OO SEDI A Acca, Se eh

226 NortH Caroutina Troops, 1861-’65.

of the enemy. We found none on the sea shore within half
a inile, but on the river shore they were occupying the re-
doubt, where their skirmishers extended toward the left of
the fort. Some of them fired on us, but we remained there
awaiting a message from Bragg, or the sound of his guns from
the north, but in vain, and before daylight we retired to the
fort.

With the rising sun, on the 15th, the fleet, which had been
annoying us all through the night, redoubled its fire on the
land face. The sea was calm, the naval gunners had become
accurate by practice, and before noon but one heavy gun, pro-
tected by the angle of the northeast bastion, remained ser-
viceable on that face. The harvest of wounded and dead was
increased, and at noon I had not 1,200 men to defend the long
line of works. The enemy were now preparing to assault;
we saw their skirmish line on the left digging rifle pits close
to our torpedo lines and their columns along the river shore
massing for the attack, while their sharpshooters were firing
upon every head that showed itself upon our front. Despite
the imminent danger to the gunners I ordered the two Napo-
leons at the central sally-port and the Napoleon on the left to
fire grape and canister upon the advancing skirmish line.
They fearlessly obeyed the order, and with effectiveness, but
at a sad sacrifice in killed and wounded. At the same time
on the ocean side a column composed of sailors and marines
was seen to approach, the advance throwing up slight trenches.
On these we bronght to bear our single heavy gun, while the
two guns on the mound battery turned their attention from
the sailors afloat to the sailors on shore, but at too long range
to be very effective. Hagood’s Brigade, sent by Bragg, was
now arriving at Battery Buchanan, but the steamer bearing
them was driven off by the fire of the fleet after it had suc-
ceeded in landing two South Carolina regiments, which came
at a double-quick to the mound under‘a heavy fire. The num-
ber of these reinforcements was reported to me by the officer
in command as 350. They reached the fort less than thirty
minutes before the attacking columns came like avalanches
upon our right and left. The South Carolinians were out
of breath and more or less disorganized and demoralized by