Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/65

 Diary of Lieutenant-Colonel John G. Pressley. 59

Galway, our bugler, was kept by my side, and sounded the signals. The regiment had been drilled to skirmish by the sound of the bugle. We encountered the enemy on the edge of the marsh below the River's House. They were promptly driven across, our skirmish line following through the mud and water of the marsh. The re- serves crossed on the causeway, marching by the right flank. As soon as the high land was reached they were brought into line and kept up with the skirmishers till the end of the engagement. We were followed by two or three regiments of Georgians. The enemy made a stand at the edge of the marsh after crossing. It was not yet light enough to see them in the tall grass and bushes with which the field was covered. Their whereabouts was ascertained by the flashes of their guns along their line. Neither our skirmish line nor reserves halted. The enemy fled before we reached them, and made another stand two or three hundred yards further down. They were driven from this position as easily as from the first. We then discovered that we were fighting colored troops. Some dead were found and prison- ers taken. The Marion Artillery, Captain Parker, came up on our left flank and opened fire, doing effective service. It was now fully daylight. We continued to press forward, the firing becoming rather desultory, till we came in sight of Legare's lower house. Just below the house we found the enemy's camp and about a brigade of infantry in line, with a battery of artillery on their right. This battery gave their exclusive attention to the Marions. Captain Parker gallantly returned the compliment. As soon as we commenced the movement at River's the fleet of gunboats lying in the Stono river opened their batteries, but the Twenty-fifth kept so near the enemy that their guns could not be aimed at us without endangering their own troops. The consequence was that all the damage done by the artillery of the fleet fell to the share of the Georgians and our litter corps in our rear.

About the time that the Twenty-fifth marched out of the Seces- sionville sally-port General Hagood, in command of one or two light batteries of artillery and two or three regiments of infantry, started to attack the enemy's gunboats in the river and their infantry encamped at Grimballs. He was entirely successful, routing their infantry and driving the gunboats down the river towards Battery Island.

After emerging from the bushes, young pines, and tall grass that covered that portion of the island above Legare's plantation house and driving the enemy down to their camp below " Legare's overseer's house," my attention was called to a body of troops coming from to-