Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 32.djvu/275

 G-riffith-Barksdale- Humphrey Mississippi Brigade. 263

well as rifle balls, but there was no hesitation. Barksdale's men went over the logs and shot the enemy as they ran down the slope. At the same time the Georgians and South Carolinians had hurled back the enemy in their front; McClellan's line fell back, and the day was saved. McLaws' Division had met (General Lee's expecta- tions. But for their timely arrival the situation would have been different.

The battle of Sharpsburg was fought Sept. 17, 1862, although there was heavy skirmishing during the i6th. The Federal army numbered little more than 100,000 men, while General Lee was un- able to bring to bear quite 40,000* General Lee stated in his report: " The arduous service in which the troops had been engaged, their great privations of rest and food, and long marches without shoes over mountain roads, had greatly reduced our ranks before the ac- tion began. These causes compelled thousands of brave men to absent themselves, and many more had done so from unworthy motives.'-'

D. H. Hill said: "Had all our stragglers been up, McClellan's army would have been completely crushed or annihilated."

As it was, McClellan's army was so completely shattered he did not resume the action on the i8th. Sharpsburg was one of the se- verest battles of the war. The Confederate loss in killed and wounded numbered 10,000, while the Federal loss exceeded 15,000. General Lee recrossed the Potomac during the night of the 1 8th and the following day McClellan sent Porter's Corps of 15,000 men across the river, but they were driven back with great loss by A. P. Hill.

The Army of Northern Virginia camped in the beautiful valley of the Shenandoah, in the vicinity of Winchester, for two weeks, during which time McClellan was removed and Major-General A. G. Burnside assigned to the command of the Army of the Potomac. This was the end of McClellan's career.

The precentage of loss in Barksdale's Brigade at Sharpsburg was about seventy in killed and wounded, and some companies suffered even greater loss. For example, Company C, i8th Regiment, en- tered the combat with seventeen men, including a lieutenant, and of this number five escaped Sam Finley, William McKee, Pleasant Smith, James Burns and the writer. Every field officer in the bri- gade was wounded or killed. Major James Campbell commanded the 1 8th Regiment, and fell just before reaching the crest of the ridge, but recovered from his wounds and was killed at Gettysburg.