Chapter IV: South Mountain and Antietam

About nine o'clock on the evening of Sept. 6th, the section on picket was called in, and as speedily as possible the battery packed up and started towards Washington, passing through the city towards midnight, and early on the morning of the 7th made camp about twelve miles from the city, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, where we remained until the 10th, when we marched to Lisbon. On the 12th we reached New Market, continuing on to Frederick City the next day. Here the head of our column began to encounter the rebels, and on the 14th our troops fought a severe battle with them at South Mountain, and after persistent and hard fighting, succeeded in driving them over the mountain.

Battery D was not engaged in this battle, but from its position, which was upon very high ground, the men had an excellent view of the engagement.

Let us pause a moment, for the purpose of narrating the movements of the Confederate army, which had caused this sudden departure of ours into Maryland. After the check given to Gen. Jackson at Chantilly, Gen. Lee decided to invade Maryland. He hoped by this action to have his army largely recruited from the great number of Southern sympathizers in that State, whom it had been said were only waiting for just such an opportunity as this would give them, to join the Confederate army. Gen. Jackson was ordered to march for the Potomac, and between the 4th and 5th of Sept. the whole Confederate army had crossed into Maryland, and was encamped near Frederick, on the Monocacy River. Gen. Lee issued an address to the people of Maryland, inviting those who were in sympathy with the Southern cause, to join the army; but it fell flat, and he lost more by desertions than he gained by recruits from the Marylanders. On the 9th of Sept. Gen. Lee issued Special Order No. 119, in which he ordered Gen. Jackson to proceed to Harper's Ferry, and oblige its surrender. Gen. Longstreet and the rest of the army were ordered to proceed to Boonsboro,--thus his army was divided. Happily this order fell into the hands of Gen. McClellan, who acted upon its information immediately by following the main part of the Confederate army, attacking it and driving it over South Mountain down to Antietam, and it was late in the afternoon of the 17th before Lee's army was fully united.

The morning of the 15th saw Battery D upon the road again, and by noon we had reached the summit of South Mountain. As we passed along we saw numerous evidences of the severe struggle. Many of the dead, both of our own and the rebel forces, lay by the roadside and in the fields, burial parties being then at work digging graves.

During the afternoon we continued our winding way down the mountain, following the pike road which led through the village of Boonsboro, and went into camp just beyond the village. On the morning of the 16th we were hitched up and ready to move, but did not get the order to move until about noon; when, passing through Keedysville, we followed the pike until near McClellan's head-quarters, the vicinity of which we reached just before dark, and turning to the right crossed Antietam Creek, and after marching for sometime in a somewhat circuitous route went into park about nine o'clock, with a number of other batteries. Our position was on cleared ground and on the summit of a commanding ridge, as we discovered next morning.

As our infantry advanced to establish a picket line, they were met with a heavy fire, which convinced us that the enemy were in our near presence, and in large force. Their artillery shelled us continually, and the flight of the shells with their burning fuses, together with the flash of the small arms, made a very pretty display, but we were all glad when the exhibition came to a close, just before ten o'clock.

The teams were not unhitched, but the bridles were dropped, giving the horses an opportunity to feed. It was late before the horses were fed and the men had eaten their suppers, but finally all had disposed themselves for sleep, either upon the ground, or on the chests of the caissons, and were soon utterly indifferent to their surroundings and the prospects of trouble on the morrow.

Just at daylight the next morning we were awakened by a shell that went screeching over the battery, and in a minute or two it was followed by quite a lively lot of them, but their elevation was just a little too high, and they passed over us, only one doing any damage.

Cannoniers rushed to their posts, drivers to their horses: bridles were hastily slipped on, and in less time than it takes to tell it, were executing the movement "Action front," in answer to an order from the Captain. As the men succeeded in rubbing their eyes open, and recovered from their astonishment, they looked about for an explanation of this disturbance. It was in the gray of dawn, and the few first rays of the rising sun had made it possible for us to see the surrounding hills. From one of these a battery or two of rebels had discovered our position, and gotten in the first blow; but they had no idea what a hornets' nest they were stirring up, for it so happened that upon that ridge there lay four batteries: upon our left lay Battery B, Fourth United States, upon our rear Battery L, First New York, and the First New Hampshire, and as quickly as possible every gun, twenty-four in number, was firing in reply to the enemy.

