HEADQUARTERS NINTH ARMY CORPS,
Mouth of Antietam, September 23, 1862.
SIR: I have the
honor to submit the following report of the movements of the Ninth Army Corps
on the 16th instant, and their part in the battle of Sharpsburg on the 17th:
On the evening of
the 15th instant the Ninth Army Corps, having been ordered away from the
remainder of the right wing, was encamped in the rear of the extreme left of
the whole line of the Army of the Potomac, close to the hills on the southeast
side of the valley of the Antietam, and on the left of the road from
Rohrersville to Sharpsburg.
On the afternoon of
the 16th the whole corps, except Willcox's division, was moved forward and to
the left and front, by command of Major-General Burnside, in three columns, and
took up a new position upon the rear slope of the ridges on the left bank of
the Antietam, the center of the corps being nearly opposite the stone bridge
over the stream on the above-mentioned road.
The positions
assigned the divisions of the command were as follows: The right front to be
occupied by Crook's brigade, of the Kanawha Division, supported in rear by
Sturgis' division; a commanding knoll in the center to be occupied by Battery
E, Second U.S. Artillery, First Lieut. Samuel N. Benjamin commanding, consisting
of 20-pounder Parrott guns: the left front to be occupied by Rodman's division,
supported in rear by Ewing's brigade, of the Kanawha Division, the whole of the
latter division being under the command of Col E. P. Scammon. The columns were
conducted to their positions by staff officers of the personal staff of General
Burnside. The artillery of the command, except Benjamin's battery, was held in
reserve.
Shortly after
daybreak on the 17th the enemy's batteries opened upon the batteries of our
line, and a brisk artillery fight began, in which Benjamin's battery and
Durell's battery (the latter sent forward a little to the right of our
position, under charge of Captain Rawolle, by General Sturgis) took an active
part, co-operating with batteries of other corps on our right. Two of the
enemy's caissons were exploded, and many of their guns silenced. The shot and
shell fell thickly in our bivouac, but little damage was done us.
About 7 o'clock
orders were received from General Burnside to move forward the corps to the
ridge nearest the Antietam, and hold it, in readiness to cross the stream,
carrying the bridge and the heights above it by assault. The command was moved
forward in column as it had been formed the previous night, and promptly took
position as directed, and the light artillery was ordered to cover the movement;
McMullin's, Durell's, Clark's, Muhlenberg's, and Cook's batteries being placed
on the heights to right and left and somewhat to the front of Benjamin's
battery, to which a section of 20 pounders from Simmonds' battery was also
temporarily attached. Willcox's division was also brought up and held as a
reserve.
About 9 o'clock the
order was received to cross the stream. Immediately the Eleventh Connecticut
Infantry, Colonel Kingsbury commanding, was detailed from Rodman's division to
deploy as skirmishers and drive the enemy from the head of the bridge. The
column on the right Crook's brigade, of the Kanawha Division, supported by
Sturgis' division) was ordered to march under cover of the Eleventh
Connecticut, and attempt to carry the bridge by assault, deploying to right and
left as soon as the bridge should be carried, and taking the heights above it.
The column on the left (Rodman's division, supported by Ewing's brigade, of the
Kanawha Division) was ordered to cross, if possible, by a ford about one-third
of a mile below the bridge, take the heights above it, and join the column
crossing the bridge.
The bridge itself is
a stone structure of three arches, with stone parapet above, this parapet to
some extent flanking the approach to the bridge at either end. The valley in
which the stream runs is quite narrow, the steep slope on the right bank
approaching quite to the water's edge. On this slope the roadway is scarped,
running both ways from the bridge end, and passing to the higher land above by
ascending through ravines above and below; the other ravine being some 600
yards above the bridge, the turn about half that distance below. On the
hillside immediately above the bridge was a strong stone fence running parallel
to the stream. The turns of the roadway were covered by rifle-pits and
breastworks, made of rails and stone, all of which defenses, as well as the
woods which covered the slope, were filled with the enemy's infantry and
sharpshooters. Besides the infantry defenses, batteries were placed to enfilade
the bridge and all its approaches. The crest of the first hill above the bridge
is curved toward the stream at the extremes, forming a sort of natural tete-de-pont.
