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pieces of artillery, fired at point-blank range. The slaughter was appalling, and
whole ranks melted away in an instant, but the brave survivors closed up their
decimated columns, and despite that awful fire pressed on until they encountered
the infantry posted in the railroad cut in front, where for a time the fight was
waged hand to hand. At length they began to break and to retreat, and the
batteries, which had been silent for some time, owing to the proximity of the
struggling columns of infantry, again belched forth into the fleeing mass their
deadly discharges of grape, which was continued until the fugitives reached the
shelter of the woods from which they had emerged.

Of the several batteries under General Lee that day not one was worked more
fiercely than the Baltimore Light Artillery, and none contributed more to the defeat
and destruction of the enemy.

Long before nightfall the victory was won, and the braggart Pope, with the
remnant of his army, was seeking safety in the defenses around Washington.

In the invasion of Maryland, which followed this signal victory, the battery
was placed in the advance, and crossed the river at White's ford.

On the 6th of September the battery passed through Frederick City and
encamped on the suburbs. Many were the congratulations the brave fellows
received from the citizens, and during the three days they remained their wants
were abundantly supplied.

Leaving Frederick City, the battery passed through Boonsboro', Middletown,
and Williamsport, where they recrossed the Potomac, and on the 12th entered
Martinsburg. From thence it moved towards Harper's Ferry, when upon arriving
at Loudoun Heights, Brockenborough was assigned a position, from which, at
early dawn of the 15th, he opened, along with other batteries, a terrific fire upon
the enemy's entrenched position on Bolivar Heights. The batteries were worked
furiously for an hour, when just as the Confederate infantry were put in motion
to storm the works, a white flag fluttered in the breeze, and Harper's Ferry sur-
rendered with its twelve thousand troops, and artillery and supplies in abundance.

But there was heavy work yet to be done, for General Lee with a portion of
hi? army was confronting the overwhelming masses of McClellan at Sharpsburg.
and no time was to be lost in reaching him. The surrender had, therefore,
scarcely been effected when the troops were dispatched to his aid. By a forced
night march Jackson's artillery reached Sharpsburg on the16th, and was imme-
diately assigned a position on a range of hills rather northwest of the town.

The morning of the 17th of September found the two armies in position, and
ready to begin the work of destruction. For the Confederates the prospects of
success seemed gloomy enough, for General Lee had barely forty thousand men
with which to meet the mighty army of McClellan. numbering over a hundred and
twenty thousand troops. But the vast odds were made almost proportionate by the