Capt. Monroe says of this part of the action:

"I have always thought that but one battery opened upon us, though others believe there were two or three opposed to us. Whatever number there was, they must have found their position a warm one, for the gunners of three of these (our batteries) could not be excelled for marksmanship, estimation of distances, and all the good qualities which go to make a skillful gunner. The previous winter they had been exercised by Capt. Gibbon in firing at target, sighting, etc., and they had acquired great proficiency in these points. The fuses of the shell and case were accurately timed, and the projectiles burst where it was intended they should, among the guns and limbers of the enemy, who had stirred up a hornets' nest, and the hornets proved too many for him."

After the rebel battery had retired, and the firing ceased, the men of Battery D had an opportunity to look about them, take in the lay of the land, etc. In our front the ground sloped gradually for several hundred yards, at which distance it was crossed at nearly right angles with our position by a sunken road, in which the rebel line of battle was posted.

Immediately upon our left was a thin belt of woods, and beyond that an extensive cornfield, in which was done as stubborn fighting as was ever seen. During the whole day its possession was hotly contested; first one side and then the other would occupy it, and so vigorous was the assault, so brave the defence, that by noon it was possible to trace where the various stands had been made, by the continuous lines of dead and wounded, extending from one side of the cornfield to the other.

After the cessation of the artillery fire, the men of Battery D were kept busy replenishing the limber chests with ammunition, and various other duties, until about nine o'clock, and for an hour afterwards had a comparatively easy time. Two batteries in our line, Campbell's and Reynolds's, were moved from their position near us to a new one just beyond the woods in the edge of the cornfield, where they received very warm treatment.

About ten A.M. one of Gen. Hooker's staff came to Capt. Monroe and ordered him to report to Gen. Hooker. After ordering the drivers to mount, and putting the column in motion, left in front, under Lieut. Fisk, Capt. Monroe sought Gen. Hooker, whom he found at the front of our line of battle, mounted upon a white horse, altogether the most conspicuous object in that vicinity, and less than five hundred yards from the rebel line. As coolly as though in a drawing room, he pointed out to the Captain the position he desired him to occupy, and the work he wanted him to do. The position was upon the top of a slight elevation fully a hundred yards in front of our line of battle, and the work was the silencing of a rebel battery which had secured a position from which they had an enfilade fire upon our line of battle, which was very destructive.

Upon receiving this order, Capt. Monroe returned to the battery, joining us just as we had passed through the woods and were entering the cornfield. Our passage through this field was necessarily slow, because of the impossibility of moving in a direct line in consequence of the great number of dead and wounded; frequent stops had to be made for the purpose of moving them out of the way.

Just after crossing the Smoketown road Capt. Monroe halted the caissons and advanced the pieces a short distance and gave the order "Form line advancing, trot, march," and soon gave the order "In battery, action front," "Commence firing." This manoeuvre brought us upon level ground nearly in front of the Dunker Church, and about one hundred and twenty-five yards from the Hagerstown Pike.

The battery that we were to silence was south of the church on the east of the pike. They did not seem to pay any attention to us until we were fairly in battery, and had opened on them, then it was give and take for a few minutes. They had been firing at quite long range, and did not get their guns depressed so as to do us any damage, all of their shots going over us. Our gunners were putting case shot in among them at a rapid rate, and soon their fire slackened and in a little while ceased altogether. After the smoke had cleared away we found that they had retired, leaving one limber and several dead men and horses on the ground they had occupied.

We stopped firing and watched a brigade of our infantry which was going into position on our right and rear. They moved to the right until they were on a line with our right piece, and then faced to the front and charged into the woods just to the north of the Dunker Church. In the meantime we began to get a few minie balls from the south of the church, and sent back a few shells; but we soon had orders to cease firing, as there was some doubt about whether the brigade that had just passed into the woods had not moved to that side of the church. It was not over six or eight minutes before volley after volley was fired in the woods just behind the church, and the brigade which had charged into the woods but a few minutes before in such dashing style now came pouring out in a confused mass. They had run into a large force of the rebels and could not hold their ground.