The next ridge beyond rises somewhat higher, though with less regularity, the depression
between the two being but slight, and the distance varying in places from 300
to 700 yards.
In accordance with
the order mentioned above, the Eleventh Connecticut advanced to the stream and
warmly engaged the enemy across it. Crook's brigade in moving forward was
brought under so lively an infantry fire, as well as that of artillery, that it
was forced to halt and open fire in return, and Sturgis' division, passing by
the rear, came first to the bridge, and was ordered to cross under protection
of the artillery fire. General Sturgis ordered forward the Second Maryland and
Sixth New Hampshire, which charged at double-quick with fixed bayonets, but the
concentrated fire upon the bridge forced them to fall back. After repeated
brave efforts these regiments were withdrawn, and the Fifty-first New York and
Fifty-first Pennsylvania, from the same division, were ordered up.
About the same time
Colonel Crook, of the Second Brigade, Kanawha Division, succeeded in getting a
section of Simmonds' battery, supported by the Twenty-eighth Ohio Infantry, in
position to bear directly upon the enemy's positions at the farther end of the
bridge, and, aided by these guns, the fresh troops charged with great
enthusiasm, bearing down all opposition, and, at I o'clock, planted their
banner on the opposite bank. In this desperate fight in the valley, Colonel
Kingsbury, of the Eleventh Connecticut, fell, cheering his men on to duty.
General Sturgis'
division immediately marched over, deploying one brigade to the right and the
other to the left of the bridge, and advanced up the slope, driving the enemy
before them. This division was followed by Colonel Crook's brigade of the
Kanawha Division, which took position on the right.
Meanwhile General
Rodman's division and the First Brigade of the Kanawha Division, under Colonel
Scammon, had succeeded in crossing at the ford below, after a sharp engagement
and under a heavy musketry and artillery fire, and successfully took the position
assigned at the left of the line of the crest above the bridge. The three
divisions of the corps at this time on the right bank of the Antietam occupied
the exact positions assigned them before the commencement, except that on the
right the division of Sturgis was in front, and Crook's brigade in support of
it, the order being reversed by the causes before stated.
The stubbornly
contested fight at the bridge having almost exhausted the ammunition and
greatly fatigued the troops engaged, I sent a request to General Burnside that
Willcox's division, which had been held in reserve on the left bank, might be
sent over and take its place on the right front, putting Sturgis' division in
reserve at the head of the bridge. This was immediately ordered by General Burnside,
and General Willcox came promptly forward with his command. During the interval
the enemy kept up an incessant cannonade, and, having the exact range of the
valley and the ravines, his shells came in very fast, annoying us a good deal
and causing numerous casualties, notwithstanding the men were kept lying on the
ground near the crests of the hill while the changes in the line and the
partially new formation after the arrival of Willcox's division were being
made.
At about 3 o'clock,
the necessary changes in the line having been completed, the order to advance
was received from General Burnside, and the whole force, except Sturgis'
division, was put in motion. General Willcox on the right, his whole division
in line and supported by Colonel Crook, was ordered to move on Sharpsburg,
which lay about a mile distant to the right of our front. General Rodman,
supported by Colonel Scammon, was ordered to move in the same direction, first
dislodging the enemy from his front, and then changing direction to the right,
bringing his command en echelon on the left of General Willcox. The
advance was partly covered by Simmonds', Muhlenberg's, Clark's, and Cook's
batteries, the other batteries of the corps being in part out of ammunition,
and part being necessarily kept in position on the commanding ground on the
left bank of the stream. The troops moved forward in perfect order and with
great enthusiasm. On the right, General Willcox and Colonel Crook quickly
repulsed the enemy and drove back their artillery, pushing victoriously forward
nearly to the village. On the left, General Rodman and Colonel Scammon likewise
advanced rapidly, driving the rebels before them. The enemy, however, were
manifestly in much greater force than ours, and massed their troops heavily on
the extreme left. This necessarily made the line of march of our left wing
diverge from the course intended, and opened a gap between it and the right,
which it was necessary to fill up by the troops of the second line. Batteries
were accumulated against us upon the semicircular ridge in advance, and the
advancing line was subject to a most trying and destructive cross-fire of
artillery. The enemy now brought up still more fresh troops upon the left, and
while General Rodman was making disposition to meet them by a change of front
of a part of his command, he fell, desperately wounded by a ball through his
breast. The loss of their commander at a critical period caused confusion in a
portion of the division on the extreme left.
