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CONFEDERATE POSITION AT SHARPSBURG. 507
creek and the village of Sharpsburg. Hood held his position, but during the
night the Federals threw a strong force across the Antietam, in. front of
Hood, and renewed the attack at daylight on the next morning after he was
relieved by Lawton.
On the morning of the 17th of September, the Confederate line was
drawn in front of the town of Sharpsburg, on a range of hills with the
flanks resting on the Potomac, which makes a sharp curve at this point.
Lee's front was covered by the Antietam, and nearly parallel with the course
of the stream. Longstreet, with his command, was posted on the right of the
road from Sharpsburg to Boonsboro', and D. H. Hill's command on the left,
with Lawton's and Trimble's brigades from Ewell's division, commanded by
Lawton, on the extreme left of him and near the Hagerstown road. Jackson
took position on Lawton's left with his right resting upon the Hagerstown
road, and his left extending towards the Potomac, protected by General
Steuart, with his cavalry and horse artillery. General Walker, with his two
brigades, was stationed on Longstreet's right. The force under Lee, was
about forty thousand men.
About half a mile in the rear of the Confederate left, and on the west of
the Hagerstown road, was a small meeting house known as the Dunker
church. It was surrounded by a skirt of woods, which extended in a circular
form northward to where the Hagerstown road passed. In this woods and
near the church, were limestone hedges, behind which, at times, the Confederates took shelter. Three stone bridges crossed the Antietam, one in front
of Longstreet, on the Confederate right, a second in front of Hill, in the
centre, and a third opposite Jackson, by the Dunker church, near this there
was also a ford.
Confronting the Confederate lines on the left, were the corps of Hooker
and Mansfield, supported by Sumner's and Franklin's; Burnside on the
extreme right, and Porter in the centre. During the night of the 16th,
Hooker's and Mansfield's corps crossed the Antietam on the Confederate lefti,
and advancing southwestardly to the eastern edge of a cornfield in the centre
of the woods near the Dunker church, took post for the night. At daylight
on the 17th, the Federal batteries which were placed on the ridge on the
east side of the Antietam, and those crossed by Hooker and Mansfield, opened
a furious cannonade on the Confederate left, under cover of which Hooker
assailed Jackson. The Federal, artillery was replied to by the batteries of
Poague, Carpenter, Brockenbrough, Raines, Caskie and Wooding. Hooker
under a terrific storm of shell, canister and musketry, advanced his corps of
eighteen thousand men, with Doubleday's division on the right, Meade's in
the. centre, and Ricketts on the left. Jackson met him with two divisions,
Ewell's and Jackson's, commanded respectively by Lawton and Jones numbering four thousand men.1 This small force met Hooker's corps with the
utmost resolution, and for several hours the conflict raged with great fury
and alternate success.
1 Reports of the Army of Northern Virginia, ii., pp. 222-223.
| Title | History of Maryland - 3 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000540 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | CONFEDERATE POSITION AT SHARPSBURG. 507 creek and the village of Sharpsburg. Hood held his position, but during the night the Federals threw a strong force across the Antietam, in. front of Hood, and renewed the attack at daylight on the next morning after he was relieved by Lawton. On the morning of the 17th of September, the Confederate line was drawn in front of the town of Sharpsburg, on a range of hills with the flanks resting on the Potomac, which makes a sharp curve at this point. Lee's front was covered by the Antietam, and nearly parallel with the course of the stream. Longstreet, with his command, was posted on the right of the road from Sharpsburg to Boonsboro', and D. H. Hill's command on the left, with Lawton's and Trimble's brigades from Ewell's division, commanded by Lawton, on the extreme left of him and near the Hagerstown road. Jackson took position on Lawton's left with his right resting upon the Hagerstown road, and his left extending towards the Potomac, protected by General Steuart, with his cavalry and horse artillery. General Walker, with his two brigades, was stationed on Longstreet's right. The force under Lee, was about forty thousand men. About half a mile in the rear of the Confederate left, and on the west of the Hagerstown road, was a small meeting house known as the Dunker church. It was surrounded by a skirt of woods, which extended in a circular form northward to where the Hagerstown road passed. In this woods and near the church, were limestone hedges, behind which, at times, the Confederates took shelter. Three stone bridges crossed the Antietam, one in front of Longstreet, on the Confederate right, a second in front of Hill, in the centre, and a third opposite Jackson, by the Dunker church, near this there was also a ford. Confronting the Confederate lines on the left, were the corps of Hooker and Mansfield, supported by Sumner's and Franklin's; Burnside on the extreme right, and Porter in the centre. During the night of the 16th, Hooker's and Mansfield's corps crossed the Antietam on the Confederate lefti, and advancing southwestardly to the eastern edge of a cornfield in the centre of the woods near the Dunker church, took post for the night. At daylight on the 17th, the Federal batteries which were placed on the ridge on the east side of the Antietam, and those crossed by Hooker and Mansfield, opened a furious cannonade on the Confederate left, under cover of which Hooker assailed Jackson. The Federal, artillery was replied to by the batteries of Poague, Carpenter, Brockenbrough, Raines, Caskie and Wooding. Hooker under a terrific storm of shell, canister and musketry, advanced his corps of eighteen thousand men, with Doubleday's division on the right, Meade's in the. centre, and Ricketts on the left. Jackson met him with two divisions, Ewell's and Jackson's, commanded respectively by Lawton and Jones numbering four thousand men.1 This small force met Hooker's corps with the utmost resolution, and for several hours the conflict raged with great fury and alternate success. 1 Reports of the Army of Northern Virginia, ii., pp. 222-223. |
