the
16th Jackson's corps, except Hill's division, arrived.

On the afternoon of the 15th, the enemy had advanced and the batteries
on both sides were immediately engaged. On the 16th artillery firing
continued during the entire day. Jackson's old division occupied the
left from Hagerstown road to the Potomac. At dawn on the 17th, the
enemy's artillery opened with great vigor on Jackson's line. The battle
was hot and furious from the start and continued for many hours with
alternate success. The Federal lines were forced back several times,
but new lines of fresh troops were met, and in turn the Confederates
were forced to retire before them, but would again return to the
contest and again clear their front, but to be again pushed back
as before. This was the part of the Confederate line against which
the enemy had concentrated and was now hurling the strength of his
army, and by overwhelming numbers turning the Confederates left; but
reinforcements from our right arrived in time, and now the battle raged
with still greater fury and determination. But the onslaught of the
Confederates was not to be successfully resisted, hence they swept the
Federals back and reestablished their lines, which were held against
further attacks of the day. Between these hostile lines lay hundreds
of dead and dying of both sides, fighting being so continuous as to
prevent proper attention to them. I do not now recall the names of any
of these, except that of a younger brother, the late Judge M. B. Wood,
whose wound was severe, and naturally I was impressed. The main attack
was now shifted from our left to the center. This was finally repulsed
and the battle along the line was now reduced to a more moderate
degree; heavy attacks, however, were made occasionally on different
parts of the Confederate lines. Hill arrived from Harpers Ferry late in
the afternoon and attacked the enemy on our right, and drove him from
his position back across Antietam, inflicting much loss.

On the morning of the 18th the Confederates held their entire line