The force had left Pleasant Valley at daylight, and marched rapidly to the scene of action. The Third Brigade, with two others, immediately pressing forward, put the enemy to flight, and established the lines far in advance of where they had been at the opening of the fight. This brilliant success cost us, however, many casualties. Fifty were killed and wounded in the Thirty-third alone; among the former was Sergeant-Major George W. Bassett, a brave and beloved officer. He was shot through the head, after bearing Lieut. Mix from the field, seriously wounded through the thigh. Captain Gifford and Lieutenant King were also wounded. Lieutenant-Colonel Corning’s horse was hit three times, and Major Platner’s killed. The Thirty-third, and other Regiments of Franklin’s Corps sent forward, held their position during the remainder of the contest. The fighting on the left did not commence until later in the day, and it was noon before the fire of musketry announced that the infantry were engaged in that direction. The first advance was made down the slope of a hill, to a bridge which crossed the Antietam. Beyond the stream the enemy were so posted as to sweep the bridge with a severe musketry fire. After an hour or two of fighting for its possession, a charge was ordered, and the structure carried at the point of the bayonet.
Once across the creek, General Burnside found the rebels in a new position of great strength. Against this position he advanced at once, and Gens. Cox, Wilcox and Sturges soon occupied the hill. No sooner, however, had they appeared on the summit, than the opposing artillery rendered it untenable. They, therefore, relinquished it, but so planted their guns that the enemy could not reoccupy it.
The rebel infantry now appeared, as they had done earlier in the day, on the right, in overwhelming numbers, and attempted to drive back Burnside. Being sorely pressed he sent to Gen. McClellan for reinforcements. “Tell Burnside that I can furnish him no more troops.” (What was Porter doing all this time?) “But, General,” answers the aid, “Gen. Burnside is being crushed, and before I get back may be overpowered.” “Tell Gen. Burnside,” Gen. McClellan once more sternly replies, “that he must maintain his position at all hazards and at whatever cost.” Lieut. French galloped back to his General with this verbal communication, and from that time the warm intimacy existing between McClellan and Burnside—an intimacy which had sprung up when they were chums together in civil life—was ended. Gen. Burnside felt, and justly too, that some of the fresh and well trained troops belonging to Porter should have been sent to his assistance. He withstood the shock but a few moments, losing very heavily, and then withdrew from the extreme position which he had gained near Sharpsburg to one slightly in rear of it. He, however, held his bank of the river completely, and maintained much ground beyond it, which he had taken from the enemy.
Night closed upon the scene, preventing further operations, and our victorious troops slept on the battle-field.
A guard of three officers, nine Sergeants and thirty men from the Thirty-third were posted in front of the Regiment, and after dark moved forward to within a hundred yards of the enemy. Towards morning the officer of the guard informed Lieut. Col. Corning that the rebels were moving artillery back by hand. He immediately reported this to headquarters, and in the morning sent Lieut. Carter to Gen. Smith to announce to him in person that he had heard artillery moving to the rear, and perceived other indications of a retreat on the part of the enemy. An hour later they could be seen from Burnside’s position moving back to the river. The men were impatient to dash after them and end the war. Where was McClellan that he did not give orders to renew the conflict? No such orders came. About noon the Third Brigade was relieved by Cochrane’s of Couch’s Division. The afternoon passed as had the forenoon, no offensive demonstrations being made by us. The rebels kept up a brisk fire from their skirmish line, which fact was, after our Peninsular experience, an additional evidence to us that they were retiring. About noon, on the following day (Friday), our skirmishers moved forward, and discovered that the enemy had all crossed to the Virginia side of the Potomac. The whole army was now put in motion and encamped near the bank of the river. Gen. McClellan has been severely censured for thus permitting the enemy to slip through his fingers, but he committed no greater blunder than did Lee in afterwards allowing Burnside to escape at Fredericksburg and Hooker at Chancellorsville.
CHAPTER XXI.
Appearance of the Field after the strife.—Union Losses and Captures.—Bravery of the Raw Levies.—The Thirty-third complimented by the Brigade Commander.
One forgets the horrors of war in the roar of artillery and shock of contending thousands, but when the field is afterwards surveyed, we realize how fearful, how terrible is the calamity. The falling back of the enemy left the battle-field of Antietam in our possession, with all its heart-rending and melancholy scenes. Scattered over a space of four miles, were men with uniforms of blue, and uniforms of gray, exhibiting all the frightful mutilations which the human body can suffer.
Shot through the head, shot through the body, shot through the limbs, shot to the death, they lay stretched out together, wherever the surging to and fro of the contending armies had marked the line of battle. Approaching the field from the direction of Hagerstown, the first evidences of the conflict are seen, in a small grove which has been cut to pieces by a hurricane of shot, and shell. Close by appears the debris of a once elegant farm-house, literally shot down by our guns. Near the adjoining barn are several dead animals, killed in their stalls, or while grazing in the pastures. Advancing further, the fences by the road-side are completely riddled with bullets. Here, for several moments, two contending Regiments fought, divided from each other only by the width of the road, until both were nearly annihilated.