Battle of Antietam

“Battle of Antietam, Burnside’s Division, left wing- brilliant and decisive bayonet charge of Hawkins’s Zouaves on the Confederate battery on the hill, right bank of Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, September 17th, 1862, utter route of the Confederates. This brilliant and decisive charge was made about five o’clock in the afternoon of Wednesday, September 17th. Our correspondent thus described the charge: ‘On the left, during the afternoon, Burnside carried the bridge after an obstinate contest of several hours duration, and a loss of about five hundred killed and wounded. Hawkins’s Zouaves then crossed and found the enemy ready drawn up under cover of the hills, and advanced in line of battle on the enemy’s new position, about a half a mile distant. The ground over which they advanced was open clover and plowed fields, the latter very difficult and fatiguing to march in, owing to the softness of the ground. The enemy’s guns, fourteen in number, kept up a terrible fire on our advancing line, which never wavered, but slowly toiled along, receiving shelter, however, when they were in the hollows. They were halted a few moments to rest in the hollow nearest the enemy’s position, and then were ordered to charge with a yell. As they came up the hill in front of the enemy’s batteries, they received a heavy volley from a large force of infantry behind a stone wall, about two hundred feet in front of the enemy’s batteries. Our men, though terribly decimated, gave a volley in return, and then went on with the bayonet. The enemy did not stay to contest the ground, and, although two to one, broke and ran, leaving their guns.’"— Frank Leslie, 1896

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