AKMY OPERATIONS. 



143 



2-inch rifled, 6 James's rifled, 6 24-pound how- 

 itzers, 4 20-pound Parrott guns, 4 12-pounders, 

 4 12-pound howitzers, 2 10-inch Dahlgrens, 1 

 50-pound Parrott, and 6 6-pound guns. 



The Federal loss in killed and wounded was 

 reported at about two hundred ; the Confed- 

 erate loss has not been stated. In the latter 

 part of the year the circumstances attending 

 this surrender were examined by a court of in- 

 quiry at Washington, in accordance with whose 

 suggestions Col. Ford and other officers were 

 dismissed from the United States army. The 

 conduct of Col. Miles was stated in their report 

 to have exhibited u an incapacity amounting 

 almost to imbecility." 



The surrender of this position with so little 

 resistance was followed by serious conse- 

 quences. It took place on the 15th. On the 

 next day, the 16th, most of the Confederate force 

 left it in great haste, crossed the pontoon 

 bridge into Maryland, and joined Gen. Lee at 

 Antietam in time to engage in the great battle 

 on the next day, the 17th. "Without the assist- 

 ance of this force Gen. Lee's army would un- 

 doubtedly have been badly defeated and his 

 retreat into Virginia probably cut off. That 

 the importance of their aid was known to their 

 commander, is manifest from the haste of the 

 evacuation and the subsequent celerity of their 

 movements. By their arrival the Confederate 

 army outnumbered the Federal army in the 

 battle of Antietam. 



The battle on which was staked " the invasion 

 of Maryland " in the view of the Federal, and 

 ' the deliverance of Maryland " in the -new of 

 the Confederate Government, but in reality the 

 sovereignty of the Union, was now near at hand. 



On the morning of the 15th the whole right 

 whig and centre of Gen. McClellan's forces 

 were pushed forward in pursuit of the eneruy, 

 who were found in the strong position made 

 memorable by the battle of the Antietam. 

 The' troops were not up in sufficient force to 

 make the attack on that day ; but soon after 

 night fell the greater part were in bivouac 

 behind the heights on the left bank of the An- 

 tietam, sheltered from, but within range of the 

 enemy's batteries. 



On the left the three divisions of Gen. Frank- 

 lin were ordered to occupy Eoherville, and to 

 push in the direction of Brownsville in order 

 to relieve Harper's Ferry if possible. During 

 the morning Gen. Franklin received intelli- 

 gence of the surrender of Harper's Ferry, and 

 found the enemy in force in a strong position 

 near Brownsville. As he had but "two divi- 

 sions with him, the third not having yet ar- 

 rived, he was not in sufficient force to dislodge 

 the enemy, and was obliged to content himself 

 with watching them and endeavoring to hold 

 them in check. 



The morning of the 16th was occupied hi 

 reconnoissances of the enemy's position, in rec- 

 tifying the position of the Federal troops, and 

 perfecting the arrangements for the attack. 

 Very sharp artillery firing took place without 



any material loss on the Federal side. The 

 position of Gen. McClellan's forces on that 

 morning was as follows : Gen. Hooker's corps 

 was on the ri_ r ht. next that of Gen. Sumner, 

 with Gen. Mansfield's corps in the rear ; in the 

 centre was Gen. Porter's corps, only two divi- 

 sions being present ; on the left was Gen. 

 Burnside's ninth corps. Gen. Franklin was 

 still hi Pleasant Valley. 



At about 3 P. M., Gen. Hooker crossed the 

 Antietam by the bridge in the village on the 

 Hagerstown road and an adjacent ford, and soon 

 gained the crest of the height on the right bank 

 of the stream. He then turned to his left and 

 followed down the ridge under a strong oppo- 

 sition, until brought to a stand still by the 

 darkness. During the evening Gen. Mansfield 

 was ordered to follow Gen. Hooker so as to be 

 in a position to support him at daybreak. 



At daylight on the 17th, Gen. Hooker at- 

 tacked the forces in his front, and for a time 

 drove them before him. The enemy however 

 rallying, and strengthened from their support- 

 ing columns, repulsed him. Gen. Mansfield's 

 corps was then drawn to Gen. Hooker's sup- 

 port, and the two masses repelled the enemy. 

 Gen. Mansfield was killed and Gen. Hooker 

 wounded at this crisis, and obliged to withdraw 

 from the field. Shortly afterward Gen. Sum- 

 ner's corps reached this portion of the field 

 and soon became hotly engaged. This corps 

 suffered greatly at this period of the contest, 

 Gens. Sedgwick and Crawford being wounded, 

 and portions of the line were compelled to fall 

 back. The enemy were here, however, check- 

 ed by the Federal artillery. Gen. Frauklin 

 shortly arrived to the relief of Gen. Sumner's 

 line with two divisions of his corps, one of 

 which, that of Gen. W. F. Smith, drove back 

 the enemy and recovered the lost ground. 

 The enemy did not retake it. Gens. Richard- 

 son's and French's divisions held the extreme 

 left of the Federal right with tenacity during 

 the day. Gen. Richardson was wounded. 



In the centre Gen. Porter's corps was held 

 as a reserve with cavalry and horse artillery. 



The contest on the right had been most ob- 

 stinate, and the several corps which partici- 

 pated in it had lost heavily. 



Gen. Burnside's corps on the left was order- 

 ed early in the day to carry the bridge across 

 the Antietam at Rollback's farm, and to at- 

 tack the enemy's right. The approaches to 

 the bridge being in the nature of a defile, and 

 being swept by batteries of the enemy, the op- 

 posite bank of the Antietam was only reached 

 after a severe struggle. It was afternoon be- 

 fore the heights were in his possession. The 

 enemy were driven back, and a portion of their 

 line in disorder. By the most desperate ef- 

 forts, however, the enemy rallied their retrest- 

 ing regiments, strengthened their line with 

 all their available fresh troops, and opened 

 batteries on the hills, from positions which the 

 amphitheatrical character of the ground, it 

 seems, abundantly furnished. Gen. Burnside 



