good to arise from such a method of fighting a battle, and think the contrary rule should be adopted of keeping commands intact.

I inclose the reports of Generals Brooks and Hancock and Colonel Irwin and Captain Ayres. General Brooks himself was slightly wounded, and General Hancock during the day was assigned to a higher command.

The artillery, under Captain Ayre's judicious management, assisted very materially in silencing the fire of the enemy, which was so destructive the gallant and skillful conduct of Lieutenant Martin, commanding Ayre's battery, who on this, as on several previous occasions, has shown himself worthy of promotion.

I must also call to mind the fact that the troops of my division were mostly for forty hours constrained to lie down in line of battle, ready at any moment to repel an attack, and subjected most of that time to a fire of artillery and to the fire of the sharpshooters of the enemy.

I beg leave to mention the following officers on my staff, who served faithfully and gallantly through the battle: Major Charles Mundee, assistant adjutant-general; Lieuts. M. Berry, Samuel Carey, James A. Scrymser, J. F. S. gray, aides-de-camp, and p. c. f. west, acting topographical engineer. Captain C. R. Crane, Fifth Vermont, ordnance officer of my division, had his ammunition train not only close behind the troops and in good order, but gave material aid in supplying General Sumner's corps and General Slocum's division with ammunition when the supplies of their respective batteries were exhausted. My orderly, Private William Heckler, Company G, Rush's Lancers, behaved gallantly.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. F. SMITH,

Major-General, Commanding Division.

Lieutenant Colonel OLIVER D. GREENE,

Asst. Adjt. General and Chief of Staff, Sixth Army Corps.

Numbers 126. Reports of Captain Romeyn B. Ayres, Fifth U. S. Artillery, Chief of Artillery, of the battles of Crampton's Pass and Antietam.

HEADQUARTERS LIGHT ARTILLERY, SMITH'S DIVISION,
September 30, 1862.

MAJOR: I have the honor to report that the artillery of the division was employed on the 14th instant at Crampton's Pass, as follows:

The enemy having placed two guns in the road about half-way down the mountain side, my battery was posted in the plain below, on the left of the road, and opened upon them. Slocum's division advancing on the right of the road, the firing was continued till, the attack progressing, the enemy withdrew his pieces. Later in the afternoon, Brooks' brigade advancing on the left of the road, I proceeded with Cowan's battery along the road and up the mountain side. I notified General Brooks of my presence there with a battery, and so continued up take mountain a little in rear of the general line.

Passing the crest and down into the valley, I selected a position in conjunction with General Brooks, and posted the battery in the fork of two roads leading from the valley up the pass, Brooks' brigade on its