Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 39.djvu/138

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afterwards found out, they planted a battery. From that point they came on down our line driving our slender force before them until they got to the fort on our left, which they cap- tured. It was only a few hundred yards from us and we could see them there moving about in the moonlight. Why they did not come right on and take us, too, we could never understand. It was one of those curious blunders which happened so often on both sides during the war.

the retreat.

It was with their dusky outlines in full view, on the fort above us, that we made our preparations to leave and did leave. And now, as to that leaving: Not one of the readers of this article has less notion of what we were going to do, or where we were going than did we, the rank and file, as we received the whispered orders to prepare silently for departure. We were completely bewildered. "Escape ! How escape ?" We were completely cut off, surrounded ; nay, the enemy were in our works, in sight of us. Yet Y^e did escape, and that, too. with scarcely the loss of a man. It was a brilliant moonlight night. About lo o'cIock, after spiking our guns, we left our works and made directly for the beach. Did the enemy see us? They ought to have seen us. Why they did not I cannot tell. We got to the bluff" overlooking the bay.

IN A MYSTERIOUS RAVINE.

What next? Behold, the head of the column seemed to melt gradually into the earth, and as we moved up to supply their place we understood their disappearance. The face of the bluff' was precipitous, and creased with great fissures or ravines open- ing out upon the water. The head of our column had disap- peared down one of these ! Down we followed, pell mell, right down the almost perpendicular sides of the gorge, clinging to vines, saplings, the sides of the rocks ; any way to keep our hold, until we reached the bottom, fifty feet or so below. And there, to our amazement, we found the beginning of a treadway.