©42 Nortao Carotina Troops, 1861-’65.

could not restrain the men from panic and retreat and with
small loss to ourselves we witnessed what had never been seen
before, a disorderly rout of American sailors and marines.

But it was a Pyrrhus victory. That magnificent charge
of the American navy upon the centre of our works, enabled
the army to effect a lodgment on our left with comparatively
small loss.

As our shouts of triumph went up at the retreat of the
naval forces, I turned to look at our left and saw to my
amazement several Federal battle flags upon our ramparts.
General Whiting saw them at the same moment, calling on
those around him to pull down those flags and drive the en-
emy from the works, rushed towards them followed by the
men on the parapets. It was in this charge that the fear-
less Lieutenant Williford was slain.

In order to make an immediate reconnoissance of the posi-
tion of the enemy, I went through the sally port and from
ontside the work witnessed a fierce hand to hand conflict for
the possession of the fourth gun chamber from the left bas-
tion. The men, led by the fearless Whiting, had driven the
standard bearer from the top of the traverse and the enemy
from the parapet in front. They had recovered one gun
chamber with great slaughter, and on the parapet and on the
long traverse of the next gun chamber the contestants pics
savagely firing into each others faces, and in some cases clu
bed their guns, being too close to load and fire. Whiting bs
quickly wounded by two shots and had to be carried to 63
hospital. I saw that my men were exposed, not only to -
fire from the front, but to a galling infantry fire from the le t
salient, which had been captured. I saw the enemy pouring
in by the river road apparently without resistance. :

Ordering Captain Adams, who was at the entrance oie
sally port, to turn his Napoleons on the column iyi. to
the fort, the gallant Major Mayo having already turne his
Columbiad upon them, I re-entered the work, and ae
the men, placed them behind every cover that could be sea
and poured at close range a deadlier fire into the flank of : e
enemy occupying the gun chambers and traverses than they
were able to deliver upon my men from the left salient.

THIRTY-SIxTH REGIMENT. 643

While thus engaged, I was informed by my aide, Captain
Blocker, that the South Carolinians had failed to obey my
order, although their officers pleaded with them, and only a
few had followed their flag and gone to the front; that the as-
saulting column had made two charges upon the extreme left
and had been repulsed; that the torpedo wires had been de-
stroyed by the fire of the fleet and the electrician had tried in
vain to execute my orders to explode the mines when the en-
emy had reached the foot of the work; that, driven from the
extreme left, the enemy had found a weak defense between the
left bastion and sally port in their third charge, and had
gained the parapet, and, capturing two gun chambers, had
attacked the force on the left on their flank, simultaneously
with a direct charge of another brigade, and that our men,
after great slaughter, had been compelled to surrender just as
we had repulsed the naval column; that to add to the discom-
fiture of the Confederates, as soon as the Federal battle flags
appeared on the ramparts, Battery Buchanan had opened
with its two heavy guns on the left of the work, killing and
wounding friend and foe alike. This was rather dishearten-
ing, but I felt if we could hold the enemy in check until dark,
I could drive them out, and I sent a telegram by him to Gen-
eral Bragg imploring him to attack, and that I could still save
the fort.

General Bragg in his official report does gross injustice to
the garrison when he says: “The army column preceded by
a single regiment approached along the river and entered the
work on that flank almost unopposed.”

General Terry says in his report that 100 sharpshooters
with Spencer repeating carbines, were sent forward to within
seventy-five yards of the work and dug pits for their shelter,
and “as soon as this movement commenced the parapet of the
fort was manned and the enemy’s fire both of musketry and
artillery opened.” The assaulting column consisted not of a
regiment, but of Curtis’ brigade, supported closely by two
other brigades, a total of not less than 5,000 troops. |

The enemy were unable to enter by the river road, and
some of the most desperate fighting done in the work was in
the space between the left bastion and the river shore.