Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/325

 Fortification and Siege of Port Hudson. 319

the plantations of Captain Chambers, Mr. Flowers, and Mrs. Houston, halting at Sandy creek, where they began the construction of a pon- toon bridge. By Tuesday night, the 26th, it was completed, aod everything ready for an advance in that direction. We had, at that time, learned that the enemy's extreme right was composed of negro troops.

The total casualties on the left wing, up to this time, amounted to about forty killed, wounded and missing.

The left slept on their arms on Tuesday night, the 26th of May. During Tuesday the enemy made no advance, but our advanced pickets could hear them cutting timber, moving artillery, &c., during the day and night. My orders being to act on the defensive, the enemy's operations were not molested, but matters remained quiet all day.

Anticipating an attack on Wednesday morning, I reinforced the line of skirmishers holding the advanced line, by sending a battalion of four companies from the First Alabama regiment, under command of Captain D. W. Ramsay, Company B, to report to Lieutenant-Colonel M. B. Locke, First regiment Alabama volunteers, whom T had placed in command of all the troops of the left wing in advance of the line of fortifications. I was, at the same time, ordered by the Major- General commanding to relieve the battalion of Miles's Legion, com- manded by Major Coleman, and to direct him to report at once to Colonel Miles. This left Lieutenant-Colonel Locke's command in the same condition and strength as before. His line of battle was about a half a mile in advance of the Commissary Hill and the main line of works, and consisted of the following troops from right to left: A bat- talion of the Fifteenth Arkansas regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Lee commanding ; Tenth regiment Arkansas volunteers, Colonel Witt ; a battalion of the First regiment Alabama volunteers. Captain D. W. Ramsay, commanding ; a battalion of the First Mississippi regiment, Major Johnson commanding — making a total of about five hundred men, with no artillery.

At about half past five o'clock in the morning of the 27th May, a heavy artillery fire was opened by the enemy upon the centre and right wing of the defences of Port Hudson. This firing continued for an hour with great severitv. During all the firing there was a perfect calm on the le(t wing. The silence was ominous. At half- past seven or eight o'clock, and without any warning, a heavy body ot the enemy, in column of regiments, advanced boldly upon Colonel Locke's line. In a few moments the fight became very severe, and