Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 10.
Frank Moore, Ed.

On the fifth, the two ten-inch guns and other armament of Battery Wagner were in readiness for action. The enemy showing but little disposition to engage with his iron-clads, the ten-inch guns were kept masked until such time as he should come to close action. On land he was busy putting down mortar platforms. His fire was principally from Cohorn mortars at our sharpshooters from the Twentieth South Carolina volunteers and the Charleston battalion, who, armed with Whitworth rifles, caused him serious annoyance.

During the night the Eighth North Carolina relieved the Nineteenth Georgia, and a detachment of the Twentieth South Carolina volunteers, Captains Chichester's and Mathews' companies of artillery, relieved Captains Miles' and Hunter's. The different detachments of artillery from light batteries and siege trains were also changed. This work was accomplished, as before, under the direction of Major Motte A. Pringle, Quartermaster, with the assistance of the navy.

The enemy having established an annoying picket guard at an unfinished battery at the mouth of Vincent's Creek, he was attacked, at about nine o'clock, by a party from the navy and from the Twenty-fifth South Carolina volunteers, under Lieutenant Commanding Warley of the Confederate States steamer Chicora, Captain Sellers commanding the land forces. The party proceeded in four boats, guided by Mr. J. Fraser Mathews, to the northern entrance of Lighthouse Creek, where Captain Sellers landed and proceeded against the enemy's. picket. Lieutenant Warley, with two boats, went round to the mouth of Vincent's Creek to cut of the enemy's barges. A brisk skirmish ensued, which resulted in the capture of one boat, with one Captain and ten non-commissioned officers and privates of the enemy, of which the Captain and four non-commissioned officers and privates were wounded, one mortally. The remainder of the enemy's party were driven off in another boat under a heavy fire, which undoubtedly caused them some damage. On our side, one private of the Twenty-fifth South Carolina volunteers was killed.

Brigadier-General Hagood relieved Colonel Keitt in the command of our forces on Morris Island on the sixth, Lieutenant-Colonel J. Welshman Brown relieving Major Warley in command of the artillery. The Sixty-first North Carolina regiment relieved the Charleston battalion during the night. The operations of the enemy were very quietly conducted. Throughout the command the work of preparation went on, Fort Sumter and Battery Simkins firing occasionally, during the day, whenever the enemy's parties were working within range.

A thirty-two-pounder, rifled, was transported to and mounted on Battery Wagner during the night of the sixth, and the works on both sides progressed without interruption throughout the seventh, except from sharpshooters, of whom ours from Battery Wagner annoyed the enemy to a considerable extent. At night, being attracted by the communication of a steamer with Cummins' Point, the enemy sent up a rocket from the fleet opposite Battery Wagner, when his land batteries opened heavily on the supposed locality of the steamer, and kept up the fire until near daylight. It was replied to by Fort Sumter and Battery Simkins. No damage was done to the steamer.

On the eighth a working party of the enemy was discovered to the east of Black Island, either building a bridge or battery. It was opened upon from Battery Haskell, and the work ceased for the time. During the day the firing at intervals from Sumter, Gregg, and Simkins was kept up; but the enemy remained comparatively quiet until evening, when he opened with mortars and Parrott guns, principally on Battery Wagner, keeping up the cannonade until near five o'clock on the morning of the ninth.

On the ninth operations were continued, the enemy being greatly annoyed by our sharp-shooters, and occasionally opening fire with great spirit and rapidity, to endeavor to dislodge them. At about five o'clock in the afternoon the enemy's land batteries opened, shelling briskly from their mortars towards Battery Wagner and the landing at Cummins' Point.

During the night of the ninth the Eighth North Carolina regiment was relieved by Colonel Olmstead's command of Georgia troops, and the detachment of couriers from the Fifth South Carolina cavalry by others of the same regiment.

On the tenth the enemy were very busily at work, and although Fort Sumter and Battery Simkins kept up a steady fire, they caused him but little interruption, and he succeeded in approaching about one hundred yards in advance of his former position of attack.

During the day he kept quiet, except firing from his sharpshooters, which was replied to with spirit and effect by ours, until, at about five o'clock in the afternoon, his land batteries, of both mortar and Parrott guns, opened briskly. No great damage was effected beyond knocking off the wheel of a carronade, which was soon replaced.

Colonel Harrison, of the Fifty-fourth Georgia regiment, relieved Brigadier-General Hagood in command of our troops on Morris Island, but the fire of the enemy interfered seriously with the relief of the troops on Morris Island, he having erected a large Drummond light in a position to brightly illuminate the landing. The steamers engaged in the transfer were withdrawn, and the relief discontinued for the night.

Colonel Olmstead relieved Colonel Graham in the command of Fort Johnson, which was made a depot for the troops relieving the garrison of Morris Island. Lieutenant-Colonel J. A. Yates was assigned to the command of the artillery at Batteries Simkins and Cheves, and at Fort Johnson.