Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 12.djvu/533

 Reunion of Virginia Division A. N. V. AsHodaticm. 523

time to take the place of Garland's command, which was driven back demoralized by his death.

The Ninth corps, General Reno, marched from Middletown at day- light of the 14th, Cox's division in advance, turned into the old Sharpsburg road at Kugle's Mills and followed by the rest of the corps pressed for the top of the mountain. Hill sent Garland to repel this attack, but Garland was killed, his command driven back and it was rallied by Anderson's brigade, together with which, it held the Federal left back during the remainder of the day. It killed Reno however.

Colquitt was placed in the centre astride of the turnpike. Later, Ripley was sent to the right to support Anderson, and Rodes to the left to seize a commanding peak of the mountain there. Thus were HilTs five brigades posted. The whole of the Ninth corps was pushed up to the position secured by Cox when he drove back Gar- land on Hill's right. Hooker's First corps turned from the National road at Bolivar, leaving Gibbon on the pike, and pressed up the mountain road to Hill's left. Neither the Ninth corps on the Federal left, nor the First corps on the right, made much progress. By four in the afternoon Longstreet came up with the brigades of Evans, Pickett, Kemper, and Jenkins which he placed on the left, and Hood, Whiting, Drayton, and D. R. Jones which he posted on the right. But the men were exhausted by a forced march of twelve or fourteen miles over a hot and dusty road, and General Longstreet himself was not acquainted with the topography of the position nor the situation of the Federals Hill says, that if the reinforcements had reported to him he would have held all the positions right and lelt of the gap. As it was the Ninth corps made no further advance but was held firmly in the position taken in the morning from Garland, but Hooker worked and fought his way to the possession of a commanding spur on his right, which dominated the gap itself and the position on the Con- federate left. At 9 o'clock at night fighting ceased along the whole line, with Hill in possession of the gap and of the left, and Hooker firmly seated on the mountain on the right, where in the morning he could control the whole line. F'itz Lee having failed to gain McCle- lan's rear from Frederick, had crossed the Catoctin range five miles north of Middletown, and the South Mountain, some miles above Turner's, and joined Hill at Boonsboro' late the afternoon of the 14th.

He relieved the infantry before dawn on the morning of the 15th, and Hill and Longstreet withdrew noiselessly and rapidly through