FORCING FOX'S GAP AND TURNER’S GAP.

585

MAJOR-GENERAL JESSE L. RENO , KILLED ATFOX’S GAP. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

east and south-west. The valley is 6 or8 miles wide, and the National road, asit goes north-westward, crosses SouthMountain at a depression called Tur-ner’s Gap. The old Sharpsburg roadleaves the turnpike a little west of Mid-dletown, turns to the left, and crossesthe mountain at Fox’s Gap, about amile from Turner’s. The mountaincrests are about 1300 feet above theCatoctin valley, and the “ gaps ” arefrom 200 to 300 feet lower than thesummits near them. These summitsare like scattered and somewhat irreg-ular hills upon the high rounded sur-face of the mountain-top. They arewooded, but along the south-easterlyslopes, quite near the top of the moun-tain, are small farms with meadowsand cultivated fields.

In the evening of the 13th I was or-dered to support General Pleasonton inhis cavalry reconnoissance to be made toward Turner’s Gap in the morning.He had already been reenforced by Benjamin’s and Gibson’s batteries fromthe corps. The notion that Pleasonton was authorized to put the infantry inposition for an expected battle is wholly a mistake. No battle was expectedat Turner’s Gap. Lee’s order, of which a copy had fallen into McClellan’shands, directed the concentration of the forces under Longstreet and D.H. Hill at Boonsboro’, where they were to be joined by those under Jacksonas soon as Harper’s Ferry should be taken. McClellan’s orders and corre-spondence show that he expected a battle at Boonsboro’, but not at SouthMountain or east of it. Pleasonton had found a rear-guard at Turner’sGap, but the support of a single brigade of infantry was assumed to beenough to enable his cavalry to clear the way. Pleasonton asked forone brigade of infantry to report to him for the purpose stated, andI detailed the brigade under command of Colonel E. P. Scammon. At6 o’clock in the morning of Sunday, September 14th, he marched out ofcamp at Middletown. His brigade consisted of the 12th, 23d, and 30thOhio regiments; that of Crook, which was left in camp, was made up ofthe 11th, 28th, and 36th Ohio , and each brigade was nearly fifteen hundredstrong. Two batteries of artillery and a squadron of cavalry also belongedto the division.

I was myself on the road when Scammon marched out, and was riding for-ward with him to learn how Pleasonton intended to use the troops, when, justas we crossed Catoctin Creek, I was surprised to see Colonel Moor standing

These elevations are from the official map made hy the U. S. Engineers. -VOL. 11 . 38.

-J. D. C.