FORCING FOX’S GAP AND TURNER’S GAP.

587

the formation of the division had occupied more than an hour, and it wasnow about 9 o’clock. Bayonets were fixed, and at the word the lines chargedforward with loud hurrahs. The enemy opened with musketry and shrapnel;our men fell fast, but they kept up their pace, and in a few momentsthey were on and over the wall, the center of Garland's North Carolina brigadebreaking before them. They hung on a little longer at right and left, and forsome time it was a fierce melee, hand to hand, but the Ohio boys were thevictors. We found that there was a country road behind the wall on topof the ridge, and the cover of the forest had enabled the enemy’s guns toget away toward our right. The 11th Ohio was sent from Crook’s brigadebeyond Scammon’s left, where part of the enemy’s force held a hill and summithigher than the ridge at the stone-wall. This seems to have been held byRosser’s cavalry with a battery. The 36th Ohio was, in similar manner, sentbeyond Scammon’s right. The whole line again sprung forward. The highknoll on the left was carried, the enemy’s center was completely broken anddriven down the mountain, while on the right our men pushed the routedCarolinians beyond the Sharpsburg road, through Wise’s fields, and up theslope of the crest toward the Mountain House at Turner’s Gap. The regimenton the enemy’s extreme right had been cut off from the others and retreatedsouth-westwardly down the mountain toward Rohrersville. Those on theirleft had made such resistance as they could till they were supported by Ander-son’s brigade, which hurried to their assistance. The cavalry also took refugeon a wooded hill west of the Mountain House. Although Garland’s line hadbeen broken in the first charge, the rallying and fighting had been stubbornfor more than an hour. Our position was now diagonally across the mountain-top, the shape of the ridges making our formation a hollow curve with ourright too much in the air, where it was exposed to a severe artillery fire, notonly from the batteries near the Mountain House but from one on a high hillnorth of the turnpike. The batteries with Pleasonton did their best to assistus, and were admirably served. We had several hundred prisoners in ourhands, and learned from them that D. H. Hill’s division, consisting of five bri-gades, was opposed to us, and that Longstreet was said to be in near support.Our own losses had not been trifling, and it seemed wise to contract our linesa little, so that we might have some reserve and hold the crest we had wontill the rest of the Ninth Corps should arrive. Our left and center were stronglyposted, but the right was partly across Pox’s Gap, at the edge of the woodsbeyond Wise’s house, around which there had been a fierce struggle. The30th and 36th were therefore brought back to the crest on the hither side of thegap, where we still commanded the Sharpsburg road, and making the 30thour right flank, the 36th and the 28th were put in second line. My right thusoccupied the woods looking northward into Wise’s fields. About noon thecombat was reduced to one of artillery, and the enemy’s guns had so com-pletely the range of the sloping fields behind us that their canister shot cutlong furrows in the sod, with a noise like the cutting of a melon rind.

Willcox’s division reported to me at about 2 o’clock, and would have beenup considerably earlier but for a mistake in the delivery of a message to him,