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MCCLELLAN ADVANCES TO THE ANTIETAM.

Gen. McClellan, at 3 A. M. of the 15th, was aware-for he telegraphed to Halleck-that he had been fighting the forces of D. H. Hill and Longstreet; that they had disappeared from his front; and that Franklin had likewise been completely successful at Crampton's Gap, on his left. He says in this dispatch: "The enemy disappeared during the night; our troops are now advancing in pursuit." At 8 A. M., he telegraphed again-still from Bolivar, at the foot of Turner's Gap:

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that the Rebel army had crossed into | Potomac. Precious hours had been Maryland, is one of those puzzles so lost by massing on his right instead frequently exhibited in the strategy of his left, and fighting for Turner's of that Generalissimo, which must Gap, when he should only by a feint find their solution in some higher, have kept as many Rebels there as subtler, and more leisurely existence. possible, while he poured the great body of his army, in overwhelming strength and with the utmost celerity, through Crampton's Gap, crushing McLaws and relieving Harper's Ferry. But there was still time, if not to retrieve the error, at least to amend it. Our soldiers, flushed with unwonted victory, and full in the faith that they had just wrested two strong mountain-passes from the entire Rebel army, were ready for any effort, any peril. To press forward with the utmost rapidity, and so relieve Harper's Ferry, if that might still be, but at all events to crush that portion of the Rebel army still north of the Potomac, if it should stand at bay, and rout and shatter it should it attempt to ford the river; at the very worst, to interpose between it and the other half, under Jackson and Walker, should it attempt to escape westward by Hagerstown and Williamsport, and thus be in position to assail and overwhelm either half before it could unite with the other, was the course which seems to have been as obvious to McClellan as it must be to every one else.

"I have just learned from Gen. Hooker, in the advance-who states that the information is perfectly reliable-that the enemy is making for the river in a perfect panic; and Gen. Lee last night stated publicly that he must admit they had been shockingly ward to endeavor to press their retreat to the utmost."

Had even the last sentence of this dispatch been literally true, Lee's destruction was imminent and cer

tain.

It was now too late to save Harper's Ferry--for it had this moment fallen-but not too late to superbly avenge it. With Lee's order in his hand, McClellan must have known The advance was again led by that the forces from which he and Gen. Pleasanton's cavalry, who overFranklin had just wrested the passes took at Boonsborough the Rebel cavof the South Mountain were all that alry rear-guard, charged it with spirit, Lee had to depend upon, save those and routed it, capturing 250 prisonwhich he had detached and senters and 2 guns. Richardson's divimainly by long circuits to reduce sion, of Sumner's corps, followed; Harper's Ferry, and which must now pressing eagerly on that afternoon; " be mainly on the other side of the and, after a march of 10 or 12 miles,

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descried the Rebels posted in force | arrived at Shepherdstown early on the morning of the 16th; crossing and reporting to Lee at Sharpsburg by noon.”

across ANTIETAM CREEK, in front of the little village of SHARPSBURG. Richardson halted and deployed on the right of the road from Keedysville to Sharpsburg; Sykes, with his division of regulars, following closely after, came up and deployed on the left of that road. Gen. McClellan himself, with three corps in all, came up during the evening.

Lee had of course chosen a strong position; but delay could only serve to strengthen it, while giving opportunity for the arrival of Jackson, Walker, and McLaws, from Harper's Ferry; which McClellan now knew had fallen that morning: Franklin having apprised him of the hour when the sound of guns from that quarter ceased. Had McClellan then resolved to attack at daylight next morning, he might before noon have hurled 60,000 gallant troops against not more than half their number of Rebels; for, though Jackson arrived with his overmarched men that morning, he left A. P. Hill behind at the Ferry, while McLaws, still confronting Franklin in Pleasant Valley, was obliged to cross the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, and recross it at Shepherdstown, in order to come up at all; and did not arrive until the morning of the 17th. Walker, clearing Loudon Heights and crossing the Shenandoah on the 15th, had followed Jackson during the night, and

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Lee, aware that every hour's delay was an inestimable advantage to him, made as great a display of force as possible throughout the 15th and 16th, though he thereby exposed his | infantry-it seemed wantonly to the fire of our artillery. But, on the morning of the 17th, when our columns advanced to the attack, and the battle began in carnest, his whole army, save A. P. Hill's division, being on hand, the regiments and brigades hitherto so ostentatiously paraded seemed to have sunk into the carth; and nothing but grim and frowning batteries were seen covering each hill-crest and trained on every stretch of open ground whereby our soldiers might attempt to scale those rugged steeps.

The struggle was inaugurated on the afternoon of the 16th, by our old familiar maneuver: Hooker, on our right, being directed to flank and beat the enemy's left, backed by Sumner, Franklin, and Mansfield, who were to come into action successively, somewhat nearer the enemy's center. It would have been a serious objection, ten hours before, to this strategy, that it tended, even if successful, to concentrate the enemy, by driving him back on his divisions arriving or expected from Har

all in their positions until the next morning after sunrise."

George W. Smalley, correspondent of The Tribune, writes from the battle-field on the 17th as follows:

"After the brilliant victory near Middletown, Gen. McClellan pushed forward his army rapidly, and reached Keedysville with three corps cn Monday night. On the day following, the two armies faced each other idly until night."

