The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-11

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lost their way and had not vet raw" ~.
On the road marked ID, leading To wha,, m
skull Greer. about onsf .ur' of a miie = nm
Klp'ey and staH Salnting him, i Iinouirss :.
he visited the island to Sssume com mand ana
whether he wished to 20 back with m. in,o
the fortf He said NO, bat that he would rs.
turn to CoOsawhatchie 10 collect An bril- =
back two or three regiments to nv supper
We then moved from under the fre OF the
ships to the shelter Of some myr Ties, where we
could not be seen.
then stated to him the Incidents of the
day was going against u and that 1 was
then collecting my forces for any emergency
that might art'e, and II compel ed to defend
the leland, 1t should be retained to the last
extremity. We then parted, he taking the
road towards the ferry, and ! In pur, nit OF
the purposes which brought me- ont Of the
lbrt.
0n reaching my reserves. at Hosri tai No
2, learned that the enemy had ceased max
ing soundlngs, and hid gone back to sea
whereupon, dispatched Capt. Read to order
Capt. Berry to return from the beach.
Two O'Clock had now arrived, when no.
they ad bravely defended for four and ..
half hours, against fearful odds, anu then
only retiring when all but three OF the guns
in the water front h d bes disa bled, and
magszne-commencing the action Nt,h two
hundred and twenty men inaide tkA1Art. af-
tsrwards In creased to two hundred and nf
ty five, by the accession from Reads battery.
These heroic men retired slowly and sadly
from their well fought guns. which, to have
defended longer, would have exhibited ,he
energy Of despair rather than tho manly
pluck Of the true soldier.
The defence OF this post involved a two.
fold preparation:
FRS, to repel the attack from the fleet +;
and second, an assault by the beach from ths
troops upon the transports.
By the beach Wa had to provide against al
attack from the north, uLder cover Of tie
luH south OF Fish Hall creek tmarked OIL
map E.,) aud from the south tS,) py the
peach. under cover OF the woods between, q
and Sd where picket Of 8 In IN were posteo
under Capt. Paul ii. Seabruuk; and lastly
oy the road marked (Kl leading from tn.
beach to the I'd hospital. I guard agalns
surprise, either by Fish Hall creek or BY
the beach at u and 81 when was returning
to the fort with a por ton Of Capt. head
company, at the same time led up Col
DeSaussure's regiment to the hollo " mark
ed p west of the wood, and directed them TO
lie down They were perfectly masked from
The fire of the fort huL nos from that of tn
heet, for the watchmen at the mast he ads
gave notice Of their posi- ition, com peliing Col
DeSaussure after short time to fall back
under heavy fire to less dangerous local
ity.
Had the entrenched camp, with store
houses and magasines. been made in time,
several lives and large quantities of pubic
property might have been saved. But 1t wac
Impossible to have made this within the
short time and with the diminutive force at
my disposal for Gu my arrival at heatQuar-
ters in Beaufort. ON the night OF the 7Lh OF
October, the number OF troops a. camp Wal
ker were but three hundred and sixtj Two,
afterwards increased Oh the Gath TO sis hun
dred and twenty two, by the accession OF
four companies under Major Jones, Of 18th
regiment South Carolina volunteers. Tc
this rnay Re added the En- gineer force Of some
sixty men, who, with the soldiers, worked
necessarily day and night AZ Tor evidence
Of what they accomplished, the eight inch
cOlum bad, on the water 'front.' was only
NOM ted on the first of November. one eikh hi
inch howl zer in the salient of the south bas.
ton, mounted On the 4th one thtrty-tWo
FOUNDER on the right flank of the bastiop
mounted on the 9th, one eight.inch hoWitzs,
mounted on ship carriage +; embrazure Gu.
through parapet OF demiiune on the nigh
OF the sth covered way and hot shot furnace
for forty two pounders; constructed Of earth
and dry masOnry-on the morning of the 6tt
together with wnos OF moss and hay fol
same, splinter proof, occupying only one
half terreplefn behind the principal ira
verse-which was hnished on the morning o
the engagement, 9th instantly the materia
not having arrived before the 4th instant.
