Return of casualties in Ewell's division at the battle of Sharpsburg, September 17, 1862.

Return of casualties in Ewell's division at Boteler's Ford, September 13, 1862

Report of Maj. J. H. Lowe, Thirty-first Georgia Infantry, commanding Lawton's brigade, of the battle of Sharpsburg.

OCTOBER 13, 1862.

[I have the honor to make the following] report of the part taken by Lawton's brigade in the engagement of September 17, at Sharpsburg, Md.:

On the evening of September 16, the brigade, commanded by Col. M. Douglass, was ordered to march toward the enemy's line. After marching some distance, the brigade filed into a piece of woods, and there remained, with arms stacked, until about 10 p. m., at which time the brigade was ordered to relieve Brigadier-General Hood, whose command was in line of battle near the enemy's lines. The brigade marched up and formed line of battle, and the Thirty-first Georgia Regiment, in Lawton's brigade, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel [J. T.] Crowder, was ordered out as skirmishers, which order was promptly obeyed. During the night sharp skirmishing ensued.

At dawn, when the enemy could be seen, heavy skirmishing commenced and continued for an hour. The skirmishers, after their ammunition was nearly exhausted, were ordered to retire or fail back with their brigade. At that time the enemy commenced advancing, and soon a general engagement ensued. While the brigade was engaged with the enemy's infantry, it was under a heavy fire from their batteries on our right, killing and wounding many of our men. After a severe engagement, the brigade was compelled to fall back a short distance. Re-enforcements then came, and with them we made a charge in the most gallant manner. During that time (before the charge) the brigade lost its commander, and nearly every regiment lost its regimental commander; also the greater portion of the different companies lost their company commanders. After the charge the brigade fell back, and, in taking off the wounded, a great many were lost for a short time from their regi

ments.

Finding that I was senior officer present, I reformed the brigade and reported to Brigadier-General Early, and was ordered to take position

on the right of the division in line of battle; there remained until the latter part of the night of the 18th.

I am requested to bring to notice the name of Corpl. Curtis A. Lowe, of Company F, Sixty-first Georgia Regiment, who, after the color-bearer and four of the color-guard were shot down, seized the colors and pressed forward, calling to the men of the Sixty-first to follow their standard. Also, I will note the gallantry displayed by Private M. V. Hawes, of Company E, Thirty-first Georgia, who, after two of the color-bearers had been shot down, took the colors and carried them with his regiment, leading the way in the charge, and afterward carried them off the field with his regiment.

Respectfully submitted.

J. H. LOWE, Major Thirty-first Georgia.

P. S.-The brigade was engaged at least two hours.

J. H. L.

No. 271.

Report of Col. James A. Walker, Thirteenth Virginia Infantry, commanding Trimble's brigade, of the battle of Sharpsburg.

OCTOBER 11, 1862.

In obedience to orders from division headquarters, calling upon me for a report of the operations of Trimble's brigade on September 17 at the battle of Sharpsburg, I respectfully submit the following:

On the night of the 16th, about 11 o'clock, I was ordered by Brigadier-General Lawton, then in command of the division, to carry my command to the front, to relieve a portion of General Hood's troops, which I did, taking the place of a brigade commanded by Colonel Law. My pickets were posted in the edge of a wood, which was occupied but a short distance farther in by the enemy, and my main body was placed in a plowed field, connecting with Lawton's brigade on my left and with Ripley's brigade, of D. H. Hill's division, on my right, the latter forming a right angle with my line, and facing the Antietam River. Twice during the night the enemy's pickets attacked mine, in force, and a desultory fire was kept up between them the greater part of the night.

At daylight heavy skirmishing commenced between the pickets, and was kept up without intermission until about sunrise, when the enemy's line of battle was advanced, driving my pickets in. Soon after daylight the enemy cpened fire from a battery which was posted on a hill across the Antietam, and which consequently enfiladed our position, and, as my command was exposed to full view of their gunners and had no shelter, this fire was very annoying, but less destructive than I at first apprehended it would be. About the time my skirmishers were driven in, the enemy also opened on us from the front with artillery. The line of infantry which they brought up first, advanced to the edge of the woods where my ski mishers had been posted, and opened fire upon us, to which my men replied with spirit and effect, holding them in check. The whole force of the enemy opposed to my regiments occupied the shelter of the wood, except that portion which confronted the left of my line, where the Twelfth Georgia Regiment was posted. Observing that the cool and deliberate fire of this tried and veteran regiment was aunoying that portion of the enemy's line very greatly, I ordered the Twenty-first

Georgia and Twenty-first North Carolina Regiments to wheel to the left, and, taking shelter under a low stone fence running at right angles to their former line, direct their fire upon the wavering Yankee regi. ment, with the view of breaking the enemy's line at this point. They did so promptly, and a few rounds from them had the desired effect, and the enemy's line was entirely broken. At this opportune moment, fresh troops came up to the assistance of Lawton's brigade, which was hotly engaged on our left, and I ordered my command to advance, which they did, but the fresh troops, which were advancing in such good order at first, gave way under the enemy's fire and ran off the field before they had been halted by their officers and almost before they had fired a gun. Being thus left without support on our left, my men could advance no farther with safety, and halted. I tried to hold the advanced position thus gained until troops came to our support, but the enemy was first re-enforced, and we were compelled to fall back to our original line.

