lower line of hills near the bridge.
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