The retreat was commenced about thre,
p. M, towards Ferry Point. about six m le
off, Col DeSau assure s regiment and Ca"t. J
Read company of artillery bringing m m,
rear. At 30 A. M, by the aid Of Commo
dors Iatnall's fleet, the steamers st. John,
and Edisto and three large flats, capable O
holding one hundred and fifty men each, tn
troops were all safely embarked, withou
provisions no ANN munition but what wa
contained IL the cartridge boxes (ihe 100 Co
cartridges had made equisi ion for. an,
been anxiously expecting, rot havi z reach
ed us till after the battIe) Fearing nat ou
retreat would be cutoff by the enemy's gun
| boats at Skull creek, no other aiterna,iv
was left but to leave the island and concau
tr ate upon the mainland, where we woui
be enabled TO fight the enemy on more euua
terms, should ne venture beyond the pre- tee
ton of his fleet and attack us there
The musketS captured by the enemy Wit,
the exception Of some ten or fifteen were thoe
left In the fort, shattered by shot and she'll
leave or to those engaged in heating hot. sho
furnaces two days before the ight-and som
boxes of arms which had been left on tn,
wharf the night before the battle, belon gin
to the sick men OF Colonel DeSaussurs's re
inent. who had been left behind at LIgh
wood Knot. Thase could have been saved
with box Of swords, II the ca ptains of IN
steamers Edisto and ST johns had NOT re
fused to take them on board when directed I,
do 90.
To Captain Tatnall, Flag Onfcer OF tn
Confederate States Navy, and the officer
and men of his little n nest, cannot too h ehI,
express my admiration of their intrepi t,
and har0ihood in attacking the epem )
gun boats, on the 18th and 9TH instant. The
encounters, by in.syrupting their soupdiny y
and the location Of their bnoys, NO doubt pre-
vented our being attacked on Tuesday
ths 3h Instant, bo'sour rs,norcements reached 10
i m ust also acknowledge the assists nee ex
tended 10 us by the gallant Commodore witt
his boats on the night OF our retreat from tn
island.
PORT BEAUREaARD.
The attack upon this fort, though not q
| concentrated and heavy as that npon Wake,
/ 1ta
| (see accompanying sketch) was nine Tee ~
| guns, of which the following. viz
| One s-inch Rodman. bored to "a 4-poundel
l and riflad,
Two AZ Founders,
One s-inch cOlumbind,
| Two a. Founders, reamed to inches. an,
Ore 80 pounder. IN hot shot battery,
Were the only guns capable Of being use
/ against the fleet
The force on Bay Point was six hurdre
| and forty men, commanded by Col X. u III
| Dunovant, IL h regiment s. e. volunteers.
/ Uf the above, one hundred and forty min
garrisoned Fort Beauregard, under the i'm
mediate command Of Captain Stephen Elliot
| A, sth regiment s. q. voiunte teers. The In
| faEtry force OF Col. Dunovants reRim ant wa
| entrusted With the protec ton of the saster
part ofthe Island, and Of the defence Of tn
| Eastion line of the Island Narrows. wheI
l an attack was expected from the enemy
knowing how small q force Capt Eliio,
had to command his batteries, ordered. 4
| scon IS reached Hilton Head ON the 5th AZ
stant, Caps Stua'ts company, (HamiIto
Qrards,) 9Th regiment South Carolina ,Iun
tsers. to march upon Fort Walker from Braf
docks Point, and take thence the steame
Edisto for Bay Point; but the failure {
Capt. SGssard, of the Edisto. to fulfill his al
pointment at the hour designated, prevent
me from supporting Capt Elliott as desired
But on Thursday morning, 7th inst, hay in
obtained the steamer Emma, dispatche
Capt. Stuart's company Ia her to Fort Beau
| fleet, howeye', to the attack on the batterie
cut OF and COM PEELED her. at the risk Of b,
ing in tercepted. to turn back and o. ek shelt I,
in Skull creek. On the shores Of which Oar
Stuarts company safely disembarked an
yoined me In the afternoon, And hsrs .S.i
| was exhibited another act Of heroism on n
part Of our veteran Commodore. who m "a,