Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 03.djvu/277

Rh December 19, 1864.

Major Assistant Adjutant-General, Charleston, South Carolina:

Major—In obedience to instructions from Major-General Jones, dated Pocotaligo, December 6, 1864, directing me to attack the enemy early on the 7th, in his position near this point, I made the following disposition of the force under my command, consisting of about two hundred men of the Forty-seventh regiment Georgia volunteers, commanded by Captain I. C. Thompson; two companies of the Thirty-second Georgia, with the Augusta battalion local troops; one company of the First South Carolina infantry, Captain King, and one hundred and thirty South Carolina militia, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Bacon, of the Thirty-second Georgia, and the battalion of South Carolina cadets, commanded by Major J. B. White, making in all seven or eight hundred men. Early in the morning, four companies were thrown forward as skirmishers, under command of Major White. The line, composed of the Forty-seventh Georgia on the right, and the troops under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Bacon, on the left, moved just in rear of the skirmishers. In a thick wood, near a bend in the old Pocotaligo road, the right of my skirmish line struck the enemy. The front was then changed gradually to the right, until the line crossed the said road, at nearly right angles, when it confronted the enemy and became engaged throughout its entire length. At this stage of the action the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nesbett arrived and was posted on the left of my line of battle. Our skirmishers drove the enemy vigorously until the right of the line became engaged with the enemy's line of battle, our left at the same time overlapping his right. This position was maintained until after Colonel Daniel's demonstration on my right, when the enemy made new dispositions on and extending beyond my left. It becoming apparent that the enemy's force considerably outnumbered mine, which consisted largely of raw troops, it was deemed impracticable to attack him in force, without which it was impossible to drive him from his position. I therefore withdrew, in good order, unpursued by the enemy, to my present position. The troops engaged, which were my skirmishers only, behaved with great gallantry.

By permission of the Major-General commaningcommanding [sic], we began, on the morning of the 8th, to fortify our position. The work was