Antietam Creek, Md

one of the great battles of the war; a two days’ fight between the Federals and Confederates under McClellan and Lee, September 16, 17, 1862. McClellan commanded 87,000 troops; Lee 41,000. The Confederates were stationed along the Antietam Creek, their flanks resting on the Potomac River, having placed strong guards at three of the four stone bridges which cro ed the creek. Hooker’s brigade was dispatched acro the fourth and unguarded bridge to attack the Confederate flank, while the batteries of both sides kept up a continual fire. Scarcely more than a skirmish took place when darkae fell, At sunrise Hooker a aulted Jackson with some succe , but reinforcements at that point forced him to give way. The hottest of the fighting continued on this flank throughout the morning, constant reinforcements being sent to Jackson, and Franklin and Sumner coming up to a ist Hooker. Burnside had early been ordered to capture the bridge in his front and cro to attack Lee’s center, but this he delayed doing until he found it almost an impo ibility. Finally, however, he succeeded, and cro ing, he dislodged the Confederates, who were stationed upon the heights overlooking Sharps burg. At this point Hill arrived with 2,000 fresh Confederate troops, who, uniting with Lee, drove Burnside out and retook the heights. Both sides suffered severely, the Union lo being 12,410 and the Confederates 12,512; there was mutual desistance, and Lee withdrew on the 19th. The battle was followed by the emancipation proclamation. Anti-Federalist a, a political party which first came into existence in opposing the ratification of the Constitution. Its leaders were George Clinton, Patrick Henry and others. Failing in this they were for a time utterly demoralized. During the First Congre this party showed itself but little, but in the first se ion of the Second Congre there were symptoms of an Anti-Federalist revival. They opposed Hamilton and his followers and gradually became champions of the strict construction of the Constitution and opponents to what they termed “‘monarchical ”’ Federalism. After the rise of the ‘‘ Republican ” party under Jefferson the Anti-Federalists lost their identity in the advocacy of its principles (1793). Anti-Lecompton, the Congre ional faction of the Democratic party, which opposed in 1858 the admi ion of Kansas to the Union under the provisions of the Lecompton slavery constitution. Crittenden and Douglas led this faction in the Senate, Montgomery in the Honse, A vote was taken in the House April 1, on the Crittenden- Montgomery resolution that the Lecompton constitution should have the honest test of popular vote in Kansas before she should become a State. The Anti-Lecomptons won by a vote of 120 to 112. Anti-Masonry. The Freemasons had in 1820 many prominent politicians among their members. In 1826 William Morgan, of Batavia, N. Y., threatened to reveal the secrets of the society. He was arrested and a judgment was obtained against him for debt. He was then carried to Niagara in a closed carriage and never again heard of. Accordingly, in the next town and county elections candidates refusing to resign from the Freemasons found a strong Anti-Mason vote polled against them, From being local, anti-masonry became widespread through New York, and finally affected national politics, In 1828 the National Republican party of New York nominated State candidates who were not Freemasons, and an Anti-Masonic State convention nominated candidates pledged against freemasonry. This party soon displaced the National Republicans as opponents of the Democrats in New York. Anti-masonry spread to other States and, notably in Pennsylvania and Vermont, strongly affected the elections. In New York, William H. Seward, Thurlow Weed and Millard Fill more were Anti-Masonic leaders. John Quincy Adams had by this time lost control of the National Republicans and Clay was becoming popular. In their National Convention at Baltimore in 1831 (the first of national nominating conventions) the Anti-Masons, hoping to force Clay, who was a Mason, out of the field, nominated Wirt and Elimaker. But the National Republicans persisted in nominating Clay. Wirt and Ellmaker received the electoral vote of Vermont only. After this the Anti- Masons died out as a distinct national party, being absorbed by the Whigs. They continued to exercise some influence in a few States, however, for a time. Anti-Monopoly Party was formed May 14, 1884, at Chicago, demanding economical government, equitable laws, including an Interstate Commerce law, laws establishing labor bureaus and providing industrial arbitration, direct vote for Senators, graduated income tax, payment of the national debt as it matures, and ‘‘fostering care’’ for agriculture, and denouncing the tariff and the granting of land to corporations, It joined later with the Greenback Labor party under the name of the Og People’s party.” Anti-Nebraska Men, « name first given the Northern Whigs to distinguish them from the Southern Whigs in respect to the Kansas- Nebraska bill. Their ranks were reinforced by Anti-Slavery Democrats, and though not a distinct party they gained control of the House in the Thirty-fourth Congre . They soon became absorbed in the Republican party. 45