The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1864-12-20
sHERMAN's DESTINATION
.aalf 1r3 KNOWN. isDQH' btA
General Fosters Operations.

The Port Royal correspondent ofthe
I New York Times, writing December 8
gives the following account of Gen
Fosters late battle, which the rebel.
have been claiming as a great victory
+ The Engineer having now ascertain.
ed thc-right road to Grahamsville, the
column was once more put in motion
and at nine o'clock was fairly rndel
way. The road led for miles through a
thick swamp, through which onr flank
ers and our skirmish line had the great.
est difficulty in penetrating. Owing to
this very trouble, and as it was of course
necessary to have the skirmishers pre-
eede the main body, our advance was
slow. The road was little more than a
causeway through swamp, and was
so narrow that our regiments were com
PEELED to march by the flank, and keep
well closed up that no time might be
lost. This arrangement, which, owing
to the nature of the ground, could not
be bettered, gave our enemies almost
perfect control of, or power over our
men. W We were marching in solid col
umns along harrow road from which
we could not escape on either flank
without the greatest difficulty-the road
stretched away in front of Us, as straight
as a line and rs level as a table, and the
universal comment Of the officers on the
position, was q sort of Wondering as
tonishmcnt that the rebs did not plant
a battery m the road and shell the adj
vancing column 1t certainly appeared
that even asinglc gun, properly served,
could cut our line to pieces in, a very
few minutes. Col, w. Ames, our Chief
Of Artillery, was lost in militarywonder
at the failure of the foe to take instant
advantage of a position, and Of a set of
circumstances, which, to his trained eve,
seemed to promise for them an almost
certain success, and for us a disaster
that would have been irretrievable.
And they at last walked up to the state
of facts; and behold the long expect
ed light battery made its appearance
in the road, and began to pay its iron
compliments to Our advancing column,
in the unwelcome shape of Kotchkiss'
shell and l2-pounder round shot. They
filled, however, to get the exa,t range,
aud the men were constantly advanc-
ing, but few were hurt. q.
Gen. Porterimmediately ordered for
ward d section ofthe Sd New York Ar
tillery, and in 4 few minutes Col. Ames
had two'o his I2-ponhder brass guns
pitching shell into the battery. About
30 minutes sufficed to silence the two
rebel guns, and they were withdrawn
and our troops marched on for mile
OF SO unmolested.n vnEollot 9dl t'-s
,Snddenlysthe' head Of an advancing
column was saluted with another lin
stallmcnt Of shell and Il 2-pomder round
shot, When the line was ordered for
ward at once, and, in q very few min.
tltes the entire fronto of the column was
closely engaged 1t Gvas discovered
that the enemy had an enclosed fort
mounting four heavy guns, (which COM
pletely commaded the road up which
our men had marched, and also the
read which it would be pecessary for
them, TO take to reach Grahamville
They had also on tho outside of their
forta line q. riaes pits, from which they
poured in upon us heavy fire. while
in the woods Oh our rightthey also had
infantry posted, soithat rs our men ad-
vanced they were Iret by q contentra-
ted fro of musketry from the rifle pits
and the lower front of the-for and the
woods, while from the parapet OfSthe
fort they were bpipp mowod 1doxvn bv