The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-01-18


regiments, In anticipation of receiving
Gne order. No one Of us can claim for
nimselt the honor of its arrangement.
Inc order of Gen. BeauIegard did not
Tx the details, and our plans were not
changed. In the event of our failure
to receive the order to evacuate, as we
could not successfully resist an assault,
as we resolved to make a sortie, and
throw our command upon the enemy
In their last parallel. We were resolved
to sell our lives as dearly as possible,
and l have no dOabt that our assault OF
the enemy would have been avery hon |
orabie death struggle.
Ia accordance with our plan Of eva
cuation the honor OF covering the re. |
treat fell to tho 25th 5. G. V. With a
part of that regiment | was to cover |
the retreat Of al the troops from the |
fort, except small lctail under Capt. |
lIuguenin, who were to be left to blow |
up the magazines and fire the last gun.
Ga the approach of night the Wee Nee |
Volunteers and Beauregard Light In
fantrY were ordered to march in from
the sand Hills. This, no doubt, Great
td the Impression on the enemy that
fresh troops were coming in to relieve
III" worn out garrison. At dusk Capt.
Crawford, with the 28th Georgia,
HAJEed out of the fort. This regiment
took with 1T a 12-pounder howitzer, to
'a used, If occasion required, by the
2,th q eOrgla in covering the embarka.
ton ct the troops at Cummings Point.
thS duty, at tl.n request of Major
Gtr!;lcr, had been assigned to the 9th.
\ UTrah' work had been hastily thrown
lCrUSS the island not far above Battery
! Gregg, where a stand was to be made
! III the event of the enemy'S OverWhelm-
ing my command, and following the re-.
| trratlng column. Oar guns had been
silent for thirty six hours. 1t had be.
come impossible az | have already
SAID, to use tie few guns which had not
! been diSInOunted by tho enemy's fire.
| Now, however, liie was reOpened from
the Cnly muroar which we had fit for
u.s.. The only other one in the fort
was an old Revolutionary piece, which
Recognized aS having seen at the Cit
tlcl when was cadet. 1t had been
spiked by the breaking Of the priming
wire, and had been useless for several
days. Onr firing Of this piece was at
irregular intervals. Besides this NOR
Tar one gun was also used. AS soon a5
the 18th Georgia left, that portion of
the wall occupied by them was covered
by the Clarendon Guards, Company ~
Under the command of Capt. Joseph g.
kcsp up Il steady tire, not so rapid as to
create the impression that We were do.
ing II tor effect, nor yet 50 slow aS to
induce the belief that the garrison had
been weakened. We were anxious to
make the enemy believe that this now
life was occasioned by fresh arrivals.
lhe fire OF the enemy was kept up
brlskly, and their shells were falling all
around. AS soon us had information
thGt the 18th Georgia had embarked,
and that the boats we're ready for an
othec detachment, sent Off Compan-
les II, ID, T., G and ii. They, like the
GeorgIans, took with them a l2-pound-
er howltZer. We tried to conceal the
TACT from our own men that we were
evacuatlng the fort, and did all that
we could to cause them to believe that
freSh troops were near to take their
places IN the garrison. Great circum-
SpeCtlon and caution was required
The enemy were In our ditch aud not
more than fifty feet from us. I have
recently had conversation with Capt.
Rerny, of the cruiser Charleston, who
told lue that he was with the troops in
our 1ltch) n panic among our men
would have been at once fatal to the
whole movement. No troops could
have behaved better than the garrison
at Fort Wagner.
The st. Matthew's Rifles, Company
+, CAPT. Martin III. Sellers, were posted
behind the flank wall on the outside of
the fort. While the events just rar-
rated were transpiring inside Of the
tort, First Sergt. Carson, Of Company
+, one OF the best nOn-commissioned
officers in the service, was killed. Had
he been spared he would certainly have
attained Il position better suited to his
ability. His comrades, with their bay
onetS, dug grave IN the sand behind
the flank wall and buried him there.
The booming of the enemys guns and
bursting of shells were his funeral sa.
lutte. Truly he was buried with the
honOrS of war.
n courier arrived from Cummings
Point with the information that the
last detachment sent off had embarked.
next sent OIL companies IS, a and *.
COL keitt and his staff left about this
time. l had now with me inside the
fort Company |; Company II was still
holding its position behind the outside
wall. Our suspense was very great.
Every slack in the enemy's fire caused
our hopes of escape to sink: The next
shot was welcomed as the harbinger
OF success. We knew then that our
movements were not discovered. Com
pany had been filling all the posts
made vacant by the withdrawal of the
others. Both companies + and / be-
haved with great bravery and coolness
They now knew that they were cover
ing retreat. and that if pursued they
must be overwhelmed by superior
lumberS. Napoleon's old guard never
acquitted themselves with greater
;redlt.
a messenger at length came with the |
Intelligence that the last detachment !!
ent was off and the boats again ready.
led out Company in perfect order |
md was joined at the saIlyport by Capt
sellers with company +. Lieut. T.. B
}rown and ten men of Company | were
,etaiied to report to Capt. Huguenin.
hat officer with this detail, and few
lore men of other commands, had been
rdered by Col keitt to light a slow
latch communicating with the magaz.
We, in which was quantity of powder
hs match was so timed that the mag
zine would be blown up after the last
'oOps had lett the fort. The journey
} CUMMINGS Point waq q nuriloua |