their steps, while the grape, shell, and canister thinned their ranks to such an extent that when the enemy’s infantry was met, their galling fire forced Barksdale to retire in great disorder.  The enemy’s troops were being hurried ever the creek and forming in our front.  Kershaw moved forward in line with those on the right to meet them, and swept everything from his front.  The enemy had been massing along the whole line, and when Kershaw reached the farthest limit of the open field he was met by overwhelming numbers.  Now the fight waged hot and fierce, but the line on the right having retired left the right flank of the Third Regiment entirely exposed both to the fire of the artillery and infantry, forcing the brigade to retire to its former ground, leaving, however, the second commander of the Seventh dead upon the field.  It was here the famous scout and aide to General Stuart, Captain W.D.  Parley, killed at the Rappahannock, came to visit his brother, Lieutenant Parley, of the Third.  He was made doubly famous by the fiction of Captain Estine Cooke.

McClellan was now growing desperate, his lines making no headway either on the left or centre.  His forces were held at bay on our right across the Antietam, having failed to force a crossing at the bridges.  Jackson and Hill, on the left, were being sorely pressed by the corps of Mansfield and Hooker, but still doggedly held their ground.  Jackson had left the division of A.P.  Hill at Harper’s Ferry to settle the negotiations of surrender, and had but a comparative weak force to meet this overwhelming number of two army corps.  Again and again the Confederate ranks were broken, but as often reformed.  Stuart stood on the extreme left, with his body of cavalry, but the condition of the field was such as to prevent him from doing little more service than holding the flanks.  General Toombs, with his Georgia Brigade, and some detached troops, with two batteries, held the lower fords all day against the whole of Burnside’s corps, notwithstanding the imperative orders of his chief “to cross and strike the Confederates in the rear.”  Assaults by whole divisions were repeatedly made against the small force west of the stream, but were easily repulsed by Toombs and his Georgians.  In all probability these unsuccessful attacks would have continued during the day, had not the Federals found a crossing, unknown to the Confederate Generals, between the bridges.  When the crossing was found the whole slope on the western side of the stream was soon a perfect sheet of blue.  So sure were they of victory that they called upon the Confederates to “throw down their arms and surrender.”  This was only answered by a volley and a charge with the bayonet point.  But there was a factor in the day’s battle not yet taken account of, and which was soon to come upon the field like a whirlwind and change the course of events.  A.P.  Hill, who had been left at Harper’s Ferry, was speeding towards the bloody field with all the speed his tired