Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 02.djvu/210

 on the peninsula, which, as far as could be ascertained, had not been diminished, and made several demonstrations on our lines, which were checked. He continued to shell our pickets and batteries without cessation.

Several transports, some with troops, came up the river, and stopped at Battery and John's islands. On the 7th the position of the enemy remained unchanged: several additional transports arrived in the Stono. The fire upon our pickets continued, and the attack of the enemy with his monitors, the Pawnee, and other gunboats and mortar boats upon Battery Pringle was very heavy, but little damage, however, was done to the work, and the fire was returned with evident effect. Colonel Harrison, with his regiment, Bonand's battalion, and the Forty-seventh Georgia regiment, was ordered to General Robertson, commanding on John's island.

On the 8th the position of the enemy's lines remained unchanged, which indicated that he had weakened his force here, to reinforce John's island. This morning, the enemy, with two monitors and a fleet of wooden gunboats, opened a terrific fire upon Battery Pringle, which was continued for several hours without intermission, causing no serious damage to the works, but, with extraordinary accuracy of fire, disabling several guns. This fire was returned with spirit by the garrison. I had made arrangements for supplying heavier guns to this work, and a seven-inch Brooke gun had reached the fort, but had not been mounted, owing to an injury to the gun; and another (ten-inch Columbiad) was on its way to the work before these guns were disabled. The number of vessels in the Stono was now twenty-two, and being satisfied by this persistent and severe attack upon Pringle, that the plans of the enemy were developed, and that he would bend all his efforts to the reduction of that battery, in connection with his movements on John's island, and that several days would probably elapse before the issue could be determined, and the enterprise abandoned; and believing it to be necessary to place at that battery the most experienced artillerist, I directed Colonel Rhett, First South Carolina artillery, who had been assigned by me as senior officer to the command of the western sub-district, to relieve the command at Pringle, already much exhausted, with companies of experienced artillerists of his command. Major Blanding, South Carolina artillery, with two companies of his regiment, was ordered to that duty. On this day the enemy's boats