Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 02.djvu/204

 crossed over from Morris' and Folly islands to the south end of James' island, and after a sharp skirmish drove in our pickets and captured two field-pieces. At the same time two monitors and several gunboats steamed up the Stone river above Leganville, and opened a heavy fire on our works. Hatch's and Saxton's brigades located on Seabrook's island on the morning of the 2d, and Berney's sailed up the north Edisto and landed at White Point.

All of my available force at hand was immediately concentrated on James' island, and I ordered the First regiment Georgia regulars, three hundred men of the Fourth Georgia cavalry and three companies Third South Carolina cavalry—all dismounted from—Savannah and vicinity to John's island.

At daydawn on the 3d, about one thousand of the enemy in barges, from Morris' island, made a dash at Fort Johnston. They were handsomely and thoroughly repulsed by the garrison of that post under Lieutenant-Colonel Yates, First South Carolina artillery, with a loss to the enemy of one hundred and forty prisoners, including a colonel and five other commissioned officers, and many killed and wounded.

At the same time Berney's brigade advanced towards Adam's Run, but had marched scarcely six miles when it encountered at King's creek a battery supported by a platoon of cavalry which General Robertson had placed there, and after an hour or two of skirmishing, Berney fell back to White Point, re-embarked and rejoined Hatch and Saxton, who, in the meantime, had crossed from Seabrook's to John's island, and moved up towards Charleston. Our very small force (a thin picket line) on John's island retired skirmishing, and on the 7th repulsed a vigorous effort to drive them off, inflicting on the enemy comparatively heavy loss. The enemy, nevertheless, succeeded in gaining a position on the Stono, from which our works on James' island could be enfiladed and taken in reverse.

It was manifestly of the utmost importance that they should be dislodged and driven off John's island. The force at my command was so small, and, from the nature of the service, manning permanent batteries on along line of important works, that I could not concentrate on John's island a sufficient force for that purpose without endangering the most important line of works for the defence of the harbor; because, having command of the water and ample steam transportation, the enemy could, in a few hours and under cover of night, change his point of attack from John's to