Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 5.
Frank Moore, Ed.

The results of the battle may be briefly summed up. Judged by all the rules of warfare, it was a victory to our arms. If we failed to rout the enemy, it was only because the nature of the ground prevented him from running. Wherever we whipped him, we either drove him against his own masses on the right, left and centre, or into the mountains; and against the latter position it would have been impossible to operate successfully. Nowhere did he gain any permanent advantage over the confederates. Varying as may have been the successes of the day, they left us intact, unbroken, and equal masters of the field with our antagonist. Last night, we were inclined to believe it was a drawn battle, and the impression generally obtained among the men that, because they had not, in their usual style, got the enemy to running, they had gained no advantage; but to-day the real facts are coming to light, and we feel that we have indeed, achieved another victory. Twenty thousand additional men could not, under the circumstances, have made it more complete.

We took a few prisoners, not more than six or seven hundred in all. The Federals fought well and were handled in a masterly manner, but their losses have been immense — probably not less than twenty thousand killed and wounded. They had the advantage, not only of numbers, but of a position from which they could assume an offensive or defensive attitude at will, besides which, their signal-stations on the Blue Ridge commanded a view of our every movement. We could not make a manoeuvre in front or rear that was not instantly revealed to their keen look-outs, and as soon as the intelligence could be communicated to their batteries below, shot and shell were launched against the moving columns. It was this information, conveyed by the little flags upon the mountain-top, that no doubt enabled the enemy to concentrate his force against our weakest points and counteract the effect of whatever similar movements may have been attempted by us. Our loss is variously estimated at from five to nine thousand.

Killed: Brigadier-Generals Starke and Branch; Colonel Douglas, of the Thirteenth Georgia, commanding brigade; Colonel Homes, of the Second Georgia; Colonel Milligan, of the Fifteenth Georgia; Colonel S. B. Smith, of the Twenty-seventh Georgia; Colonel Newton, of the Sixth Georgia; Captain Nesbit, commanding Third Georgia, and Lieutenant-Colonel Barclay, of the Twenty-third Georgia, (reported killed;) Major T. S. McIntosh, of General McLaw's staff, and Lieutenant S. B. Parkman, of Read's Georgia battery. Also, Col. Strong, Captains Ritchie and Calloway, and Lieutenants Little and Lynne of the Sixth Louisiana, and Captain McFarland and Lieutenant Newman, of the Seventh Louisiana.

Wounded: Major-General Anderson, of South-Carolina; Brigadier-General Anderson, of North-Carolina; General Lawton, of Georgia, in leg; General Wright, of Georgia, in leg; General Ripley, of South-Carolina, in throat; Colonel Duncan McRea, who succeeded Ripley in command, slightly; Colonel Magill, of Georgia regulars, lost an arm; Majors Sorrell and Walton, of Longstreet's staff; Colonel Gordon and Lieutenant-Colonel Lightfoot, of the Sixth Alabama, Captain Reedy, of the Third Alabama, (wounded and missing at Boonesboro Gap;) Colonel Alfred Cumming, of the Tenth Georgia; Major Tracy, badly, and Captain Watson, of the Sixth Georgia; Lieutenant-Colonel Sloan, of the Fifty-third Georgia; Colonel Jones, of the Twenty-second Georgia; Lieutenant-Colonel Crowder, badly, of the Thirty-first Georgia; Major Lewis, Captains Harney and St. Martin, and Lieutenants Murphy, Cook, Current, Dea, Montgomery, Bryant, Wren, Birdsall, and McJimsey, of the Eighth Louisiana; Colonel Penn, Captains Frank Clark and O'Connor, and Lieutenants Smith, Orr and Martin, of the Sixth Louisiana; Captains Herrin, Morgan and Harper, and Lieutenants Knox, Tarpey, Flower, Talbot, and Wells, of the Seventh Louisiana; Major Menger, Captain Hart and Lieut. Patterson, of the Fifth Louisiana; Colonel Hately, Lieutenant-Colonel T. B. Lamar, Sergeant-Major Anderson, of the Fifth Florida; Captain Gregory, and privates Hagin, Henry, Bryant, Parker, Strickland, Bateman, Yon, Barnett, Dillard and Martin, of company H, of the same regiment; S. B. Barnwell, Color-Sergeant of Oglethope light infantry, Fifth Georgia, about knee, and leg amputated; Captains Caracker and Carey, and Lieutenants Macon, Guy and Hubert, of Fourth Georgia; Major Randolph Whitehead, of Forty-eighth Georgia; Captain Charles Whitehead, of General Wright's staff; Major Harris, of Twentieth Georgia; and Colonel William Smith, (late Governor, and known as Extra Billy Smith,) of Virginia, badly. Gens. Lawton's and Wright's wounds, though severe, are not considered dangerous. The same may be said of Colonel Gordon's and Lieutenant-Colonel Lightfoot's of Sixth Alabama; Major-General Anderson's, Brigadier-General Anderson's, and Brigadier-General Ripley's.

I have omitted to mention, in the proper place, that Major Robert S. Smith and Lieutenant Lewis Cobb, of the Fourth Georgia, were killed; also, Lieutenants Underwood and Cleveland, of the Eighteenth Georgia. Captains George Maddox and Crawford, Lieutenants Callahan and Williams,