Daniel Ammen, Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 7.2, The Atlantic Coast
Clement Anselm Evans, Ed.

[51] vessel from the bushes. A railroad train with two locomotives was on the point of starting. The track passed for some distance along the water, offering an opportunity for shell practice, but it was without further result than the killing of two soldiers on the train.

A small steamer, known afterward as the Darlington, was seen endeavoring to escape up the river through a drawbridge; the armed launches captured her. Besides women and children on board, the steamer was loaded with mules and army wagons; a Confederate surgeon was also found on board.

It was now 8 P. M.; an armed launch was left to guard the drawbridge, and Captain Drayton returned to the Pawnee, which had been left aground. Commander Rodgers with two armed launches went on board of the Ottawa, and left for the town of St. Mary's, ten miles up the river, for the purpose of securing the guns that had been hastily removed from Fort Clinch, and were supposed to be at that place.

At daylight of the 4th the Pawnee and Huron were anchored off the town of Fernandina. Confederate soldiers in the early morning fired on the crew of the launch guarding the drawbridge, and set fire to the end of the trestle-work leading to the bridge. The Huron was sent up; the Confederate soldiers vanished, and the fire was put out. Captain Drayton reported: ‘The batteries on and near Fort Clinch on the southern part of Cumberland Island and at New Fernandina, although many guns had been removed, might have offered very serious obstacles to our approach.’

As stated before, the enemy had been busy for several days in removing heavy guns, for the purpose of transporting them beyond the reach of gunboats. At 8 P. M. of the 2d a telegram to Fernandina from Brunswick stated that twenty-four armed vessels were in Cumberland Sound. This produced