and the suffering which it inflicted. "Dead and wounded men, horses and disabled caissons" were visible in every battery. By three o'clock in the afternoon, however, the storm of battle had lulled, and the artillery was withdrawn. Two brigades of General Porter's corps were held in reserve on the right centre, and one brigade occupied a position in the rear of General Burnside's command, on the hither side of the creek. The forces in the centre numbered a little over seventeen thousand, and suffered a loss during the day of one hundred and fiftyeight killed, wounded and missing.

The battle on the left, under General Burnside's direction, was very sanguinary and desperate. In the general plan, the work assigned to the Ninth Corps was to cross the stone bridge immediately in front of its position, dislodge the enemy and press up the creek upon the opposite bank, rolling in the enemy's flank upon his centre, if it were possible. That, however, was to depend in some measure upon the success of our right attack. If it were favorable, General Burnside's movement was to be vigorously made, with the hope of a complete victory. But the attack upon the right had not terminated so favorably as had been expected. The enemy still contested his ground there with great stubbornness. Nevertheless, General McClellan decided to put in the Ninth Corps, with the hope, doubtless, of creating a diversion and assisting our troops on the right to make a more successful advance.

About the time of General Hooker's attack, the enemy opened with artillery upon General Burnside's position, but without doing much damage. Our batteries returned the fire, and succeeded in silencing the enemy and blowing up two of his caissons. Agreeably to the order of General McClellan, General Burnside formed his corps and held his men in readiness to carry the enemy's position, but awaited further directions from headquarters. The dispositions of his troops were as follows: General Crook's brigade of the Kanawha division, and General Sturgis's division were formed immediately in front of the bridge and of a ford immediately above. Their

front was covered by the 11th Connecticut regiment, Colonel T. H. W. Kingsbury, thrown out as skirmishers. General Rodman's division, with Colonel Scammon's brigade of the Kanawha division in support, was posted further to the left, opposite a ford about three-quarters of a mile below the bridge. General Willcox's division was formed in the woods in rear of the other lines. Of the artillery, Benjamin's battery occupied the position which it had taken on the previous day, Clark's and Durell's were posted on the right, Muhlenburg's, Cook's and McMullen's on the left, a little in advance of Benjamin. The batteries on the left overlooked the bridge and the heights above it. One section of Simms's battery was with General Crook's brigade, and one section with Benjamin. The battery of Dahlgren boat howitzers, attached to the 9th New York regiment, covered the ford opposite General Rodman's position.

At ten o'clock General Burnside received orders to attack, carry the bridge, move up the heights above, and advance upon Sharpsburg. The troops were immediately put in motion.

But the order could be given more easily than it could be executed. The enemy's position was most admirable for defence, and the part of his line which General Burnside's command was to assault was particularly strong. The valley of the Antietam, says a writer in the rebel army, who was present at this battle, has not a level spot in it, but rolls into eminences. of all dimensions, from the little knoll that your horse gallops easily over to the rather high hills that make him tug like a mule. Many of the depressions between these hills are dry and afford admirable cover for infantry against artillery. Others are watered by the deep, narrow and crooked Antietam, a stream that seems to observe no decorum in respect to its course, but has to be crossed every ten minutes ride which way you will. Sharpsburg lies on the western side of the valley, across which from the northeast runs the turnpike from Boonsboro'. Nearly every part of the valley is under cultivation, and the scene is thus varied into squares of nearly ripened corn,

In

the deeper green of clover and the dull brown of newly ploughed fields. Towards the north are dense woods."* the lower part of the valley, near the bridge which General Burnside was to carry, the hills thus described rise abruptly and the banks of the stream especially upon the western side are nearly precipitous. They effectually command the eastern approaches to the bridge. Part way down the slope is a stone wall running parallel with the stream. The road from the bridge, like other roads in a similar conformation of country, winds up the bank with several turnings. At each of these the enemy had constructed rifle pits and breastworks of rails, rocks and timber. The woods covering the slope were filled with the enemy's riflemen, and his batteries were posted so as to enfilade the bridge and sweep away with a storm of shot and shell every party that dared attempt its passage. The bridge itself is of no great width, built of stone with three stone arches and low stone parapets. Many brave men must breathe their last before a lodgment could be effected among the woods and on the heights beyond. Who should be selected as the forlorn hope?

