The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1862-06-20
The Attack On Charleston.

The Charleston Mercury of May 81, has
the following report of the naval operations
in Stono Inlet, of which our dispatches
have given information. The last para.
graph does not place the "loyal Africans"
in as favorable light as some of their par
ticuar friends would have US believe they
are accustomed to stand
During the afternoon of Tuesday cour-
ier from Battery Island brought the news
that the enemy was making demonstration
ir that neighborhood. In the afternoon the
steamer Marion, Captain Flynn, reached the
city from Stono River, bringing the details
of the movements of the Yankee gunboats in
that stream.
Itappears that the gunboats, four in mum.
ber, and all being small schooner rugged,
having sounded and buoyed out Stono In
let, crossed the bar about ten o'clock Tues
day morning. One of them, while passing
IN, got aground, and remained so; the three
others succeeded in entering the harbor, and
Immediately opened a vigorous fire of shell
upon Coles Island. Previously to the ap I.
pearance of the gunboats our defensive
works on Coles Island had. by order of
General PembertOn, been dismantled and
the guns removed. When the enemy had
opened the attack, Colonel Capers, the com.
mander of the post, carrying out bis in-
structions, burned the barracks, cut down
the flag staff, and with bis forces, evacuated
the island.
The enemy's gunboats, finding that our
men had retreated, steamed slowly up the
river, keeping up rapid fire of random
shells on either side as they advanced, and
finally anchored near Battery Island and
Legareville. Upon the approach OF the
gunboats our positions on Battery Island
were also evacuated and the quarters
burned.
The Charleston Courier of the same date
says:
The vessels which approached the en-
trance were four in number, one of which
got ashore on the bar, and three came into
the harbor at Stono, all of them being small
vessels, steam propellers and schooner rig
ged. They Immediately commenced she'll
ing Coles Island, Goat and Kiawah Islands
and, as our heavy guns at those points had
been removed by order of General Pember.
ton, the troops which were stationed there
Immediately evacuated the place, burning
the barracks and other property before leav
ing. The Lincoln war vessels Immediately
continued up Stono river, firing all the way
and finally laid to at point near Battery
Island and Legareville. The position at
Battery Island was also given up on the ap-
proach of the enemy, and the quarters
burned. 1t is said by those who witnessed
it, that person On johns Island hoisted
white flag on the approach OF the enemy's
gunboats.
Lieutenant Stevens, IN command of de-
tachment on board the steamers Marion and
General Clinch, very kindly offered this in d.
dlvidual any assistance necessary ior the
removal of bis negroes and valuabjes; bat
be resoutely declined, saying that he would
claim protection elsewhere, and immediate,
Iy'afterwards raised the white flag. The
gunboa!s answered by also raising white
flag fore and aft, and came up to his as
sstance. We reserve comment until we
are enabled to obtain something more au.
thentic. In strong contrast with that pro-
ceeding was the act of two faithful negroes,
who, when the boats were approaching
Legareville, gathered some combustible ma.
terial and set fire to the wharf to prevent
the enemy from landing.