The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-22

u4Snt ana mourning TNe guns. On tile iell
of the GrahamViiie road the One Hundred
and Twenty-seventh New York drove the
enemy and got within 300 yards of their
works."
Thus from the most reliable sources
have told how the two opposing forces
stand at II O'clock a. m. The enemy came
en- masse around the bend of the read, not
in charging order. but with arms right
shoulder shift" apparently unaware of
any force of consequence in their front. At
the command fire" given by Capt. Stuart,
there was one simultaneous roar of cannon
and musketry and all was over for the
time.
After considerable delay we could hear
the orders distinctly as the uniCn troops
were changing front and being prepared
for making an assault. The first charge
was led by an officer on horseback, who
was heard to say as he turned the bend of
the road, Come on, men, they are only
troops, and came on in solid column, keep
ing in good order as if on parade. Our
guns opened on them as before, and when
the smoke cleared up we could see only
mass of dead lying before us. The gal
liant young officer who led the assault
was lying by his horse wi h the top of his
head shot completely away.
The enemy's artillery by this time had
taken position in the road marked in the
rough map l have made as plantation
road" and their shot and shells went
high over our heads, taking off the tops of
pines and falling even as far away as the
village of Grahamville. From the loud
and excited manner in which the orders
were now given by the federalS, as heard
in the intervals between the commanding,
| and the length of time that transpired be-
fore the second assaulting column came in
sight, we concluded that they found more
| than ordinary difficulty in organizing it.
The dense swamp to our right in front
and the half-cleared bog extending some
distance in our left front was now swarm
ing with sharpshooters, who kept up
| pattering of small arms, to which our
rifemen replied.
At length the second assaulting column
appeared but they did not seem 10 me to
have any of the confidence that the first
displayed. They were dissolved and dis
appeared as the first had been by our
splendid artillery and infantry fire. Gen.
Smith, in his official report says, Il have
never seen pieces more skiifully employed
and calamity served upon a difficult field
of battle"
The writer was sent by the general just
after the second repulse to the depot with
orders to his adjutant general to have all
stragglers gathered up and sent to the
front without delay. On returning to the
battlefield found that the engagement had
became general along our whole front.
Gen. Smith says officially: IN an hour
the enemy had so extended and developed
their attack that it became absolutely
| necessary for me to place in the front
line of battle my last troops (the Forty
| seventh Georgia., making in all 1400 eff
fective muskets on the field, and all en-
gagged.
l was by Gen Smiths side when Col.
Colcock rode up and told the general that
the enemy were becoming quite agrees
i've just to the left of the main work
| they had concentrated in a cane thicket
with the apparent intention of charging
the gap between the earthworks and that
| he had two regular Georgia regiments
| that he would order to drive them out.
| By this time we all felt confident that
| the battle was won, so Gen. Smith re-
piled that he thought we We're doing very
well, but if the colonel thought it best TO
| do as he had suggested, to go ahead. The
! charge was made and the enemy driven
| out temporarily but nearly the whole
| loss of life and wounds received by our
| men occurred during that charge, it how
ever, stopped any further attempt to as
| sauit at that point.
Until night the battle continued, the
firing gradually Stacking off on the part
| of the enemy, evening closed in. We
| remained in position till morning, when
! the federals were found to have retreat
| ed back to their boats.
Col. c. c. Jones, a distinguished Geor-
|
| and &c., says of the battle of Honey Hill.
! The engagement commenced about 10
| O'Clock a. m. and from that time till
/ nearly dark the enemy made continuous
! but fruitess efforts to carry the confed-
| crate position. The confederates brought
! into action five pieces of field artillery as
! follows; A section of Beaufort Artillery;
| a section of De Pass Light Battery; a
! section of Lafayette Artillery, and one gun
Kanapaux's Light Battery"
| He gives our infantry force as follows:
"First brigade, Georgia militia, Col.
| Willis; State line brigade, Col. Wilson;
! Seventeenth Georgia Regiment,
Lieut. Col. Edwards: Thirty Geor-
/ gia Regiment, Lieut.. Col Bacon; Athens
battalion, Maj. Cook, and Augusta bat
! talon, Mai. Jackson" In all he says,
| q. 400 effective muskets."
have never seen an official report from
! Col. Colcock of this engagement, but have
| had long talks with him. the last only
! short time previous to his death. Many
/ errors in the reports have seen would be
| corrected If such report We're published.
| Gen. Smiths report was not fun enough,
! he only spent one day with us and the re-
! turns of the fight were not made till the
! day after Col Jones was chief of artI-
/ lery at headquarters in Savannah. His
/ list of the forces engaged on the side of
! the confederate and enumeration of the
| regiments and battalions every one who
/ remembers anything at all OF the battle,
| know TO be incorrect. Capt De Pass bat
! terry was not there, but Capt. Earles was.
! Kanapauxs battery and Lafayette Artil-
| lery are the same
| Mai. John jenkins and his small force
1 of cavalry were posted along the line TO
! the Coosawhatchie road and were every
where vigilant and eager to encounter the
1 enemy, but the nature of the ground did
/ not permit of cavalry manOuvers. Col.
Jones says our cavalry consisted OF COM
! panies y and r, and detachments from
/ Company c, and Rebel troop, all Of Third
/ South Carolina cavalry"
4. T.. Besselieu,
Savannah Ca.