Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 7.djvu/602

Rh The Second and Eleventh fought with distinction both on August 29th and 30th, losing 15 killed and 153 wounded. Barksdale’s brigade did not participate in the fighting of Second Manassas, but after marching through Maryland to Pleasant Valley shared with Kershaw’s brigade on September 13th the honor of capturing Maryland Heights. This achievement compelled the surrender of Harper’s Ferry, and much of the credit for it is due to the gallant Mississippi skirmishers under Maj. J. M. Bradley. The Thirteenth was left in possession of this stronghold while the remainder of the brigade formed line of battle behind Crampton’s Gap. In this exploit Barksdale had 960 men engaged, and lost 2 killed and 15 wounded.

Law's brigade fought at Boonsboro and on sanguinary field of Sharpsburg. The Second and Eleventh were in the fiercest of the fight at the Dunker Church, both on the 16th and 17th. In the first day’s fighting, Hood reported the "brave and efficient Col. P. F. Liddell fell mortally wounded;" and on the 17th, the "two little giant brigades of this division wrestled with a mighty force, not less than two corps of the enemy." In the words of Colonel Law, "Colonel Liddell, the gallant and beloved commander of the Eleventh Mississippi regiment, fell mortally wounded; Lieut.-Col. S. F. Butler of the same regiment received a painful wound, and Maj. T. S. Evans was killed. Col. John M. Stone, Lieut.-Col. D. W. Humphreys, and Maj. J. A. Blair, of the Second Mississippi, were all wounded while leading that distinguished regiment in the charge." The Eleventh lost 8 killed and 96 wounded, the Second 27 killed and 127 wounded, a very large part of their total strength.

Barksdale’s brigade went into the fight at Sharpsburg 891 strong, and lost in killed 33 and in wounded 257. But, although there were not enough of them to make a single continuous line in the space assigned, they drove the enemy before them. General McLaws said that the