Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 16.djvu/184

178 Mrs. Lucas gave an entertainment in Lawton's House, at Fort Pemberton (which the Major commanded), of the most recherche kind. The band of the regiment, under Muller, furnished the music. A good many ladies from Charleston ably sustained Mrs. Lucas. I have never been a society editor of a newspaper, or I might be able to do justice in a description of the scene. A brilliant assemblage of brave men and fair women filled the Major's parlors. [The names of the ladies present and a description of their dresses would no doubt interest their daughters, who are now the leaders of fashionable society in Charleston, and would be an interesting reminiscence of the war, but unfortunately I am unable to give either.]

The enemy were not at this time on James Island, but were occupying Taylor's, Battery and Cole's Islands. The narrow creek, which separates Taylor's from James Island, constituted the line between our forces and theirs. Our pickets were made up of details from different commands, and a field-officer of the day was charged with the supervision of the fort.

April 15th.—Had charge of the picket line. The details to-day consisted of a part of the Second regiment South Carolina volunteer artillery. A gunboat went up the Stono, a little above Battery Island, and opened an enfilading fire of time-fuse shells on my line. At the same time a brisk fire was opened with rockets from Taylor's Island. Two sizes were used, and for about a half hour the firing was very rapid. I am inclined to think that on this occasion they were trying experiments with some new kinds of rockets. The larger ones would have weighed about forty or fifty pounds, and were about two feet long. The smaller were about half the size. It was rather interesting, but not so comfortable, to see an illustration of the "fable of the boys and the frogs," we being in the place of the frogs. However, we did not need to make the complaint which the frogs did, for none of us were hurt. I think the experiment was not satisfactory, as no more rockets were fired at our troops while the regiment remained at James Island. Very few of them exploded. They went in all sorts of zigzag and curvelinear directions and, failing to explode, fell harmless. I got one or two of each size and sent them to headquarters in the city.

April 16th to 30th.—In the spring of 1864, it became the purpose of the Confederate Government to transfer a large portion of the forces commanded by General Beauregard, and that General himself, to the Army of Northern Virginia. Towards the close of the last week in April, Hagood's brigade had orders to move. As soon as