As Confederate Gen. D.H. Hill’s division struggled to hold the gaps of South Mountain on September 14, 1862, fighting at Fox’s Gap raged throughout the day. About 9 a.m., Gen. Jesse L. Reno’s corps attacked Gen. Samuel Garland’s lines approximately 3/4 of a mile south of here and began pushing the Confederates north toward Fox’s Gap. Around midmorning, Garland fell mortally wounded and the Confederates scattered into the gap. The fighting died down at midday as both sides brought more men into the contest. Hill sent two regiments of Gen. George B. Anderson’s brigade to replace Garland’s scattered forces, while Union Gen. Jacob D. Cox posted his regiments south of here along the edge of Daniel Wise’s field and waited for the rest of Reno’s corps to reinforce him. As more units arrived, Hill sent Gen. Thomas F. Drayton’s and Col. George T. Anderson’s brigades along the wood road to attack the Federals. They formed on the Sharpsburg Road and attacked about 4 p.m. By then, the rest of Reno’s corps had reached the mountain. As Drayton’s men moved through Wise’s open field, well-aimed Union volleys struck them from behind stone walls. The Federals then counterattacked, and some Georgia troops sheltering in the sunken road soon found themselves trapped. Outnumbered four to one and suffering 51 percent casualties, Drayton’s brigade broke and fled down the mountain. Fox’s Gap was in Union hands by 5:30 p.m.