We expected now to get the order to limber up and move to the rear; but instead, we were ordered to "Commence firing." Up to this time we had lost but two men and two or three horses. We directed our fire into the woods in our front, and in a few minutes we saw a line of rebels coming through the woods just to the right of the church. Knowing that if that line was not stopped that Battery D was in a bad place, as they would flank us on the right, and the ground to our left was such that we could not get out that way, we sent round after round of canister at them in quick succession, and had the satisfaction of seeing the line waver and then break and return to the woods.

We were now feeling that we had things our own way again, but the minie bullets were beginning to come again, not so thick as before, but with a great deal of accuracy, and we soon found, that although we had driven the main line back, in the meantime quite a number of sharpshooters had dropped into the depression on the east side of the pike, and also behind a pile of rails on our right not over seventy-five yards away, and were making it very uncomfortable for us. The right piece of the centre section had three number ones shot down before they could load their piece, and had lost every man but Corp. Gray and private Mills. The piece was finally loaded, and a shell was sent into the pile of rails, which must have done some damage. The right piece had lost every horse on its limber, and the other pieces were suffering losses in men and horses.

It was now apparent that it was time for us to fall back if we wanted to save our battery. Capt. Monroe soon gave the order, and we fell back to Mumma's house, just under the hill to our rear. We had to leave one piece, but Lieut. Fisk soon returned with some men and the piece was taken to the rear with the prolonge, leaving the limber, which was recovered next day.

The battery soon moved back to the position we occupied in the morning, and replenished our ammunition. Lieut. Parker went on a hunt for horses to replace those that were killed and wounded. He succeeded in getting horses enough so that we were in shape to move at a moment's notice.

In this battle our battery lost four killed, sixteen wounded, and two missing (six of the slightly wounded staid with the battery). We lost thirty-eight horses. Capt. Monroe's horse was shot six times.

Capt. Campbell, of Battery B, Fourth United States, having been severely wounded, Capt. Monroe succeeded him as Chief of Artillery, and the command of Battery D passed to Lieut. Fisk.

The afternoon was well advanced when an order was received that we take position "In battery" along the ridge occupied by us in the early morning, and with us went four other batteries, making twenty-nine guns. Every officer was ordered to keep a sharp lookout, and at the first indication of an attempt by the enemy to place artillery in position, all the guns in that line were to commence firing, concentrating their fire upon that spot.

About five o'clock a horseman was seen to ride over the hill from which the rebel battery had shelled us in the morning, followed almost immediately by the teams of a battery, and rapidly making the left about, drop their pieces into battery, but before they had fired a shot, twenty-nine projectiles of various kinds and sizes were flying towards that unfortunate battery, creating, a few seconds later, the greatest consternation, as they exploded among the pieces and limbers; round after round followed in quick succession, and that battery beat a hasty retreat. Other batteries tried to maintain the position, but it was of no use; our fire was too frequent and well directed for anything to live upon that hill for any length of time. Gradually it became more and more quiet, so that by nine o'clock all firing had ceased, save an occasional picket shot.

Battery D remained in position. Through the night rumor had it that we had practically destroyed Lee's army, and that it only remained for us to up and at him in the morning, to drive him into the Potomac. But the next morning we were very much surprised at the entire absence of noise; instead of the roar of battle, we could not hear even the noise of a single picket gun. Our curiosity kept us hunting for a reason, until it was ascertained that we were under a flag of truce.

All day long we lay in our position, expecting that the truce would end, and we should resume the fight. During the forenoon we took advantage of the inaction to recover the limber left on the field, visit our wounded in the hospitals, refitting our disabled pieces, caissons, etc., and at last night closed in without our having fired a shot. This was not entirely satisfactory to us, for although we were not actually starving for a fight, still the impression of all, even the privates, was that we had our enemy at great disadvantage, which we were by this delay losing.

On the morning of the 19th of Sept., the battery was early prepared for an advance movement, but it was nearly noon before we moved out of park. Since early morning we had seen troops moving forward along the Hagerstown Pike, and were momentarily expecting to hear the roar of battle, but not a sound reached our ears until near the middle forenoon, when distant artillery could be heard. What has happened? Soon mounted messengers returned at full speed to McClellan's head-quarters, and the mortifying intelligence is given that there is no enemy in our front, Gen. Lee having taken advantage of the darkness of the night and moved his entire command across the Potomac at Shepherdstown Ford.

