Battle of South Mountain • Turner’s Gap • Fox’s Gap • Crampton’s Gap
The Bartlett Leads the Way wayside marker is the second from the right of a set of six on the south side of Gapland Road at Crampon’s Gap on the South Mountain battlefield. (map) The area is part of Gathland State Park.
Bartlett Leads the Way
Colonel Joseph Bartlett, commander of the Second Brigade of Franklin’s First Division, found himself in a curious position. As a brigade commander, Bartlett chose both the field across which Franklin’s Corps would attack and the formation for the attack.
Bartlett wrote, “I suggested the formation of the three brigades in column of regiments deployed, two regiments front, at 100 paces between the lines (that would give us six lines); that the head of the column should be directed to a point that I indicated to him (Franklin), at nearly right angles to the road which crossed the mountain, and in a direction to strike the highest point the road reached at the crest, it being the shortest line; that I would deploy the 27th N.Y. … as skirmishers at the head of the column, and skirmish into the teeth of their line of battle, following with the head of the column at 100 paces; that I would not halt after giving the order forward until we reached the crest of the mountain if possible. These suggestions met with the General’s approval and his based his written order upon them. I was to attack at the point and in the manner indicated, take the crest of the mountain, and throw out a picket line for the night.”
Bartlett deployed the 27th New York as skirmishers followed by the 5th Maine and 16th New York at 4:30 p.m. The troops moved across the field to a stone wall bordering the “Forrest” farm about 250 yards from the Confederate line. Knowing his men could not hold that position long before exhausting their ammunition, Bartlett rode back to find Newton’s Brigade and ordered them up as replacements, Franklin then ordered General William F. “Baldy” Smith to anchor the left of the Federal line by placing a brigade south of the road. Smith sent the Vermont Brigade forward, at nearly full strength with five regiments. Colonel Alfred Torbert’s New Jersey Brigade filled in the gap between the Vermonters and Bartlett. The Federal lines surged forward at 5:30 p.m., smashing the badly outnumbered Confederates and forcing them into headlong retreat towards Crampton’s Gap.
Donated to the people of the United States by Donald and Katherine Stokes-Shafer of Ohio.
From the caption to the photo in the upper left:
Colonel Joseph J. Bartlett
From the caption to the photo in the center:
Colonel Alfred Torbert
Order of Battle for this part of the fighting is from the marker. Links are to unit histories on Civil War in the East.
Order of Battle
Confederate States of America
Colonel Thomas T. Munford
2nd Va. Cav. 12th Va. Cav.
Chew’s Battery
Col. William A. Parham
6th Va. 12th Va. 16th Va.
Portsmouth Light Artillery
Brig. Gen. Paul J. Semmes
10th Ga.
United States of America
Major General William B. Franklin, VI Corps
Major Gen. Henry W. Slocum
Col. Torbert Col. Bartlett Brig. Gen. Newton
1st N.J. 2nd N.J. 5th Me. 16th N.Y. 27th N.Y. 18th N.Y. 31st N.Y.
3rd N.J. 4th N.J. 121st N.Y. 96th Pa. 32nd N.Y. 95th Pa.
Major Gen. William F. (Baldy) Smith
Brig. Gen. Brooks
2nd Vt. 3rd Vt.
4th Vt. 5th Vt. 6th Vt.