lan's retreat, the Confederate forces now being within striking distance of him in the rear and upon his flank, while miles of his trains still blocked the roads.
For their protection his troops were disposed as follows: Franklin's corps, with Richardson's division of Sumner's corps, and Nagle's brigade of Keyes' corps held the crossings of White Oak swamp, both against the approach of Jackson on the Bottom Bridge road, and of Huger on the Charles City road; the latter being opposed by Slocum'scation, the whole line was not formed until late in the afternoon.
The Federal army was all concentrated upon the field, its divisions being in the following order from its left to right, viz: Sykes, Morell, Couch, Kearney, Hooker, Sedgwick, Richardson, Smith, Slocum and Peck.
McCall was in reserve, in rear of Sykes and Morell.
The artillery reserve was also present, and was so disposed with the division batteries that General McClellan states that the fire of sixty guns could be concentrat
ach one dreading the danger that beset the highway upon their return home; and feeling even more in danger from marauders in the secret chambers of their own domicil.
During this drunken reign of horrors, innocent people were shot down upon their door sills, called into their gardens upon pretended business, butchered and left lying, that their families might not know their whereabouts uutil their bodies were decomposed.
Women were ravished, houses burned, plantations laid waste.
Judge Richardson was shot whilst in the courthouse in which he presided, in Scotland county. Rev. Wm. Headlee, a minister of the gospel, was shot upon the highway; and all of these murderers, robbers and incendiaries, are yet a large.
Dr. Glasscock, a physician, was dragged from his own house by soldiers, under pretence of taking him to court as a witness, against the earnest prayers of his children and slaves, was shot, mangled, disfigured and mutilated, then brought to his own yard and thrown down
ees can do whatever they please and go wherever they wish-except to heaven; I do fervently pray the good Lord will give us rest from them there.
While I was at my worst, Mrs. Lawton came out with her brother-in-law, Mr. George Lawton, and Dr. Richardson, Medical Director of Bragg's army, to make sister a visit.
The doctor came into my room and prescribed for me and did me more good by his cheerful talk than by his prescription.
He told me not to think about the Yankees, and said that he wody has called, but I had to stay shut up in my room and miss all the fun. . . . Brother Troup has come down from Macon on a short furlough, bringing with him a Maj. Higgins from Mississippi, who is much nicer than his name.
He is a cousin of Dr. Richardson.
The rest of the family were out visiting all the morning, leaving me with Mrs. Meals, who entertained me by reading aloud from Hannah More.
As my eyes are still too weak from measles for me to read much myself, I was glad to be edified by
ours, or more, which intervened between the engagement and our retreat, little was left upon the battle-field in cannon or arms, but every thing worth attention was carried off. Although the enemy claim to have captured thousands of arms and dozens of cannon, I need not add that this, for the most part, was all imagination.
McClellan's loss has been placed at twelve thousand killed, wounded, and missing; and I think the estimate below reality.
Among his killed were Generals Mansfield, Richardson, Hartsuff, and others; and among a fearful list of generals wounded were Sumner, Hooker, Meagher, Duryea, Max Weber, Dana, Sedgwick, French, Ricketts, Rodman, and others.
It is almost unnecessary for me to say that McClellan claimed this battle as a great victory for the Union cause, but did not do so until fully assured of our retreat into Virginia.
Why his boastful despatch to Washington was not penned before our retreat from Sharpsburgh is evidence sufficient to show that he still
Fitzhugh Lee, General Lee, Chapter 10: Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg. (search)
if he had been assigned to fight the remainder of the battle alone.
The First Corps had been disposed of and Hooker wounded and carried to the rear, the Twelfth broken into fragments and Mansfield killed.
Sedgwick was annihilated by the Confederate fire in front and on both flanks.
The ground was strewn with the bodies of the dead and wounded, while the unwounded men moved rapidly away.
Nearly two thousand men were disabled in a moment.
The other divisions of the Second Corps under Richardson — who was mortally wounded-and French were ordered up to support Sedgwick, but too late, for R. H. Anderson's division, just from Harper's Ferry, had re-enforced D. H. Hill in his position on the famous Sunken road, which enabled the Confederates to vigorously assume the offensive, and the assaults of the remainder of Sumner's corps were repulsed.
The terrible carnage had progressed six hours. Franklin, with his Sixth Corps from Pleasant Valley, arrived about 10 A. M.-having sent Couch
etown was uneventful.
From the age of five or six until seventeen, I attended the subscription schools of the village, except during the winters of 1836-7 and 1838-9.
