ward on our left, and commenced a fire that relieved us from further annoyance from the left, thus leaving us to contend against a direst fire from behind a stone wall in our front. The firing was kept up without ceasing until about 9 o'clock at night, when our ammunition became exhausted. The fact was made known to General Gibbon. His answer was, "Hold the ground at the point of the bayonet." Our men were ordered to lie down; the cartridges were taken from the boxes of the dead and wounded, and distributed among the men who were destitute of ammunition. I then gave them orders to load, and reserve their fire for a close range. The enemy coming to know our condition, commenced advancing on us in line, whereupon I ordered the regiment to rise up, fix bayonets, and charge on the advancing column. Our regiment had not advanced farther than 20 feet when we fired. This broke the enemy's lines, and they retired in great confusion.

Our loss was heavy in killed and wounded. The aggregate of killed, wounded, and missing was about 147. The regiment went into the action with 375 muskets. The officers and men of the regiment all fought well, doing their whole duty. About 10.30 o'clock the regiment was relieved by part of General Gorman's brigade, the Fifteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers.

I have the honor to be, your most obedient servant,

JNumbers B. CALLIS,

Captain, Commanding seventh Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers.

FRANK A. HASKELL,

Aide-de-Camp and Actg. Asst. Adjt. General, General Gibbon's Brigadier

HDQRS. SEVENTH REGIMENT WISCONSIN VOLUNTEERS,
Near Sharpsburg, Md., September 18, 1862.

SIR: I have the honor to report the pat taken by the Seventh Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers in the action of the 17th instant, at or near Antietam Creek, Maryland:

At or about 5 o'clock a. m. on the 17th day of September, 1862, the Seventh Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers lay near to and on the left and south side of the Hagerstown and Sharpsburg pike, between Keedysville and Sharpsburg, at which time and place the enemy commenced chilling our camp from our front and right. We marched in column by division in rear of the Sixth Wisconsin Regiment, until we came within some 300 yards of the enemy's line of battle, where we came to a halt and awaited further orders. We soon received orders. We soon received orders to march by the flank across the pike into an open field on the right of the pike, and deploy into line of battle, and march in line into a belt of woods that lay in our front. I threw the regiment forward until it came up to the line of skirmishers which covered our front. They informed me that they could advance no farther into the woods; that the enemy lay massed in the timber in our front. We commenced removing the fence in front of us, when the enemy opened a destructive fire from the woods in our front. Our men returned the fire, and charged over the fence, vigorously keeping up the fire until the enemy retired from the woods and entered a corn-field in front of our left.

I then saw heavy columns advancing on the Sixth and Second Wisconsin Regiments, which lay on our left. I immediately changed front, so as to get a raking fire on the left flank of the enemy's column as they advanced in front of the Sixth and Second Wisconsin. As soon

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