Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1864-05-25
sou,b corolinians at port " althalI.

In the fight at Port Wslthall junction, three
and half miles from Petersburg, on Satur.
d.y the 7th, the South Caroiinians fought
with WIT taeir usual bravery. The Richmond
! Sentinel give the. following account Of the
| fight:
Friday night closed in upon the opposing
forces, after several. hours Of Sharp skrrnish
ing. Saturday morning, at sunrise, found the
two armies drawn up in line OF, battle, about
halfe mile apart and in full view Of each 9th
er. Our force occupied the railroad to the
right.and left of. .Craig's residence, very near
TO the junction, and the Yankees occupied q
position in the adjacent field.
About eleven o'clocl; skirmishing eommenc.
ell, when the Snrry artillery, under Captain
Hawkins, advanced several hundred yards in
front and opened on the enemy with shell.
This brought on sharp fire between the in
fantry On our left and the advance of the en-
emys right. But in thirty minutes the firing
oil both sides ceased, except here and there q
wild shot from the enemy's artillery.
Our forces now made the railroad their line
of battle, and about halEpast two o'clock tie
enemy opened on them with thir artillery in
front, and at the same time endeavored to
turn our left. They finally succeeded, by
overwhelming numbers, in reaching the rail
road, but General Hagood, with three South
Carol ina regiments (the Twenty-Grst, Twen-
ty fifth and Twenty ,seventh,) advanced and
drove the enemy back to their line in great
confusion.
The fighting continued until about four
o'clock. .and was for the greater portion OF
the time very severe, eour brave and gallant
m"n driving everything before them.
Our troops were confronted by greatly su-
perior numbers, but they held their ground
maniuly Their number engaged was twelve
or fifteen thousand. The enemy advanced in
overw helming numbers. estimated at one di.
vision and Two briga1es, upon that portion of
cur line held by General llagood's brigade.
They were in such numbers as to overlap our
line, which enabled them 10 hauk and turn
our extreme lett. This forced General Ha-
good to change his front, (which he did sue
ccssluliy, but the movement recessitatcd the
exposure of our officers and men, and caused
the heavy loss which we sustained. The en-
emy, however, .were soon driven back, when
the brave South Caroiinians re- occupied their
original line, and held it successfully against
two mere assaults Of The enemy.
Brigadier- General Bushrod johnson was
the senior Erigsdier in command, and is said
to have behaved with much coolnrsS. Lieu
tenant General D. II. Hill was also on the
ground.
1t is mentioned as somewhat singular
coincidence, that the troops oSgaged on the
part Of the enemy in this fight were the SAME
troops that the brave South Carolinians had
fought so long on Morris and James lilands,
al Charleston.
Our loss in the fight of Friday and Satur-
day, particularly lin that of Saturday, was
very severe proving conciusivcly that our
men fought with ;he:utmost desperation. The
loss of officers is very large. In General lla-
goods brigade, -four out q! seven field officers
engaged in the fight were killed. Among
those killed and wounded VIC learn Of the fol-
lowing Lieutenant Colsno efarean, Of the
2lst South Carolina Volunteers, killed ilf The
engagement Of Saturday: Colonel John G..
Presley. severely wounded in Left shoulder;
Colonc! Graham, 5f tie Dist South Carolina,
was wounded in TWO places, not severely:
Captain William r. Stoney. Of General l'a-
saod's staff, supposed TO &c ,nortsliy wonnd-
ed; Lieutenant Cclonetof The '2ist South Car
olim. (name iorgotten:l was s,:y, rely wounded
in the Lead.