180 Nortu Carorina Troops, 1861-’65.

the Governor, and the train which contained the troops was
shifted to the Charleston & Savannah road, reaching Hardee-
ville at daybreak 30 November. They at once proceeded to
Honey Hill, and passing a short distance beyond, discovered
that the enemy in force had already reached and occupied the
position which had been chosen by the Confederate com-
mander prior to the arrival of the troops. This forced Gen-
eral Smith to fall back and occupy a less desirable position.
About 8:30 a. m. the enemy commenced his advance on this
position and was greeted by a single shot from the only gun
in position. Thus opened one of the most remarkable battles,
in many respects, that was fought during the Civil War. The
fighting was fierce and furious throughout the entire day, and
ended only when the darkness of night made it possible for
the enemy to retreat unobserved. Charge after charge during
the first part of the day was repelled by this small band of
Georgia militia, supported only by a South Carolina battery
of five light field pieces. During the morning the Forty-
seventh Georgia Regiment arrived, but was held in reserve
until ordered into action to check a flank movement of the
enemy. The Thirty-second Georgia and Fiftieth North Car-
olina, sent from Charleston, reached the field too late to par-
ticipate. The Confederate forces present and engaged con-
sisted of the Georgia Militia (Senior and Junior Reserves),
1,000 strong, the Forty-seventh Georgia Regiment, and the
South Carolina Battery, commanded by Colonel Gonzales,
making a total of 1,400 in all.

The Federal forces engaged consisted of the Fifty-sixth,
One Hundred and Twenty-seventh, One Hundred and Forty-
fourth, One Hundred and Fifty-seventh New York Regi-
ments ; Forty-fourth Massachusetts (colored), and Fifty-fifth
Massachusetts ; Twenty-fifth Ohio; Twenty-sixth, Thirty-sec-
ond, Thirty-fifth, One Hundred and Second United States
Colored Regiments; a brigade of Marines, a number of field
batteries and several naval guns brought up from the gun-
boats in the river near by.

The losses, as taken from the official reports, are as follows:

Confederate: Killed, 8; wounded, 42; total, 50.

FirtietH REGIMENT. 181

Federals: Killed, 88; wounded, 623; missing, 43; total,
754.

The Fifty-fifth Massachusetts reports the loss of its Colonel
and 100 men in five minutes, and the Fifty-fourth Massachu-
setts (colored), reports carrying 150 wounded from the field.

Considering all the circumstances, the character of the
troops engaged, disparity in numbers, this fight perhaps has
no parallel in history.

SAVANNAH.

On 2 December the regiment reached Savannah, and on
the 3d was ordered to the Forty-five Mile Station on the Geor-
gia Central Railroad. The other troops were ordered back
to the entrenchment at Savannah, leaving the Fiftieth Regi-
ment and a small squadron of Wheeler’s Cavalry alone to
meet and contend with Sherman’s column which was moving
down the Georgia Central Railroad. The instructions were
to harrass and delay the column so as to gain time to
strengthen our fortifications around the city as much as pos-
sible. On the 7th we commenced to skirmish with the van-
guard, and on the 9th, having fallen back some distance to
a strong position, the skirmishing became general and very
heavy. The main body of the regiment had fortified a natur-
ally strong position on the right of the road, and Lieut. Jesse
T. Ellington, of Company ©, was sent with a strong skirmish
line to an open savanna on the left to protect that flank. The
advance of the enemy was checked and the firing soon became
extremely heavy at the point oceupied by the regiment, but
they stubbornly resisted the repeated attacks and held their
position. After awhile there was a sudden lull in the firing on
that side of the road which attracted Lieutenant Ellington’s
attention, and seeking a point where he could get a view of
the breastworks discovered that they were occupied by the en-
emy in force. They had succeeded in flanking the position
on the right, and thus forcing the regiment to hastily retire
across a bridge which was held by some of Wheeler’s men for
this purpose. Lieutenant Ellington had been instructed to
hold his position until he received orders to withdraw, and
now found himself entirely cut off, the enemy considerably to