FERRY; MARYLAND CAMPAIGN OF SEPTEMBER 1862). Lee followed Jackson through Turner's Gap; D. H. Hill's division was left at Boons boro, to support Stuart's cavalry, which was to hold Turner's Gap and watch McClellan ; and with the divisions of D. R. Jones and J. B. Hood and the reserve artillery, all of Long street's command, Lee marched to near Hag erstown to await the result of the movement on Harper's Ferry, and the subsequent concentra tion of his widely dispersed command for the movement into Pennsylvania.
The advance of McClellan's army reached Frederick on the 12th. Before noon next day there was found in the abandoned Confederate camp the order, known as °Order 191," for the movements of Lee's army for the 10th. The copy was from Lee to D. H. Hill and showed the position of every division of Lee's army, and what it was expected to do, that at the time Jackson, McLaws and Walker were investing Harper's Ferry, and that Lee, with Longstreet and D. H. Hill, was beyond Tur ner's Gap. It was not later than noon when McClellan had this valuable paper placed in his hands, but he did not act promptly upon it. It was not until 3 P.M. that he ordered Pleasonton, then near Middletown, to ascertain whether the Confederates had moved in the direction indi cated in the order. At 3.35 P.M. Cox's division of the Ninth corps was ordered to march from Frederick to Middletown and support Pleason ton's cavalry in a reconnoissance to Turner's Gap. Pleasonton advanced toward Turner's Gap and found his progress checked by Stuart's cavalry. It was late in the day when McClel lan had come to the decision to relieve the gar rison at Harper's Ferry, and at the same time fall upon and destroy Lee's isolated command at Boonsboro. Franklin's Sixth corps and Couch's division were to move through Cramp ton's Gap of South Mountain, break the line of investment that McLaws had thrown across Maryland Heights and the foot of Pleasant Valley, thus relieving Miles at Harper's Ferry, and at the same time interpose between Mc Laws and that part of Lee's army at Boons boro and Hagerstown. At the same time Burn side, with the First and Ninth corps, supported by the rest of the army, was to move through Turner's Gap and fall upon Lee, who it was thought had Longstreet and D. H. Hill at Boonsboro. It would have been well had these orders been given early in the afternoon of the 13th and the troops immediately put in motion for the passes of the mountain, but it was not so. The orders were to move next morning; meanwhile Pleasonton was to fire occasionally a few artillery shots, even though no enemy appeared in front, so that Colonel Miles, at Harper's Ferry, would know that the Union army was near.
Battle of Crampton's Frank lin who was at Buckeystown, six miles from Frederick, and between it and the Potomac, marched at 6 A.M. by way of Jefferson, where
he halted an hour for Couch's division to join him from Licksville, but Couch not coming up, he resumed the march and at noon halted two miles short of Burkittsville, which lay half a mile from the foot of Crampton's Gap. The gap was thought to he strongly held and Frank lin made elaborate preparations to carry it. In fact the gap was held by two small cavalry regiments, part of Mahone's brigade of in fantry and two batteries, in all about 900 men, under Col. T. T. Munford. Semmes' brigade, with five guns, held Brownsville Gap, one mile south of Crampton's and 300 of Semmes' men closely supported Mun ford's right; so, to meet the attack of Franklin's column of nearly 12,000 men, Munford had 1,200 infantry and dis mounted cavalry posted behind stone fences and houses at the east foot of the gap, with eight guns in Position on the winding road about half way up the mountain. It was determined that the position should be carried by assault, General Slocum's division advancing on the right of the road leading through the gap to make the assault, supported by two brigades of General Smith's division moving on the left of the road. It was 3 o'clock before Slocum's division had been formed, in two lines, Bart lett's brigade on the right, Newton's in centre and Torbett's New Jersey brigade on the left. The day was well spent when the order was given to advance and the skirmishers pushing forward drew the fire of the Confederates posted behind the stone fences and houses; which, with the fire from the artillery on the mountain side was so severe, that the advance was suspended until artillery could he brought up to silence that of the Confederates and batter down the stone fences. The artillery was slow in coming up, Smith had not advanced on the left, the men were becoming restive tinder the hot fire being poured upon them and without waiting for the artillery to come tip or Smith to close up on the left, the three brigade com manders after a hurried consultation and with out orders from corps or division commander, ordered a charge, which was gallantly made. The fire poured upon the line was severe and some of the regiments were momentarily shaken, hut the stone fences were carried and the Confederates driven up the steep hill, the Union line, much broken, closely following. When nearing the crest of the hill, Cobb's Georgia brigade, which had just come up to support Mun ford, was encountered in the gap, instantly routed, most of it captured and the Union troops pursued the retreating Confed erates to the west foot of Smith Mountain, when darkness halted them. The Union loss was 113 killed, 418 wounded and 2 missing. The Confederate loss was 70 killed, 289 wounded and 603 captured or missing. In ad dition they lost four colors, one gun and 700 small arms.