Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/63

 Diary of Lieutenant- Colonel John G. Pressley. 5*7

the regiment and made known to them what was expected. We ap- plied to the engineers for intrenching tools, but it was found impos- sible to supply us, in time for the emergency, with more than one spade for every eight or ten men. The regiment was put to work at once digging a line of rifle pits. The men worked with a will, as soldiers always do when they believe that they, and not some other command, will fight behind the works which they are set to con- structing. The spades were kept busy, the men relieved each other at short intervals. We had not been at work long before another dispatch was brought to Colonel Simonton, and by him forwarded to me. Gilmore said to Dahlgreen : " Hurry up the boats, the Rebels are at work."

It may well be imagined that this gave the men a fresh impulse, if they needed anything to increase their energy. By night-fall we had a very respectable line of rifle pits dug, of suflicient length to protect the whole regiment. The garrison of the Peninsula was reinforced by a battery of light artillery, and every possible dis- position made to receive the enemy. The whole night was spent under arms, but no attack was made. Our active preparations probably deterred General Gilmore from the attempt to carry out his plans. The enterprise and ingenuity of General Beauregard's staff officer, of whom mention has been made, saved us and Charleston. Had Secessionville been captured, the fall of the other defences on James Island would be almost inevitable. [I have been informed by a Federal officer, since the war, that the enemy learnt to read our signals, but not at so early a date. Their discovery was made by a long series of observations. By record- ing a great number of motions of the flag or lantern, on the prin- ciple that the letters of the alphabet in composition bear certain proportions to each other in the number of times they are used, our signals were unraveled.]

J2ily ij. — I was ordered to move the camp of the regiment nearer to the city. We were relieved by other troops, left Secessionville, and moved to the place occupied by us in June, 1862. The new camp was called "Camp Pettigrew, " in honor of Brigadier- General J. Johnson Pettigrew, who had been killed at " Falling Waters," in Virginia. He was well known to the officers and men of several companies of the regiment, and greatly honored and esteemed by all who knew him.

On the 75M 0/ July an attack on the enemy was planned by the generals in command on the James Island, but owing to the