ithout regard to us or to holding the line, retired. We had been ordered
to hold that position until dark, ammunition or no ammunition, and we
stayed there until well into the evening. We lost forty-five of the one
hundred and fifty men of the regiment in that fight. After nightfall we
withdrew, went down to the vicinity of the bridge, had coffee, and were
supplied with ammunition.

During the evening an incident occurred, the effect of which was to last a
long time. It was after we had drank our coffee and had received our
ammunition late in the evening. An army nurse asked some of the boys to go
with her and assist in getting some wounded men who were near some houses
outside our picket line up along the Sharpsburg Road. The boys went,
brought in the wounded men and took them to a hospital nearby, no one
getting hit, although they did draw the Rebel fire. The work being
finished and having been done in so fine a spirit, the nurse wished to
know who the men were, and where they came from. Learning they were
Massachusetts men and from her own Worcester County, she was quite
affected and revealed her own identity--Clara Barton of Oxford. A few
moments of friendly handshaking and this first meeting ended, only for a
time, however, for later on she visited us at Pleasant Valley and vowed
eternal friendship. After the war she became a member of the regimental
association, was a regular attendant at the annual reunions and ever
declared herself a comrade of the boys of the regiment.

We remained in camp over night not far from the bridge.

September 18. Early in the forenoon we were moved to our extreme left,
were deployed and did outpost duty. At night we were marched back to the
other side of the Antietam and went into camp in an apple orchard.

September 19. It was reported early in the morning that the Rebels had
retreated. We soon formed line, crossed the river and moved over across
the battlefield where there were a good many of our dead lying about. We
moved along down to the Potomac where the Antietam empties into it. A few
Johnnies were in sight on the other bank of the Potomac but disappeared
when we opened fire on them.

During the next forenoon who should appear in camp unannounced, but
General Burnside. He had ridden over from his headquarters, wherever they
were, with a single orderly, and in his cardigan jacket; he "had selected
a fine place for us to go into camp," he said. We were ordered into line
and f