Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/157

 The Wee Nee Volunteers of Williamabury District. 151

Our whole force on the island never, at any time, amounted to more than one-half of the land force of the enemy. If this large force had. on the 1 6th of June, been brought against our defences in two or three strong columns, their defeat would have been a matter of much greater difficulty than the victory which we achieved at Secessionville. Our lines were very long and the breastworks weak. To have de- fended their whole length would have so scattered our forces that it would have hardly been possible to resist the onslaught of such troops as we met. They were adversaries worthy of our steel. Their gal- lant impetuosity was not sufficient, however, to compensate for the mistake made by General Benham in hurling his best regiments against the strongest part of our works.

July loth, 1862. We commenced to-day to move our camp to a point on the plantation of Dr. Robert Lebby, Jr., not far from Wap- poo Cut. Left wing of the battalion, under my command, marched to the new camp.

July nth. Right wing, with Colonel Simonton, came to the new camp, which is named and designated as " Camp Connor." We were now relieved from duty on the picket line. Sentinels around our camp is the only guard kept by us.

July ijth. We had heard before this date that the Twenty-first regiment South Carolina volunteers, of which R. F. Graham was colonel, had eleven companies. I opened communication with the colonel, having first ascertained that the Clarendon Guards, Captain Y. N. Butler, were desirous of being transferred to our battalion. Colonel Graham, knowing that he would not be allowed to retain more than ten companies, readily consented to aid us in having the transfer made, preferring that the men should be indulged in their inclinations and that we be helped to complete our organi- zation. The colonel had been first lieutenant in Gregg's First regi- ment, and I had known him as an efficient officer in the Fort Sumter campaign. The order of transfer was made and we received it to-day. The Twenty-first regiment is stationed on Morris Island at this time.

From the i3th to the 22d of July nothing occurred to break the monotony of camp life, except the fearful increase of the sick-list. Its daily range was /rom seventy to one hundred. Numbers were every day sent up to the city hospitals. Nearly all of the sickness is fever of a malarious character and very malignant type. Many of the cases took on a typhoid condition and were protracted. One man of the Ripley Guards died in camp ; two from Marion Rifles