Early on the morning of the 17th instant the enemy attacked the First Brigade on our left and front, and King's division was thrown to our front and right. King's division giving way, the Second Brigade, Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps, was ordered to the front, and deployed, then moved by the left flank, under a dreadful fire, which caused the center and right of the brigade to give way; but rallying immediately, afterward advanced to the front, and drove the enemy after an obstinate resistance. Being immediately enforced by General Sumner's corps, the brigade withdrew in good order, and feel to the rear, where the remainder of the division had assembled.

I have to speak particularly of the gallant conduct of Major Baily and his regiment (the Eighth). It was this regiment that stood its grounds manfully, and served as the rally point for the rest of the brigade, that at one time had broken.

A list of killed, wounded, and missing has been furnished.*

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. L. MAGILTON,

Colonel Fourth Regiment P. R. V. C., Actg. Brigadier General 2nd Brigadier P. R. C.

Lieutenant CHARLES N. JACKSON,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 37. Report of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Anderson, Ninth Pennsylvania Reserves, commanding Third Brigade, of the battle of South Mountain.

HDQRS. THIRD Brigadier, PENNSYLVANIA RES. VOL. CORPS,
Camp near Sharspburg, September 22, 1862.

LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by this brigade in the battle of September 14:

At daylight on the morning of the 14th this brigade broke camp near Frederick, and took up the line of march in the direction of Middletown. Having passed Middletown, the command halted on the banks of the creek and rested for about one hour, when the march was resumed, in the same direction as pursued in the fore part of the day, for the distance of about a mile. We here filed to the right along a road running at right angles with the turnpike. Pursuing this road the distance of half a mile, we entered the open fields to the right of the road, when we were immediately ordered to support Cooper's battery, which had taken position on a hill to the left and looking toward South Mountain, upon which the enemy had planted and opened a battery on us as we filed through the open fields. A few shots fired by Cooper elicited no response from the enemy, and we were ordered to form a line of battle, which was done in the following order: The Ninth on the right, the Eleventh in the center, the Twelfth on the extreme left, and the Tenth as a reserve 50 or 75 paces in the rear. Our brigade now began to move obliquely to the right and front under a severe fire of artillery posted on the mountain, but which did very little, if any, damage.

Moving on, we soon met the enemy, posted at the base of the mountain and sheltered by a stone wall. The firing immediately commenced on both sides. Here Colonel Gallagher, who had command of the bri-

* Embodied in revised statement, p. 191.