The fighting at the South.
The
Charleston and
Georgia papers give us some amounts of the fighting going on with
Sherman and the forces which are trying to co-operate with him. The
Mercury of Friday says:
‘
It is certain that
Sherman's advance yesterday had encountered our forces, under
General Hardee, at or near
Station No. 2 1 2, on the Central railroad, about twenty miles from
Savannah.
Severe fighting was going on yesterday forenoon; but we have no trustworthy intelligence whatever in regard to the result.
Various rumors concerning the engagement — some favorable and some otherwise — were afloat yesterday; but as we are satisfied that they were merely sensation stories, we refrain from repeating them, and await more authentic accounts.
’
From the line of the Savannah railroad we have news of a more definite character.
On Tuesday, it seems, the enemy advanced to a point about one mile from the railroad, and about five miles from
Pocotaligo.
Here they were met by our forces and speedily, driven back, with some loss.
The movement is believed to have been a reconnaissance merely; for, during Tuesday night, the enemy retired to their entrenchments, and could not be seen next morning.
At an early hour on Wednesday morning, a force, consisting of the
Citadel Cadets,
Captain Thomson, and the Forty-seventh Georgia, the whole commanded by
Major J. B. White, of the Cadets, were ordered to advance and reconnoitre the enemy's position.
This they did in gallant style.
The Cadets deployed as skirmishers, and the enemy, surprised, apparently, at the vigor and boldness of the attack, retired some distance before our advancing line.
Soon, however, the
Yankees were heavily reinforced, and, discovering the numbers that were opposed to them, turned upon our men, who, in turn, were themselves obliged to retire to their works near the railroad.
They were pursued till dark to within one mile of the railroad, where the enemy halted and entrenched themselves strongly.
They held that position unmolested during Wednesday night and Thursday.
It is not unlikely that the fighting may be renewed to-day; but we have confidence in the ability of our forces to hold the railroad in any event:
The
Port Royal Yankee papers, in their report of the fight, admit a loss on their side of between eight hundred and one thousand killed and wounded. Their loss in officers was particularly severe.
The Fifty-fifth Massachusetts (negro) regiment lost its colonel and nearly every company officer.
A detachment of the One Hundred and Fifty-seventh Pennsylvania, of about two hundred men, from
Fort Pulaski, lost four officers killed and thirty-five privates killed and wounded.
They acknowledge a bad defeat, but attribute it to overwhelming numbers.
The force was collected from the different garrisons in the department, and the expedition planned and commanded by
General Foster himself.
Speaking of the
Yankees at
Milledgeville, the Augusta
Chronicle says:
‘
The
Yankees kicked up quite a fuss in the
State-House.
They had a mock Legislature, elected speaker,
clerk, &c., and were introducing bills, resolutions, &c., at a furious rate, when a courier burst into their midst, almost breathless, with the announcement, "The
Yankees are coming!" when the whole concern absquatulated with the most precipitate haste and alarm.
’
This was not a bad travestied on the closing hours of the late session.
L. Carrington,
Esq., the efficient and indefatigable clerk of the
House, succeeded in saving the records of his department, having removed them
via Savannah,
Thomasville,
Albany and
Macon, and thence back to the
capitol.
A letter in the
Chronicle, giving an account of the last whipping given
Kilpatrick by
Wheeler, says:
‘
Kilpatrick finally made a stand on
Buckhead creek with his whole force, throwing up rail works across a large open field, put his artillery in position, and opened a terrific fire upon our advance.
Nothing daunted.
General Wheeler formed for the charge in three columns; one on the right flank; the other on the left; and a third, led by the
General in person, to charge the centre.
Now the scene heightened into the sublime.
Just at the back of the field the creek was bordered on either side by a large marsh, which had to be crossed.
’
The signal for the charge was given, and that awful rebel yell, so terrifying to the
Yankees, was raised.
Now, like an eagle's swoop, descending,
General Wheeler bore down upon the well- formed lines.
In another moment the whole was in a terrible stampede, rushing pell-mell through the swamps.
Here the scene was absolutely terrific and fearfully frightful to all but our exulting, enraged soldiers.
The blue-coated devils were bogged in the swamps, and our shouting columns were right upon their hells showering death-knelling missiles among them.
Kilpatrick here had his hat shot off his head and lost his glass.
The whole swamp was left with the dead and wounded wallowing in the mud.
Kilpatrick made the trip through with the remnants of his command, and never stopped more till he fell into the arms of
Sherman, near
Louisville.
