Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 5.djvu/53

Rh lough, chaplain of the legion, and Mr. Irwin, with Lieutenant Bishop’s company of the legion, to burn the bridge, and pushed on after the retreating force. Day had broken, but a heavy fog obscured every object, and the attack on the Federals was made at great disadvantage. Palmer captured a lieutenant and 20 men and non-commissioned officers, the remainder of the force escaping in the fog. Colonel Stevens marched within sound of the long roll beating in the camps in the interior, and taking a few prisoners, returned to the mainland by Watts cut, and Palmer crossed his command and prisoners over at the north end of Little Edisto in a small boat, which could only carry five men at a time, flats which were on the way to him having failed to arrive. Several of the Federal soldiers were killed and wounded in this affair, the Confederates having two slightly wounded. But for the dense fog the entire force on Little Edisto would have been captured.

General Pemberton, on assuming command, executed General Lee s purpose and ordered the removal of the guns from Fort Palmetto on Cole s island, at the mouth of the Stono, and from the works at the mouth of Georgetown harbor. Georgetown was then at the mercy of the fleet, but there was no help for it, for Port Royal had shown that the guns which the Confederates could command were practically inefficient against the batteries of the fleet. For the rear defense of Charleston, James island must be the battleground, and the forces on the mainland, along the line of the Charleston & Savannah railroad, must depend upon rapid concentration to resist an advance from any one of the numerous landings in front of that line. The regiment of regular South Carolina infantry, and the regiment of regular artillery, splendidly drilled as gunners, and officered by accomplished soldiers, garrisoned the harbor defenses, and Ripley’s energy and high capacity were constantly exerted to secure a perfect defense of the city of Charleston.