Sept. 20, 8 A. M., camp near Sharpsburg.
. . . Yesterday the enemy completed his evacuation of
Maryland, completely beaten.
We got many prisoners, muskets, colors, cannon, etc. His loss in killed and wounded was very great; so was ours, unfortunately.
Gen. Mansfield was killed (or rather died of his wounds).
Gens. Sedgwick,
Richardson,
Dana,
Brooks,
Hooker,
Weber,
Rodman, and two others were wounded on Wednesday.
Poor
Henry Kingsbury died of his wounds the day after the battle.
The battle lasted fourteen hours, and was, without doubt, the most severe ever fought on this continent; and few more desperate were ever fought anywhere.
9 A. M.
. . . Am glad to say that I am much better to-day; for, to tell you the truth, I have been under the weather since the battle.
The want of rest, and anxiety, brought on my old disease.
The battle of Wednesday
was a terrible one.
I presume the loss will prove not less than 10,000 on each side.
Our victory was complete, and the disorganized rebel army has rapidly returned to
Virginia, its dreams of “invading
Pennsylvania” dissipated for ever.
I feel some little pride in having, with a beaten and demoralized army, defeated
Lee so utterly and saved the
North so completely.
Well, one of these days history will, I trust, do me justice in deciding that it was not my fault that the campaign of the
Peninsula was not successful. . . . Since I left
Washington,
Stanton has again asserted that
I, not
Pope, lost the
battle of Manassas No. 2! . . . I am tired of fighting against such disadvantages, and feel that it is now time for the country to come to my help and remove these difficulties from my path.
If my countrymen will not open their eyes and assist themselves they must pardon me if I decline longer to pursue the thankless avocation of serving them.