The former period was spent in Maysville, Kentucky, attending the school of Richardson [Richeson] and Rand; the latter in Ripley, Ohio, at a private school.
I was not studious in habit, and probably did not make progress enough to compensate for the outlay for board and tuition.
At all events both winters were spent in going over the same old arithmetic which I knew every word of before, and repeating: A noun is the name of a thing, which I had also heard my Georgetown teachers repeat, until I had come to believe it-but I cast no reflections upon my old teacher, Richardson.
He turned out bright scholars from his school, many of whom have filled conspicuous places in the service of their States.
Two of my contemporaries there-who, I believe, never attended any other institution of learning — have held seats in Congre
Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Grand movement of the Army of the Potomac- crossing the Rapidan-entering the Wilderness- battle of the Wilderness (search)
taunton artillery.
Courtney artillery.
Carter's Battalion. Morris artillery.
Orange artillery.
King William artillery.
Jeff Davis artillery.
Nelson's Battalion. Amherst artillery.
Milledge artillery.
Fluvauna artillery.
Brown's Battalion. Powhatan artillery.
2d Richmond Howitzers.
3d Richmond Howitzers.
Rockbridge artillery.
Salem flying artillery.
Col. R. L. Walker's division.
Cutt's Battalion. Ross's Battery.
Patterson's Battery.
Irwin artillery.
Richardson's Battalion. Lewis artillery.
Donaldsonville artillery.
Norfolk light artillery.
Huger artillery.
McIntosh's Battalion. Johnson's Battery.
Hardaway artillery.
Danville artillery.
2d Rockbridge artillery.
Pegram's Battalion. Peedee artillery.
Fredericksburg artillery.
Letcher artillery.
Purcell Battery.
Crenshaw's Battery.
Poague's Battalion. Madison artillery.
Albemarle artillery.
Brooke artillery.
Charlotte artillery.
the 5th corps, General Warren Comman
of the United States; S. W. Downs, of Louisiana, was a graduate of Transylvania, and so was Edward A. Hannegan, both of whom were subsequently United States Senators.
When I was serving my first term as United States Senator, I was one of six graduates of Transylvania who held seats in that chamber.
In my time, the college proper (over which the very brilliant Horace Holly presided), consisted of a medical department, with such distinguished professors as Drake, Dudley, Blythe, Cook, Richardson, Caldwell, and others.
The law department was well, although not so numerously attended as the medical and theological; its professor was that real genius, Jesse Bledsoe, who was professor of common law. Some sectarian troubles finally undermined the popularity of the President of the Transylvania University, and the institution has probably never recovered ·the high reputation it had in 1820, and the years immediately following.
There I completed my studies in Greek and Latin, and l
, the wishes of the Commanding-General were repeated.
The battalion and battery commanders were also cautioned how to fire so as to waste as little ammunition as possible.
To the Third corps artillery attention was also given.
Major Poague's battalion had been advanced to the line of the right wing and was not far from its left; his guns were also well posted ; proper directions were also given to him and his officers.
The other battalions of this corps, a portion of Garnett's under Major Richardson, being in reserve, held their positions of the day before, as did those of the Second corps; each group having from its chief specific instructions.
Care was also given to the convenient posting of ordnance trains, especially for the right, as most distant from the main depot, and due notice given of their position.
From some cause the expected attack was delayed several hours.
Meanwhile, the enemy threw against our extreme right a considerable force, which was met with energy, Hen
atter consisted of the Eighth New-Hampshire, Captain Barrett, and the Fourth Wisconsin, under Captain Moore, who were in advance as skirmishers.
Behind these came five companies of the Fourth Massachusetts and the One Hundred and Tenth New-York, under Captain Bartlett, followed by four companies of the Third brigade.
Closely upon these came the Third brigade, under Colonel Gooding, and composed of the Thirty-first Massachusetts, Lieutenant-Colonel Hopkins, Thirty-eighth Massachusetts, Major Richardson, Fifty-third Massachusetts, Colonel Kimball, One Hundred and Fifty-sixth New-York, Colonel Sharpe, and One Hundred and Seventy-fifth New-York, Colonel Bryan, who was killed.
Then the Second brigade, under Colonel A. Fearing, and composed of the One Hundred and Thirty-third New-York, Colonel Currie<*> and the One Hundred and Seventy-third New-York, Major Galway, the rest of this brigade being detailed as skirmishers.
After the Second came the First brigade, under Colonel Ferris, of the