General Burnside ordered General Cox, who had the immediate execution of all the commands on the field, to detail General Crook's brigade to make the assault, with Colonel Kingsbury's skirmishers in front and General Sturgis in support. At the same time, General Rodman was directed to cross his division at the lower ford, and join upon the left of the force that would be thrown across. General Crook bravely made the attempt to cross, but the enemy was very obstinate in disputing the passage. A brigade under General Jenkins, and two regiments of Georgia troops-the 2d and 20th-under Colonel Cummings, poured in a destructive fire. General Toombs's brigade posted near the bridge strenuously resisted our approach. The enemy's artillery under Major Garnett, admirably planted on the opposite heights, made rapid and

*Life of Stonewall Jackson by Daniels, p. 207.

effective discharges upon the advancing troops. The road occupied by our troops and along which they were to move goes down to the creek about three hundred yards below the bridge, then turns at right angles and continues along the bank, turning again at right angles to cross the bridge. The road was swept by the enemy's fire before which our men recoiled, were broken and retired. They could not make the passage. General Sturgis was ordered to make a detail from his division for the second attempt. The force selected this time was composed of two regiments, the 6th New Hampshire, Colonel S. G. Griffin, and the 2d Maryland, Lieutenant Colonel Duryea—good regiments both. Unfortunately their position at starting was not such as promised any great success. They charged from a point at a considerable distance below the bridge, were compelled to make their way through a narrow opening in "a firm chestnut fence, which there was no time to remove, and then run a long distance in the face of a well posted enemy."* They performed this part of their difficult and perilous duty in a most gallant and praiseworthy manner, but they could not cross the bridge. They were repulsed with considerable loss. Again they made the attempt, and again they were checked and prevented. It was now noon and the bridge had not yet been wrested from the tenacious hold of the enemy. General McClellan, not appreciating the difficulty of the position, seems to have exhibited an unreasonable amount of impatience, and sent repeated orders to General Burnside to carry the point at all hazards-which General Burnside was earnestly endeavoring to do.

Another attempt, more decisive and more successful as it eventuated, was now made. The batteries on our left concentrated their fire on the woods above the bridge, and General Sturgis was ordered to make a second detail. General Ferrero'st brigade-consisting of the 51st Pennsylvania, Colonel

*Colonel Griffin's Letter.

†General Ferrero received his commission as Brigadier General while on the

field.

Hartranft, the 51st New York, Colonel Potter, the 21st Massachusetts, Colonel Clark, and the 35th Massachusetts, Lieutenant Colonel Carruth*-was chosen. The two leading regiments were formed in the rear of a spur fronting the bridge, which partially protected the men from the enemy's fire, and eagerly awaited the signal. They had not long to wait. They crowned the crest of the hill-the gallant Colonel Hartranft leading they poured down the road to the river bank, disregarding the terrific storm of fire which sadly thinned their ranks, and charging impetuously with the bayonet, crossed and secured the bridge so long and so obstinately contested. The other regiments of the brigade followed closely upon the heels of their gallant comrades. The prize was at last won, though at great loss of life. Lieutenant Colonel Bell of the 51st Pennsylvania Regiment, a gallant soldier and amiable gentleman, was killed by a piece of shell, and at least two hundred other brave men from the two regiments in advance fell in this short, sharp struggle.

It was one o'clock when the bridge was finally carried. General Sturgis promptly brought up the residue of his division to complete the success which had been so bravely achieved. The regiments separated at the head of the bridge to the right and left, and with great intrepidity moved up the steep bank, crowning the height and driving the enemy everywhere before them. Again we met with great loss, the enemy being posted in his rifle pits and behind his barricades and thus enabled to bring an infernal fire upon our men at easy musket range. It was literally the jaws of death. Here Colonel Kingsbury fell, a most brave and excellent gentleman and soldier, the pride and flower of the class of 1861 at the Military Academy at West Point. He had been a ward of General Burnside, and his many manly qualities had endeared him to all who knew his worth. We had paid a great price for our success.

*Lieutenant Colonel Carruth was wounded in this battle and the regiment was badly cut up.