About this time the officers of the brigade began to report that their companies were out of ammunition. I directed them to gather what they could from the cartridge-boxes of the dead and wounded, and we were thus enabled to keep up the fight. (I would state here that our supply of ammunition had been heavily drawn upon by the long-continued and heavy skirmishing; the pickets had fired all in their boxes, and I had to divide the ammunition of the men in line with them before they were driven in.) Being thus left without ammunition, when a fresh brigade came to my support I ordered Captain Hall, of General Trimble's staff, to direct the commandants of regiments to bring back what men were still left with them to a designated point in rear of the village of Sharpsburg, where they could be supplied with ammunition, and ordered the other staff officers of the brigade to gather up the stragglers from the different regiments of the command and carry them to the same point.

Having been wounded some time previous, and my wound becoming stiff and painful, I then left the field and reported the fact to General Early, who was then in command of the division, through one of his staff officers.

It gives me great pleasure to bear testimony to the gallantry of the officers and men of this (Trimble's) brigade, which I had the honor to command for a short while.

To General Trimble's staff-Captain McKim, aide; Captain Hall, assistant adjutant-general, and Captain Hoffman, volunteer aide-I am greatly indebted for their assistance and gallant behavior under heavy fire. Captain McKim was severely wounded while bearing an order from me to the Fifteenth Alabama Regiment.

Captain Rodgers, commanding the Twelfth Georgia, and Captain Miller, commanding the Twenty-first North Carolina, were both killed on the field while gallantly discharging their duty. Major Glover, commanding the Twenty-first Georgia, was very severely wounded.

Captain Feagin, commanding Fifteenth Alabama Regiment, behaved with a gallantry consistent with his high reputation for courage and that of the regiment he commanded. I would especially call attention to the case of Captain Feagin, as he asked me to correct an erroneous impression which Maj. Gen. D. H. Hill had conceived of him by finding him with a portion of his command in rear after the ammunition of his men had given out and he had been ordered to fall back, by me. Captain Fleagin] has since been severely wounded at Boteler's Mill, and is absent. I ask that this statement be forwarded to General Jackson, in justice to a gallant officer.

62 R B-VOL XIX, PT I

A list of killed and wounded has been forwarded to division headquarters, from which it will appear that out of less than 700 men carried into action the brigade lost 228 in killed and wounded. Very respectfully submitted.

Maj. S. HALE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

JAMES A. WALKER, Colonel, Commanding Brigade.

No. 272.

Report of Brig. Gen. Harry T. Hays, C. 8. Army, commanding First Louisiana Brigade, of the battle of Sharpsburg.

HEADQUARTERS FIRST LOUISIANA BRIGADE,

1862.

GENERAL: Tuesday afternoon, September 16, I received an order from General Lawton, commanding the Third (Ewell's) Division, to hold my brigade in readiness to move at an instant's notice. The brigade was then stationed on the left of the road leading from the ford at Shepherdstown to Sharpsburg, about a mile from the battle-field. Between 4 and 5 o'clock I was directed to follow the brigade of General Early, which took up the line of march in the direction of what I subsequently ascertained was the extreme left of our line of battle.

About sunset we arrived in a body of woods behind the Dunkard church, on the Hagerstown road, subjected, as we proceeded to this posi tion, to the shelling of a battery of the enemy posted on an opposite eminence. Remaining here until after dark, and discovering that Early's brigade had moved its position still farther to the left to prevent a flank movement of the enemy, I put my brigade in motion and placed it, at General Early's suggestion, immediately in the rear of his brigade. Here we remained that night.

At light next morning, we were aroused by the report of musketry, and in a short while after putting the troops in readiness I received an order from General Lawton to proceed to a point in our lines yet unoc cupied, and fill up the gap thus occasioned.. The precise position assigned me being uncertain, from the vagueness of the direction, I dispatched my assistant adjutant-general, Capt. John H. New, to General Lawton for more definite instructions. Captain New was met by a courier ent by General Lawton to point out the place intended for my brigade. This I discovered to be an opening in our lines between General Lawton's brigade, on the right, and General's brigade, on the left. I was accordingly marching to the point, when I was overtaken by another courier from General Lawton, directing me to return with the brigade and take up a position in an open field immediately in rear of his brigade. I obeyed the order. Here I remained until I received from Colonel Douglass, commanding General Lawton's brigade, a request to come to his assistance. I then formed in line of battle and moved to the sup port of Colonel Douglass. Advancing to the position occupied by his brigade, I proceeded about 150 yards beyond his line in the direction of the enemy, having commenced firing as soon as I came up to the lines of Colonel Douglass.

My brigade at this time did not namber over 550 men, and so peculiarly exposed was the position I occupied to an enfilading fire from sev