The Second Brigade
of his division, Colonel Harland commanding, was forced to retire after an
obstinate contest, in which they suffered terribly.
Colonel Scammon, of
the Kanawha Division, being ordered to make dispositions of the brigade with
him to oppose the rebel force on the left, caused the Twelfth and Twenty-third
Ohio Regiments to execute a perpendicular change of front, which was done with
precision and success, the other regiment of the brigade (Thirtieth Ohio)
maintaining its proper front. The whole line was now engaged, the supports
being brought to the front, except the reserve division of General Sturgis at
the bridge. This was now ordered up, and came promptly, though much exhausted
and weakened by its previous exertions during the day.
The mass of the
enemy on the left still continued to increase; new batteries were constantly
being opened upon us, and it was manifest the corps would, without
re-enforcements, be unable to reach the village of Sharpsburg, since the
movement could not be made to the right whilst the enemy exhibited such force
in front of the extreme left, and the attack both to the right and left at once
would necessarily separate the wings to such an extent as to imperil the whole
movement unwarrantably.
The attack having
already had the effect of a most powerful diversion in favor of the center and
right of the army, which by this means had been able to make decided and
successful advances, and no supports being at the time available for our
exhausted corps, I ordered the troops withdrawn from the exposed ground in
front to the cover of the curved hill above the bridge, which had been taken
from the enemy earlier in the afternoon. This movement was effected shortly
before dark, in perfect order and with admirable coolness and precision on the
part of both officers and men.
The line as then
constituted was formed by Sturgis' division in front on the left, supported by
Fairchild's brigade, of Rodman's division; the Kanawha Division, under Colonel
Scammon, in the center, and Willcox's division on the right. The enemy did not
venture an attack upon the position, but kept up a brisk artillery fire until
night-fall.
The bravery and
soldierly conduct of the men was most striking, and becomes still more
noticeable when it is considered that for several days they had been marching
and fighting, with scarcely any rest, by night or day, and the rapidity of the
movement had prevented their having any regular supplies of food, the supply
train being delayed at the rear by the advance of other troops.
The batteries on the
left bank of the Antietam were used not only to assist in the movement of the
corps, but also were most efficiently turned upon the enemy in his attacks on
the center and right of the army. They were all very well served, and the 20-pounder
battery, under Lieutenant Benjamin, was especially efficient.
In their reports
(which are transmitted herewith) the commandants of divisions and separate
brigades speak in the highest terms of their troops, and make special mention
of numbers of officers and men who distinguished themselves. These are too
numerous to be named in this report, but the whole list will very shortly be
published in a special
order from these headquarters. I must confine myself to the expression of
my great satisfaction with the manner in which all the subordinate commands of
the corps were handled. The movements were accurate as those of a parade, and
the systematic order with which they were executed made the spectacle in the
heat of the battle a grand and imposing one. Permit me also to express my
obligations to the gentlemen on General Burnside's staff for the intelligence,
courage, and unwearied industry they exhibited in the constant communication
between him and the headquarters of this corps.
The casualties in
the corps during the day were 2,222; of which 357 were killed, 1,742 wounded,
and 123 missing.* Among numerous officers killed and wounded we have to mourn the
loss of Col. Henry W. Kingsbury, Eleventh Connecticut; Lieut. Col. A. H.
Coleman, commanding Eleventh Regiment Ohio Volunteers; Lieut. Col. M. Clarke,
commanding Thirty sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Bell, commanding Fifty-first Pennsylvania. All these gallant
officers were killed in the action whilst heroically leading their men, under a
terrible fire of shell, canister, and musketry.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
J. D. COX,
Brigadier-General, Commanding.
Lieut. Col. LEWIS
RICHMOND,
Asst. Adjt. Gen.,
Hdqrs. Right Wing, Maj. Gen. Burnside Comdg.
_______________
* But see revised
statement, p. 198.
SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of
the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume
19, Part 1 (Serial No. 27), p. 423-7
