Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 2.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[350] hills was captured, and the contest extended to the vicinity of the hollow way, which still afforded shelter and an excellent means of defence to the Confederates. French could not dislodge them from it, but on his left Richardson followed up his success. Caldwell's brigade, by a well-executed movement, had taken the place of the Irish. Two of his regiments, commanded by a young officer of promise, we might almost say a youth, Colonel Barlow, took the hollow way in flank, which could not be carried in front, and compelled the enemy to abandon it, leaving behind three hundred prisoners and three flags. The Confederate brigades of G. B. Anderson and Rodes, of D. H. Hill's division, were driven at the point of the bayonet by Richardson across a large field extending as far as the Piper house. R. H. Anderson sought to repair this reverse by attacking his left flank, but Barlow, anticipating this movement, drove him back into the orchard, and at last gained possession of the Piper house. It was about noon. Richardson was only a few hundred metres from the Hagerstown road, almost within cannon-shot of the first houses of Sharpsburg. By thus advancing he had turned Dunker Church. A little farther advanced, and he would oblige the Confederates to leave a clear field to Sedgwick, and surrender to him not only the clearing, but the woods that had been so often disputed since morning. On his left, Pleasanton was following his movement with three batteries of horse artillery, and covering his flank. Occupying the ground which separated him from the Antietam, he dislodged the detachments left by Lee to guard the bridge of the Keedysville road. This passage was therefore free, and Porter could now cross the Antietam with his two divisions without difficulty.

But Richardson could not follow up his advantage alone. On the right, Sedgwick's division was mixed up with the debris of the corps of Hooker and Mansfield. French was arrested by the enemy's batteries posted in the vicinity of Dunker Church, which enfiladed him every time he attempted to advance. Porter remained in reserve at the very time when he should have come to attack the troops opposed to Burnside in the rear. In short, this latter general had not yet emerged from his fatal immobility.

The Federals, however, had received a timely reinforcement;