THE BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN, OK BOONSBOKO
573
FOX’S GAP — WISE’S FIELD AS SEEN FROM THE PASTURE NORTH OF THE ROAD.
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Tlie stump in the middle of the field beyond the wall is near where Reno fell. Part of the struggle was for thewooded crest on the left of the field. The house is Wise’s, at the crossing of the ridge and Old Sharps-burg roads. [See map, p. 568.] The Confederates here were posted behind a stone-wall.
The well at Wise’s house was filled with the Confederate dead.— Editors.
division on the south side should hesitate to penetrate a forest from whichtheir foes had been completely driven. The success of the Federals on thenorth side was due to the fact that after getting through the belt of woods atthe foot of the mountain, they saw exactly what was before them. The lackof complete success south of the pike was owing to the thick woods on thatside, which were supposed to be full of hidden enemies. In the battle ofSouth Mountain the imaginary foes of the Lost Dispatch were woi’th moreto us than ten thousand men.
The advance of Hatch’s division in three lines, a brigade in each, was asgrand and imposing as that of Meade’s division. Hatch’s general and fieldofficers were on horseback, his colors were all flying, and the alignment of hismen seemed to be perfectly preserved. General Hooker, looking at the steadyand precise movement from the foot of the mountain, describes it as a beau-tiful sight. From the top of the mountain the sight was grand and sublime,but the elements of the pretty and the picturesque did not enter into it.Doubtless the Hebrew poet whose idea of the awe-inspiring is expressed by
squad which remained, we retreated slowly, firing asrapidly as we could load, and doing fatal work withevery step. The advance was very slow and cautious.It was about 3 o’clock when we had opened fire at thefoot of the mountain, and now the sun was rapidly set-ting. Corporal Myers, of Mobile, at my request, aimedat and shot an exposed officer, receiving himself a terri-ble wound as he did so. I raised him tenderly, gave himwater, and reluctantly was about to abandon him to hisfate, when a dozen muskets were pointed at me, and Iwas ordered to surrender. There was a deep ravine to ourleft, and the 3d Alabama skirmishers having fallen back,the Federals had got in my rear, and at the same timehad closed upon me in front. If I had not stopped withMyers I might have escaped capture, but I was morti-fied and humiliated by the necessity of yielding myselfa prisoner. Certain death was the only alternative.The enemy pushed forward after my capture, and came
upon Colonel Gayle and the rear support. Colonel Gaylewas ordered to surrender, but, drawing his pistol andfiring it in their faces, he exclaimed: ‘We are flanked,boys, but let’s die in our tracks,’ and continued to fireuntil he was literally riddled by bullets.
“ I was accompanied to the rear by three Federal sol-diers, and could but notice, as I walked down the mount-ain, the great execution done by my little squad as shownby the dead and wounded lying all along the route. Atthe foot of the mountain ambulances were being loaded.From what I saw and gathered from my captors, mylittle party committed fearful havoc, and the Federalsimagined that several divisions of Lee’s army confrontedthem. . . . I was carried before some prominent offi-
cer (have heard it was General Hatch), who questionedme about my regiment, brigade, division, number oftroops, etc. The information I gave could not havebenefited him much.” D. H. H.