THE BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN, OR BOONS BORO’.

579

battles (14th and l'Ttli of September), reported on page 204 as amountingto 15,203.

Gieneral Hooker was well pleased with the work of his corps. He says inhis report: “ When the advantages of the enemy’s position are considered,and his preponderating numbers, the forcing of the passage of SouthMountain will be classed among the most brilliant and satisfactory achieve-ments of this army, and its principal glory will be awarded to the FirstCorps.” Undoubtedly that corps had gained important positions, but it isdifficult to see how 4000 men could preponderate in numbers over 13,707.Hooker’s division and brigade commanders, who had been well up undermusketry fire, do not speak in such glowing terms of the victory. The reportsof the stubborn fighters in the Federal army on both sides of the pike aremodels of modest propriety. This is especially so with those who bore theheat and burden of the day,— Meade, Hatch, Cox, Willcox, Scammon, Crook,(ribbon, Ewing, Gallagher, Magilton, Phelps, White, Jackson, Callis, Bragg,and others.

In regard to the casualties of the opposing forces, the losses in killed andwounded were greater on the Federal side than on the Confederate, becausethe one thin line of the latter fired at the dense masses of the former, some-times in two lines, and sometimes in three. But from their weakness theConfederates took no prisoners, while they lost over four hundred withinthe enveloping ranks of their enemies. The revised statement of Federallosses in Volume XIX. gives the casualties in the First Corps as 923; of theNinth Corps as 889,—total 1812, infantry and artillery; and to this numberis added one cavalryman, how killed is not explained.

I lost two brigadiers and a large number of regimental commanders withinthree days, so that my division reports are very meager. Of the fivebrigades, there is a statistical report from that of Eodes alone. By means ofa very extensive correspondence I have ascertained the casualties as nearlyas they can be reached at this late day:

Rodes . . .Colquitt. .Garland. .Anderson.Ripley .. .

Killed andWounded.

Missing,

218

204

92

7

100

200

84

29

0

0

494

440

Longstreet’s loss must have been less than mine, as he had but four smallbrigades seriously engaged. Walker reports only thirty-two casualties inJenkins’s brigade; G. T. Anderson had none. Hood speaks lightly of thefight of the two brigades under him. The exact losses can, however, neverbe known.

In the foregoing table reference is had to prisoners taken in battle. Someof our wearied men slipped off in the woods to sleep, and were not arousedwhen the orders came to fall back. Colonel Parker of the 30th North Carolina regiment, a brave and efficient officer, writes to me that he could hardly