It is well that it was not possible for Gen. McClellan to hear all that was said of him by the soldiers of his army when this was fully understood by them; the feeling that here was one more illustration of the superior generalship of the enemy was very depressing.

About 12 o'clock our battery pulled out of park, moved across the fields to the Hagerstown Pike, and started towards Sharpsburg. Our route carried us along that part of the road over which there had been such a fearful struggle on the 17th; nothing had been disturbed (except that the wounded had been removed), but lay just as it had been left on the evening of that day. As we reached that part where the cornfield was upon our left and the Dunker Church upon our right, the sight became sickening, even to men who had become inured to such scenes, for there lay within the reach of our vision hundreds, yea, thousands of dead, just as they had fallen, swelling into most horrible shapes, twice their natural size, and mortification, which had been hastened by a light rain on the night of the 18th, and a very hot sun on the morning of the 19th, had turned the exposed parts of the bodies black. We were glad when we had passed beyond the battlefield.

It was our impression that we had started in pursuit of the enemy, but that was soon corrected, for before we reached Sharpsburg we were ordered into camp, upon ground which had evidently been occupied very recently by the rebels, as was made plain to us by the debris which lay around, and emphasized by large numbers of a certain kind of live stock, which for some reason (probably an over-crowded condition) had left them, and now proceeded to fasten themselves upon us, much to our discomfort.

On the 20th our camp was moved to a more acceptable place, and we remained in it just one month.

Oct. 1st President Lincoln visited the army, and remained four days. During his stay a grand review was held of the Army of the Potomac, which had been increased to nearly 150,000, and was in superb condition, while Lee was at Winchester, Va., with his army, reported to be in a wretched condition; still McClellan did not show any disposition to move upon him, notwithstanding he was urged time after time by the President to do so.

All through October the weather was of the finest, just such as was needed for a campaign, but all through the month Gen. McClellan was inactive, and it was not until Nov. 1st that he was ready; then he moved, but it was too late, for on the 7th there was a heavy snowstorm--winter had commenced, and now movement would be necessarily slow and tedious. His opportunity had been thrown away.

Oct. 20th Battery D left camp near Sharpsburg and marched to Bakersville, going into camp with our Division Artillery, where it was said we were to quarter for the winter; but at two o'clock in the afternoon of the 26th, orders were received to pack up, and we were soon on the march again, which was continued until nine o'clock, through a drenching rainstorm, and finally made camp in a plowed field, which was very inconvenient for men and horses, as the mud was ankle deep.

On the 28th, our march was continued three or four miles, and we made camp near Crompton's Pass. The next day we continued on, went through the gap, and camped near Knoxville, Md. We remained here over the 29th.

A new disease had broken out among our horses, three-quarters of them having swollen tongues, and so badly affected that their tongues would protrude from their mouths, rendering it impossible for the poor animals to eat their grain or hay; and added to this, a hoof disease, caused by their being so constantly in the mud, had become so bad that in many cases the hoof nearly rotted off, necessitating the shooting of a considerable number of them.

Oct. 30th we crossed the Potomac into Virginia, at Berlin, and next day commenced our pursuit of the rebel army, with a four gun battery, being obliged to leave two of our guns because of lack of horses.

From the 31st of October to the 6th of November, we continued our march, reaching Warrenton on the afternoon of the 6th, where we remained until the 11th.

On the 7th the battery was ordered into position, expecting an attack. A furious snow storm prevailed all day, making us very uncomfortable, and as we were without tents, we were obliged to depend entirely upon our blankets for protection.

On the 10th it was officially announced that Gen. McClellan had been relieved from command of the army, and Gen. Burnside appointed to succeed him. Their addresses, one of farewell and the other assuming command, were read to us upon parade that night.

Towards the last of October Capt. J. Albert Monroe left us, having been promoted to Major of our regiment, and assigned to duty at Washington. He was a strict disciplinarian and a thorough and efficient drillmaster. Early in November Major Monroe was assigned to the duty of organizing and commanding the Artillery Camp of Instruction at Washington, in which duty he made a national reputation as an artillerist of the first order.

Lieut. Fisk, being the senior officer present, had command of the battery from a short time after Antietam until our arrival at Bakersville, when Lieut. Harkness, having returned from his sick leave, assumed command.