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

[753] loss was two killed and eighteen woupded. The amount of quartermaster, commissary, and ordnance stores is very large. Our troops crossed the bay as rapidly as possible, but were delayed on account of want of transportation — nothing larger than skiffs could be had. As rapidly as possible General Green was ordered to the Bayous Ramos and Boeuf, to capture those of the enemy who had escaped, and also to prevent them from burning the bridges, locomotives, and cars. Unfortunately they had already destroyed the railroad and wagon bridge over the Ramos, and had retired to the Boeuf. Our troops pushed on, and at daylight of the twenty-fourth, the enemy surrendered to a scouting party under the command of General Green's daring scout, McAnally. The force consisted of four hundred and thirty-five officers and men, three siege guns, and a twelve-pounder gun. At this point General Green's and Colonel Major's command connected. Their troops were pushed forward to the Thibodeaux and Lafourche railroad-crossing, capturing twenty-five Federal sick and wounded and four pieces of light artillery.

On the twenty-seventh the troops marched to Donaldsonville. On the twenty-eighth, at one o'clock A. M., the fort (Butler) was attacked and at daylight, after the most desperate struggle, we were repulsed, with two hundred and sixty casualties. Too much cannot be said of the gallantry and devotion of the brave men who stormed this stronghold. Colonel Phillips, Lieutenant. Colonel Shannon, and Major Ridley are among the missing. They fell in a desperate hand-to-hand fight; but I hope they are only wounded. As one of the main objects of this campaign was to take possession of the Mississippi, I immediately threw, by roads passing through plantations, troops on the river bank. I have the honor to report that, on the third instant, the Federal transport Huville was badly crippled by Colonel Hardeman's regiment and the rifle section of Semmes' battery. To-day one section attacked the flag-ship Monongahela. The work is going on bravely. While General Green and Colonel Major were marching upon Donaldsonville, Major Boone, with Waller's battalion and Pyron's regiment, pushed on to Raceland, and thence to the Des Allemands, at which latter place the enemy had abandoned a piece of artillery and burned the railroad bridge. Major Boone, with his usual energy, swam some of his horses and pushed on, driving the enemy from Boulton station. But his force being small, he had to return to the Des Allemands.

This, Major, covers the whole field of operations on the west side of the bay. The other part of the operations, under the accomplished and gallant soldier, Colonel Major, will be found in his enclosed report.

The conduct of General Green, Colonel Major, Major Hunter, and the officers and men under them, is beyond all praise, and deserves the thanks of the country.

I beg leave to tender my thanks to the officers of my staff for their energy and faithful per formance of all the arduous duties imposed upon them--Major Louis Bush, Assistant Adjutant-General; Lieutenant A. J. Watt, Aide-de-Camp; Captain A. Schruber, Ordnance Officer; Major R. W. Sanders, Assistant Quartermaster, and Captain M. T. Squires, Chief of Artillery, who were with me all the time. I will again, in this report, particularly mention Private Alfred Fuselin, to whose indomitable energy and devotion to duty I owe mostly the successful collecting of boats for Major Hunter's expedition.

Accompanying this report please find those of General Green, Colonel Major, and Major Hunter.

I am, Major, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

Major: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of my brigade since June tenth, pursuant to orders received from your headquarters, dated eighth instant:

I left Washington on the tenth, and arrived at Morgan's Ferry, on the Atchafalaya, on the eleventh. I was detained there one day, in making preparations to cross the river, the entire command, owing to conflicting orders, not arriving until the fourteenth, and on the fifteenth I moved for Hermitage; arrived within five miles the same night, found the bridge burned across Bayou Seria, halted until daylight, then moved on Waterloo, four miles above Hermitage. The enemy were reinforced from Banks' army at Port Hudson. I made demonstrations of an attack during the day; at night drove in the enemy's pickets, and, under cover of darkness, withdrew my force, leaving a strong picket force in the rear, and moved for Grosse Tete.

On the seventeenth, went down Grosse Tete to Rosedale; fed horses and men. At dark started for Indian village; arrived at two A. M., on eighteenth. Crossed Phillips' regiment, who made a dash into Plaquemine, taking eightyseven prisoners, burning three fine steamers,