Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-29

depot Of supplies at White House land.
Ing. on the pamunkey river. only four
miles from The track of The raiders.
was not touched
There were only COO soldiers guard.
Ing the stores. half rs many us rode
with Stuart. Had be destroyed the
depot the siege against Richmond
would have come to disaster. Rations
for McClellan's army for weeks ahead
were piled up at the White House at
the mercy of the raiders' torch. But
Stuart knew that his enemies were
alert and that he must not bring on a
battle. so he gllloped OF into unoccu--
pied country toward the Jnmes. max
ing complete circuit of the Federal
position.
A Battle Against Orders.
Throughout the war there was a
strong desire in the north to capture
or punish the city OF Charleston. which
wds looked upon as the cradle Of the
Confederacy. and also to close its har-l
Dor to blockade runners The lowlands
on James island that stretch out ten or
twelve miles south Of the harbor are
cut by many winding rivers and In
lets and broken frequently by swamps.,
| At q point little more than four
miles south of the city lay the little
village or SecessionvIlle. which was
used as a summer resort by few
planters. 1t stood on elevated ground
and bordered on a deep creek on
the one side and a shallow one on!
the other. Across the neck OF land be-
tween the two. on June 10. 1862. stood
a newly built earthwork about 200
yards long. Enowp as Battery Lamar,
/ after Its commander, Colonel Il. G..
Lamar. There were similar works ut
other points In the region between Sc
cessionyille and the southern shore OF
the harbor.
On the shore stood old Fort johnson
It was on q point opposite Fort Sumter
and in range of the channel This
work General David Hunter. who COM
manded the Federal department Of the
south. planned to attack early in June.
/ He had landed troops two miles south
Of SecessionyilIe for this purpose. In ex
pectation of receiving additional troops
he left Secessionville on June II to re-
turn to his headquarters at Port Royal
after giving orders that Fort Johnson
should not he attacked until the prom
ised REINFORCE ments came up.
Desperate Night Attack.
General 81. W. Benham commanded
the troops at SecessionvIlle. having
for subordinates. General Fl. G. Wright.
General ]. J. Stevens and Colonel Will
liams. Benhanl called a council of war
the night of June ID and gave orders
that Stevens division should attack
Battery Lamar at daylight the 18th.
Wright, Stevens and Williams protest
ed, but Benham was firm, and at 4ia.
NJ Stevens men pushed forward. cap
tured the Confederate picket and APP
preached the Confederate works
through an open field. But the enemy
We're not surprised. and heavy fire
| OF musketry and artillery was open
ed upon them almost from the first.
1t was found that the front of 200
/ yards presented by the works was too
1 narrow for the proper deployment OF
mach more than Il regiment. and the
ASSISTANTS suffered accordingly There
| Yves alsoa line of abatis to be broken
through. and a deep ditch. and yet
portion of the assaulting forces actu-s
/ ally reached the parilpet. The Eighth
i Michigan. WHICH was in the advance.
lost l82 men out of 53t. including
twelve of Its twenty two officers.
Colonel William u. Fenton. who
commanded this regiment. stated in
his report: .''rhe order not TO fire. but
use the bayonet. was obeyed. and the
i advance companies reached the para
pet of works at the angle on our right
| and front. engaging the enemy at the
point of the buyonet During our adj
vance the enemy opened upon. our lines
an exceedingly destructive fire OF
grape. canister and milsketry, and yet
the regiment pushed on as veterans.
1 divided only TO the right and left by a
sweeping torrent from the .enemy's
4 Bun III 4C sCuCuit fAiiC
proved so CALLING and destructive that
our men on the parapet were Obliged
to retire under It's cover The field was
furrowed ACROSS with rotton ridges,
/ and many of the men lay there. load
| in. and firing as deliberately as though
/ on their hunting grounds at home"
Even had they been able to carry the
work they could not have held it long.
| for its whole interior WAS commanded
! by elaborate rife pits in the rear. Be
sides. the Cpnfe,lerates were promptly
REINFORCED When 1t hecaIne evident
that no success was I,nSsil.e General
Stevens withdrew his command to his
original camp The Federal loss in
this action WAS t;S3 men out of about
$500 actually engaged The Confed,
crates. WHO We're commanded by tien
eral 81 G.. Evans. lost ;lbont :.D0 i'm all
The ConfPde:atcs believed that Ben
/ hafn might have succeeded had his