Today in History:

1001 Series I Volume XIX-I Serial 27 - Antietam Part I

Page 1001 Chapter XXXI. THE MARYLAND CAMPAIGN.

wide, on the opposite side of which was a stone fence. I moved forward, under a scattering musket fire, through the tall corn to the edge of the plowed field, when I found only the right regiment (the Fourteenth Tennessee) with me, the others having fallen back to the road. Some one had called out, "Fall back," which was mistaken for an order form me. I reformed the line as rapidly as possible, and again moved forward against the enemy, posted in force behind the stone fence. In passing over the short distance of 250 yards from the corn-field, I lost nearly one-third of my already greatly reduced command, but it rushed, forward alone at double-quick, giving the enemy but little time to estimate its small numbers, and drove him from his strong position. By this time it was nearly sunset. General Branch's brigade came down about thirty minutes after I reached the wall, and formed some 30 paces to my rear, when General Branch was killed, and Colonel Lane, assuming command of his brigade, moved it down to my left.

The next morning about 9 o'clock, the little strength with which I entered the fight being completely exhausted, I turned over the command to Colonel Turney, reported to the major-general commanding, and left the field. My brigade remained all that day in the same position where I had left it, and on the morning of September 19, together with Gregg's and Branch's brigades, formed the rear guard of the army on its return to the Virginia shore.

My loss in this action was 15 killed and 90 wounded; among the latter Colonel [William] McComb, Fourteenth Tennessee, severely, and Captain [T. W.] Flynt, Nineteenth Georgia, dangerously. The gallant conduct of both these officers attracted my attention, though where all who were engaged behaved so gallantly it is difficult to select examples of particular merit.

Captain R. H. Archer, my assistant adjutant-general, though not yet recovered from a severe illness; Lieutenant Thomas, aide, and Lieutenant [George] Lemmon, ordnance officer, rendered brave and efficient assistance, and charged with the troops upon the enemy.

The regiments of the brigade were commanded as follows: First Tennessee, Colonel Turney; Seventh Tennessee, Lieutenant [G. A.] Howard, adjutant; Fourteenth Tennessee, Lieutenant-Colonel Lockert, and Nineteenth Georgia by Major Neal.

SHEPHERDSTOWN.

I resumed command of my brigade the evening of September 19.

The morning of the 20th, the division moved down to repel the enemy, who were crossing the Potomac at the Shepherdstown ferry. Line of battle was formed in a corn-field about three-fourths of a mile back from the ferry. Pender's brigade moved forward in the direction of the ferry, and General Gregg's and Colonel Thomas' toward a point somewhere to the right. When General Pender had gotten about half way to the ferry, General Hill directed me to take command of the three remaining brigades-Field's, commanded by Colonel Brockenbrough, on the right; Lane's in the center, and my own, under the senior colonel (Turnney), on the left-and advance to the support of Pender. I moved straight forward until within a few hundred yards of General Pender's brigade, when, on his sending me back information that the enemy was attempting to flank him on the left, I moved by flank to the left, and the left regiment of my brigade, as soon as it was unmasked by Pender's, and each other regiment, as soon as unmasked by the preceding one, went


Page 1001 Chapter XXXI. THE MARYLAND CAMPAIGN.