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ter. By this time, it was dark, and the firing soon ceased; the hostile infantry lying down for the night at points within half musket-shot of each other.

At daylight next morning," the battle was commenced in earnest: the left of Meade's and the right of Ricketts's line becoming engaged at nearly the same moment, the former with artillery, the latter with infantry; while a battery was pushed forward beyond the woods directly in Hooker's front, across a plowed field, to the edge of a corn-field beyond it, destined before night to be soaked with blood.

beyond, and was following with eager, exulting cheers.

But Hood's division, somewhat refreshed, had by this time returned to the front, backed by the brigades of Ripley, Colquitt, Garland (now under Col. McRae), and D. R. Jones, by whom the equilibrium of the fight was restored; our men being hurled back by terrible volleys from the woods, followed by a charge across the corn-field in heavy force. Hooker called up his nearest brigade; but it was not strong enough, and he sent at once to Doubleday: "Give me your best brigade instantly!" That brigade came down the hill on our right at double-quick, and was led by Hartsuff into the corn-field, and steadily up the slope beyond it, forming on the crest of the ridge, under a hurricane of shot and shell, and firing steadily and rapidly at the Rebel masses just before them. They held their position half an hour, unsupported, though many fell; among them their leader, Hartsuff, wounded severely; until for a second time the enemy was driven out of the cornfield into the woods.

Hood's thin division, which had confronted us at evening, had been withdrawn during the night, and replaced by Lawton's and Trimble's brigades of Ewell's division, under Lawton, with Jackson's own division, under D. R. Jones, on its left, supported by the remaining brigades of Ewell. Jackson was in chief command on this wing, and here was substantially his old corps around him. Against these iron soldiers, Hooker's corps hurled itself, and, being superior in numbers, compelled them to give Meantime, both sides were strengthground; but not until Jones and ening this wing. Ricketts's division, Lawton had been wounded, with having attempted to advance and many more field officers, and Starke, failed, had fallen back. Part of who succeeded Jones in command, Mansfield's corps had gone in to their killed. Early, who succeeded Law- aid, and been driven back likewise, ton, was ordered by Jackson to re- with their General mortally woundplace Jackson's own division, which ed. Doubleday's guns were still had suffered so severely and was busy on our extreme right, and had so nearly out of ammunition that silenced a Rebel battery which for it had to be temporarily withdrawn half an hour had enfiladed Hooker's from the combat. By this time, center. Ricketts sent word that he Ricketts and Meade had pushed could not advance, but could hold the Rebel line back across the corn- his ground. Hooker, with Crawfield and the road, into the woods ford's and Gordon's fresh brigades of

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THE FIGHT ON OUR RIGHT AND CENTER.

Mansfield's corps, came up to his support, determined again to advance and carry the woods to the right of and beyond the corn-field. Going forward to reconnoiter on foot, Hooker satisfied himself as to the nature of the ground, returned and remounted amid a shower of Rebel bullets, which he had all the morning disregarded; but the next moment a musket-ball went through his foot, inflicting a severe and intensely painful wound; which compelled him, after giving his orders fully and deliberately, to leave the field at 9 A. M. Sumner, arriving at this moment, assumed command, sending forward Sedgwick's division of his own corps to support Crawford and Gordon; while Richardson and French, with his two remaining divisions, went forward farther to the left; Sedgwick again advancing in line through the corn-field already won and lost.

But by this time McLaws-who, by marching all night, had reached Shepherdstown from Harper's Ferry that morning, and instantly crossed -had been sent forward by Lee to the aid of Jackson; while Walker's division had been hurried across from

their

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134. Gen. Howard, who took command of Sedgwick's division, was unable to restore its formation, and Sumner himself had no better success. Again the center of our right gave back, and the corn-field was retaken by the enemy.

But the attempt of the Rebels to advance beyond it, under the fire of our batteries, was repelled with heavy loss on their part; Col. Manning, who led Walker's own brigade, being severely wounded, and his brigade driven back. Doubleday, on our farther right, held firmly; and it seemed settled that, while either party could repel a charge on this part of the line, neither could afford to make one.

But now Franklin had come up with his fresh corps, and formed on the left; Slocum, commanding one of his divisions, was sent forward toward the center; while Smith, with the other, was ordered to retake the ground that had been so long and so hotly contested.

It was no sooner said than done. Smith's regiments, cheering, went forward on a run, swept through the corn-field and the woods, cleared as yet unassailed right. Again them in ten minutes, and held them. Hood's brigade was withdrawn from Their rush was so sudden and unexthe front, while the fresh forces un-pected that their loss was comparader Walker and McLaws advanced tively small; and the ground thus with desperate energy, seconded by retaken was not again lost. Early on their left. Sedgwick was thrice badly wounded, and compelled to retire; Gens. Dana and Crawford were likewise wounded. The 34th New York-which had broken at a critical moment, while attempting a maneuver under a terrible fire-was nearly cut to pieces; and the 15th Massachusetts, which went into action 600 strong, was speedily reduced to

Nearer the center, French's division of Sumner's corps had attempted to carry the line of heights whereon the Rebels were posted, and had made some progress, repulsing a countercharge and capturing a number of prisoners, with some flags. Attempts successively to turn his right and then his left were foiled; but, after a bloody combat of four

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