Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 5.djvu/113

Rh Elliott’s Beaufort artillery, Kavanaugh’s Lafayette battery, all South Carolina commands, and Nelson’s Virginia battery. The whole Confederate force in South Carolina upon General Beauregard’s assuming command, September 24, 1862, amounted to 202 companies of all arms, and aggregated 12,544 officers and soldiers present for duty.

On October 22d, the battle of Old Pocotaligo was fought by Col. W. S. Walker, with a small force of infantry, dismounted cavalry, and sections from two batteries of artillery, amounting in all to 675 men and officers. On the same day the railroad and turnpike bridges crossing the Coosawhatchie were successfully defended by the Lafayette artillery, Lieut. L. F. Le Bleux commanding; a section of Elliott’s Beaufort battery, Lieut. H. M. Stuart commanding, and Capt. B. F. Wyman’s company of the Eleventh South Carolina infantry. These engagements will be described separately.

A Federal force of 4,448 of all arms, under the command of Brigadier-General Brannan, sailed from Hilton Head on the evening of October 21st in transports supported by gunboats, destined for Mackay’s point, on Broad river, with orders from the Federal commanding general &quot;to destroy the railroad and railroad bridges on the Charleston and Savannah line. Landing his forces at Mackay’s point during the night of the 2ist and on the early morning of the 22d, General Brannan marched with all of his troops except the Forty-eighth New York and two companies of engineers, immediately up the road leading to Old Pocotaligo. The force detached was sent by boat up the Broad, and thence up the Coosawhatchie to destroy the railroad bridge over the latter river, where the main column, in case of victory at Pocotaligo, should unite with it in tearing up the railroad on either hand, including the bridge over the Pocotaligo and Tulifinny rivers.

If General Brannan had succeeded, he would have cut very effectually the communication between Savannah