The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-09


assault. Saturday. the 9th Of October
was the day. Apparently Count d'Es-
taing had no doubt as to the result of
the venture.
The building. No. "A Broughton
street, east. which was Gen. Prevost's
headquarters, was doubtless the scene
of great activity the night before the
battle of the 9th of October. Staff Off
GERS and orderlies galloped from point
to point, carrying orders to those who
were to repel the assault in the morn
ing. The odds were against the Brit
ish, and they were well aware of it,
but to them it was a fight for King
and country against rebels and their
ancient enemies. the French.
Every eXpedient had been utilized in
defense of the town. War vessels had
been sunk in the river. the Rose" at
Garden Bank, opposite Rourkes foun-
dry. and others at Fig Island point.
Above the town opposite the Ocean
Steamship Company S fwharves, vessels
had been scuttled to keep the French
iieet from passing around Hutchinson's
Island, by way of Back river. The guns
Of these and other vessels had been
placed in the Is redoubts and Is bat
teries that constituted the defenses,
TO handle guns, were added to the de-
tenders of the town. Vessels not thus
utilized in obstructing the river were
anchored on the western flank of the
| line of defense. and did effective serv-
ice in enfilading the attacking forces
| in that direction.
The Notifications began at Fort Hal
| ifaX, where the gas house stands, and
extended in somewhat of a curve to the
cit . h. ~
| located a redoubt commanding the
roads to White Bluff and Ogeechee
| river which conVerged near the
| Guards Armory. on Bull and Charlton
| streets. From that point the lines ex-
| tended almost due west to the Spring
| Fill and Ebenezer redoubts. located
| near the junction of West Broad. and
| Liberty streets, and from following the
contour of the elevated ground on the
! western slope beyond the town to
| redoubt on the river
AS has been already stated, the point
selected for the attack was Spring Hill
and EbeneZer redoubts, and at mid
| night the French army, in three divi-
| sions, began marching from their camp
| through the intervening woods to the
left two divisions were to make the
| assault, then to form and advance
by platoons as soon as they arrived
| in front of the redoubt. The third
| division was to be held in re-
serve. The orders were if the
troops were repulsed in the attack,
they should rally near the old Hebrew
| Cemetery. This old burying grounds
which is still in existence is Just west
of the Union Passenger Depot. 1t was
in 1879 very far away from the town
Col. Isaac Huger, with 500 picked
an rxynC @n.6-
| stration at a. m. ON the British right
| so as to direct their attention from the
| real point of attack. He waded
| through the lowlands now known as
Lawton's field and reached his posi-
ton on time, but had to make a hasty
retreat. He was received with music
and cannon and musket balls, and re-
tired with loss of twenty-seven men.
The attack of the French from the
right or east on the Spring Hill ana
Ebenezer redoubts was led by Count
d'Estaing, and that from left or west,
| by the Americans under Gen.
Lincoln. The two armies reached the
ramparts together and planted their
standards upon them.
The American army was formed in
two divisions, one consisting of the
| Second South Carolina Regiment, and
the First Battalion of Charleston Mill
tia, under command of Lieut.. Col. John
| Laurens, he who afterwards received
the sword of CORVALLIS at Yorktown
| The other division consisted of the
First and Fifth South Carolina Regi-
| ments, and the Georgia Continentals.
| under the command of Gen. Lachlan
Mcintosh. No troops ever did better
than the assaulting columns of French
| and Americans; the battlefield. not
| in
the dead and wounded, attest their i'm
| petuosity and courage, and had it not
| been for the confusion created by
d'Estaing's fall, the valor of the as
sailants would doubtless have won the
battle.
The Second South Carolina Regiment
| led the asSaulting column and around
its standard fell Lieuts. Bush, Hume
and Gray, and Sergt. William Jasper.
| Count Pulaski, with his Legion.
charged through the lines as ordered.
but hearing that d'Estaing was wound
ed and his army retreating, he left
MS command with Col. Horny, and
| galloping in front of the retreating
French soldiers, succeeded in getting
| them to reform, and led them back to
the attack. 1t was in this heroic at
tempt to retrieve the fortunes of the
day that that gallant Pole was mortal
| ~ NNuHuSu, d SIildll BTdpe-SnOI pierre
ing his groin. He fell within
the enemy's works. but his Legion.
nearing of the loss of their beloved
chief, made a desperate charge and
| recovered his almost lifeless body and
bore 1t from the bloody field
The advance began after iaybreak
and the battle was over by 9
O'Clock. 1t is said that the
firing lasted not quite an hour.
! The French and American armies
numbered 1850 men, and their
loss in killed, wounded and prisoners
| in the assault was 1,133, the heaviest
being on the Augusta causeway, upon
which part Of the attacking forces re-
treated, and where they reformed I'M
| der heavy fire of cannon and mus
kerry. The British loss on the 9th was
40 killed, SO wounded 4 missing, and 40
deserters, a total of les.
A truce to bury the dead was agreed
| upon. The British buried theirs inside
| of the redoubt, and when a part of
| Spring Hill was cut away in 1887 to fill
in the land in and near the railroad
| property, number of relics were I'M
| earthed. When l was a boy Mr. Con-
merry gave me long, rusty blade and
the piece of a skull1with its long hair
made in que, on the end of which
was the mark of the ribbon with which
1t had been tied. Those mementoes of
that fatal day were lost like most boys
| lose their things.
who were killed or wounded on the 9Th
1E n ~. IL