Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 26.djvu/92

 82 Southern Historical Society Papers.

General Smith brought to the field the following Georgia infantry, mostly skeleton commands of reserve militia, and numbering possi- bly 1,100 or 1,200 men for duty: Portion of ist brigade, Georgia militia, Colonel Willis; portion of State Line brigade, Colonel Wil- son; the Athens battalion, Major Cook; the Augusta battalion. Major George T. Jackson.

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From Charleston the 4yth Georgia (veteran soldiers) arrived, and as a fair example of Confederate management and handling of troops, I let the gallant adjutant explain in his own words only remarking that the news of the enemy's landing at Boyd's was known at head- quarters in Charleston at 10 o'clock A. M., and the brave "47th Georgia" (then on James Island, almost in sight of headquarters) was not ordered to move until 5 P. M. seven hours' lost time in a great emergency!

"The order to march to railroad station in St. Andrew's came very late in the evening; the march was not begun until dark; I do not recall the distance, but we did not reach the station until 9 o'clock P. M. ; there was some delay there, as it was 'ration day,' and our wagons had been sent to commissary department for supplies; we had been assured starting that rations would be issued to us at sta- tion; after waiting until midnight, we left, hungry and without rations. The train arrived at Grahamville very early in the morning, just after daylight; here we waited fully two hours, without instruc- tions of any kijid whatever in what direction to march. We finally started, passing through Grahamville to the breastworks at Honey Hill. The men marched slowly, sullenly, for everyone was hungry, exhausted from loss of sleep, and vexed at their bad treatment no rations yet! Not until the firing in our front became rapid and sharp was there any manifestation of the old esprit du corps. At Honey Hill we had for duty 300 to 350 men out of 1,000 we carried into Confederate service three years and a half before. Field and staff present: A. C. Edwards, colonel; Joseph S. Cone, lieutenant-colonel; Joseph C. Thompson, major; B. S. Williams, adjutant. Having no record, I cannot say from memory if any others of the staff officers were present. It is impossible to recollect the roster of company officers present that day."

The appearance of the Federal gunboats at Boyd's Landing on November 29, A. M., 1864, was as genuine a surprise as ever hap- pened. The 3rd military district had been depleted of soldiers, to meet the urgent needs elsewhere, and behind the thin line of pickets