Page:American Historical Review vol. 6.djvu/766

 756 Docuiiieiits pectations. I am not yet able to give you a report that will be as full and satisfactory as I hope to present to you ere long, but will proceed to state generally the situation and temper of the District, as I suppose you wish to be put in possession of some data upon which you may calculate as speedily as possible the military strength of the State. We have two Regiments in Barnwell, the ii'" commanded by Col John Aaron, Lower 3 Runs P. O., and the 43 commanded by Col Jesse Rice. In the 11"' one battalion is commanded by Lieut Col. Gasper L Trotti and the other by Major James Furze. In the 43 one Battalion is commanded by Lieu' Col Frederick Bamberg, the other at present has no commander, but an election has been ordered and will be held in a few days. These Officers are all warm and zealous supporters of the State, and eager to testify their patriotism by any service you may designate. The Battalion that has no commander has but one Union man in it. The beat companies in their respective Regiments and Battalions are all officered but two in the uncommanded Battalion and one in Col. Bam- berg's and for these elections have been or will be immediately ordered. The men generally are as well equipped as the rest of the militia of the State, and from the best information I can collect at least three-fourths of them have guns. Their inferior officers in some cases are intelligent and active men, but most perhaps scarcely competent to command in active service. Neither are the superior officers what you would style Military men, but in case of necessity they will do very well to command unti their places are better supplied. In the two Regiments there [are] at least twelve hundred fighting men independent of the Volunteer Corps. Of these there are four companies : Capt Johnsons Troop on Sav. Riv. [Savannah River] in the unofficered Battalion, composed of about Fifty men and in a flourishing condition. I am informed by the Captain that he is in want of a few swords and pistols which Col Hogg (to whose Regiment he belongs) has promised to procure ; Cap! Tindrels company of Riflemen in Col Trotti's Battalion, of which I can say nothing certain at present further than that it is regarded as a well appointed and finely disciplined corps and mostly Whigs ; Capt Holden's company of Infantry in Col Bamberg's Battalion, not in a flourishing condition at this time and wanting in some equipments of which I will inform you more par- ticularly at a future day; and Capt Touchstone's company of Infantry in the same Battalion of which I only know that they are nearly all Union men. Such is the condition of the militia of Barnwell so far as I have been able to learn it. The whole of the men are generally able bodied, more than two thirds staunch Whigs and to the honor of the District I am happy to state that should the militia be called out a considerable portion of the LTnion men will cheerfully march under the banners of the State. In regard to the Volunteer's [movement] for this Crisis I cannot now report as fully as I shall be able to do in a few weeks. A company has been formed at this place, have chosen Officers and appointed a day to be in- spected. A rifle company has been formed near Cannons Bridge on Edisto