William F. Fox, Lt. Col. U. S. V., Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1861-1865: A Treatise on the extent and nature of the mortuary losses in the Union regiments, with full and exhaustive statistics compiled from the official records on file in the state military bureaus and at Washington

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[77] Crampton's Gap, driving the enemy from a strong position; Slocum's loss was 113 killed, 418 wounded, and two missing; total, 533. The corps was under fire again at Antietam, but was only partially engaged; the third Brigade (Irwin's) of Smith's Division, took an active part, however, the Seventh Maine and Twentieth New York sustaining severe losses.

Important changes in the corps now took place. It received a valuable accession by the transfer of Couch's Division of the Fourth Corps, which now became the Third Division of the Sixth, with General John Newton in command. General Franklin was promoted to the command of the Left Grand Division, Sixth and First Corps, and General Smith succeeded to the command of the corps. General Slocum's able services were acknowledged by his promotion to the command of the Twelfth Corps, and General W. T. Brooks succeeded Slocum in command of the First Division, while General A. P. Howe succeeded to the command of Smith's (2nd) Division.

The next battle occurred at Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862, in which only a few regiments of the corps were engaged, although all were under a severe artillery fire. But the corps was engaged on the same field, May 3, 1863, in an action which made it famous on account of the brilliant display of dash and daring. When Hooker took the Army to Chancellorsville he left the Sixth Corps in front of Fredericksburg, which was still held by a strong force of the enemy. General Sedgwick, who had succeeded to the corps command, ordered an assault on Marye's Heights, and that strong position which had defied the assaults of the previous battle, was now carried by the Sixth Corps at the point of the bayonet. The divisions of Newton and Howe were the ones engaged; Brooks' (1st) Division was engaged later in the day, at Salem Church. The corps lost in this battle, 485 killed, 2,619 wounded, and 1,485 missing; total 4,589. The missing ones were, for the most part, lost in the action at Salem Church. On the day before this battle, the corps returns showed a strength of 23,730, “present for duty,” of whom less than 20,000 were present in action.

The Gettysburg campaign came next, in which the divisions were commanded by Generals Wright, Howe, and Newton. The corps was held in reserve at Gettysburg, excepting Shaler's Brigade, which was sent into action as a support to the Twelfth Corps; several casualties, also, occurred in Eustis' and Wheaton's Brigades, of Newton's Division. During the pursuit of Lee's Army, after Gettysburg, the Vermont Brigade was engaged in a very creditable affair at Funkstown, Md., where this one brigade, drawn out in a skirmish line of over a mile in length, alone and unassisted, repelled a determined attack of a vastly superior force, which in massed columns charged this skirmish line repeatedly. The Vermonters sustained but slight loss, as they occupied a strong, natural position.

Having returned to Virginia, the corps participated, November 7, 1863, at Rappahannock Station in a successful assault on the enemys intrenchments. In this affair there was another display of that dash and gallantry which was so eminently characteristic of the Sixth Corps.¹ The Sixth Maine and Fifth Wisconsin distinguished themselves particularly in this action, leading the storming party and carrying the works with the bayonet only. It was a brilliant success, resulting not only in a victory, but in the capture of a large number of prisoners, small arms, artillery and battle flags.

On the Mine Run campaign the divisions were commanded by Generals Wright, Howe, and H. D. Terry, but were not in action to any extent. The corps went into winter-quarters at Brandy Station. Upon the reorganization of the Army, in March, 1864, several changes were made. The Third Division was broken up, Shaler's Brigade being transferred to Wright's (lst) Division, while the brigades of Eustis and Wheaton were placed in the Second Division,