Two soldiers write about the Sunken Road action

[kholland]

Two soldiers, one Confederate and one Yankee wrote about the vicious fighting at the Sunken Road.

1896 photo

Union soldier's reminiscence
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What a bloody place was that sunken road as we advanced, and the Irish Brigade fell back; the fences were down on both sides, and the dead and wounded men were literally piled there in heaps. As we went over them in crossing the road, a wounded reb made a thrust at me with his bayonet; turning my head to look at him, I saw that he was badly hurt, and continued on. As we pushed forward into the cornfield [Piper Cornfield] beyond the road, Private Charley Spencer in the front rank just before me, went down with an awful cry; stooping over him as I passed I saw that he had fallen forward on his face and was motionless. Just then a strand of canister went over our heads, and that was my dread; I could endure rifle bullets, but when the big iron bullets went swishing through the air with a sound as though there were bushels of them, it made me wish I was at home.

Charles A. Hale, 5th New Hampshire Infantry, 2nd Corps
"The Story of My Personal Experience at the Battle of Antietam," John R. Brooke Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Confederate soldier's reminiscence​

Just then, a Yankee horseman waved his hat at us, and Col. Tew returned the compliment. It was the last I saw of the colonel [Tew was killed in the ensuing engagement]. Our skirmishers began to fire on the advancing line, and we returned to ours. Slowly they approach up the hill, and slowly our skirmishers retire before theirs, firing as they come. Our skirmishers are ordered to come into the line. Here they are, right before us, scarce 50 yards off, but as if with one feeling, our whole line pour a deadly volley into their ranks – they drop, reel; stagger, and back their first line go beyond the crest of the hill. Our men reload, and await for them to again approach, while the first column of the enemy meet the second, rally and move forward again. They meet with the same reception, and back again they go, to come back when met by their third line. Here they all come. You can see their mounted riders cheering them on, and with a sickly "huzza!" they all again approach us at a charge, but another volley sends their whole line reeling back.

Lt. John C. Gorman, 2nd North Carolina Infantry, D. H. Hill's Division
Letter to wife and mother, September 21, 1862, North Carolina State Archives

See more at: http://www.historynet.com/antietam-eyewitness-accounts.htm