. Army life : a private's reminiscences of the Civil War . onsidered it impossible for our troops to carrythem by assault. The rebel officers congratulatedthemselves that they held the key to an easy andmost important victory. Their soldiers were highly elated. A victory forthem at Antietam, and the North lay defenseless andhopeless at their feet. The battle was raging desperately on our afternoon, when Hooker made his ad-vance, he carried the upper bridge on the Hagers-town road—a most important advantage. Duringthe night his men slept upon their arms to hold theposition, and
. Army life : a private's reminiscences of the Civil War . onsidered it impossible for our troops to carrythem by assault. The rebel officers congratulatedthemselves that they held the key to an easy andmost important victory. Their soldiers were highly elated. A victory forthem at Antietam, and the North lay defenseless andhopeless at their feet. The battle was raging desperately on our afternoon, when Hooker made his ad-vance, he carried the upper bridge on the Hagers-town road—a most important advantage. Duringthe night his men slept upon their arms to hold theposition, and in the night the commands of Sumnerand Mansfield had been pushed over to support him. It was evident from our point of observation thatHooker was advancing; we could catch glimpses ofmoving columns and waving banners through thesmoke and mists. Two batteries of union guns,supported by strong lines of infantry, advanced fromthe woods, where for a brief time our men had beenconcealed, into an open cornfield. The rebels evidently did not see the infantry;. BATTLEFIELD OF EEMINISCENCES OF THE WAR. 33 they only saw the much-coveted guns, and uponthem they charged with a savage yelL The gunswere prepared to receive them. Bursting shells,grape shot and canister, with fearful precision,went tearing through the densely massed lines ofthe enemy. Our infantry joined in the bloody and forth the lines advanced and receded;first one and then the other was victor. Wewatched with suspended breath. We had neverseen war before. Whole lines melted away in thatterrible parnage. For a full hour the conflict raged, and then therebel lines began to fall back, and their fire toslacken. A cheer of triumph arose from the unionvictors. Stonewall Jackson has found his match in des-perate daring to-day. Joe Hookers tall, erect formon his gray horse, has been dashing for that hourthrough the thickest of the fight, inspiring his menby the cool and reckless exposure of his own pers
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