Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 5.djvu/114

102 and Charleston, captured the military stores at Coosawhatchie and Pocotaligo, and inflicted a serious blow to General Beauregard’s line of defense. But his expedition signally failed, and he was defeated with brilliant success by Colonel Walker’s troops at Old Pocotaligo and at Coosawhatchie bridge. Learning of his landing at Mackay’s point and of his advance, Colonel Walker ordered by wire the artillery and infantry named above to repair to the bridge, and himself marched down the Mackay’s point road, with all the force he could command, to meet General Brannan. Meanwhile, Col. C. J. Colcock, at Grahamville, commanding the Third South Carolina cavalry, dispatched Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson with five companies of his regiment, and Major Abney, with two companies of his battalion of sharpshooters, to march rapidly to Coosawhatchie and intercept the force which he had learned was moving up the river. These dispositions were effective, as the result showed.

Walker’s force consisted of Nelson’s Virginia battery, two sections of Elliott s battery, and the following commands: Maj. J. H. Morgan’s battalion of cavalry, the Charleston light dragoons, Captain Kirk’s partisan rangers, Captain Allston s company of sharpshooters, Capt. D. B. Heyward’s company of cavalry, and Capt. A. C. Izard’s company of the Eleventh South Carolina, Lieut. W. L. Campbell commanding. The aggregate of these troops was 475, one-fourth of whom were horse-holders and not in the engagement now to be described. Walker took position near Dr. Hutson’s residence, on a salt marsh, crossed by a causeway and skirted by woods on both sides. A section of Elliott’s guns, Allston’s sharpshooters, and two companies of cavalry, under Maj. J. H. Morgan, had gone in advance of Walker s position and were skirmishing with the head of Brannan’s advance and holding him in check. In this affair Major Morgan was severely wounded, but his command held the advance of the Federal troops sufficiently long to allow Walker to