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

[756] the gun at the sugar-house and gunboats below — but, owing to the rapidity of our movements, it had but little effect. The forts made but a feeble resistance, and each column pressed on to the point of concentration, carrying everything before them. At the depot the fighting was severe, but of short duration; the enemy surrendered the town.

My loss is three killed and eighteen wounded. That of the enemy, forty-six killed, forty wounded, and about thirteen hundred prisoners.

We have captured eleven (twenty-four and thirty-two pounder) siege guns. Twenty-five hundred stand small arms (Enfield and Burnside rifles), and immense quantities of quartermaster. commissary, and ordnance stores. Some two thousand negroes, and between two and three hundred wagons and carts. I cannot speak too highly of the gallantry and good conduct of the officers and men under my command. All did their whole duty and deserve alike equal credit from our country, for our glorious and signal victory.

I am, sir, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

General: Early in this month I was ordered by you to the lower Teche, for the purpose of reconnoitring the enemy at Brashear, and to collect together and fit up light boats, preparatory to making a descent upon the enemy, if practicable. While engaged in the execution of these orders, you came down and assumed command, ordering me to advance toward the bay.

On the night of the twenty-second instant, in accordance with orders, I moved to Cochran's sugar-house (two miles distant from the bay), with the Fifth Texas, Second Louisiana cavalry, and Waller's battalion, and the Valverde and a section of Nicholl's batteries; leaving our horses at that place, I advanced the troops, above mentioned, on foot before daylight, to the village of Berwick, opposite the enemy's encampment. At the dawn of day, finding the enemy quiet and asleep, I opened fire upon them from the Valverde battery; the first shot exploded in the centre of his encampment, causing the greatest confusion, the distance being only about nine hundred yards. We fired about forty or fifty shots from our battery into the enemy before he replied to us at all. The first shot from the enemy was fired on us from his gunboat, which was at anchor in the bay, a short distance below our position. After daylight the gunboat advanced towards us as if to contest with our battery the position we occupied on the water's edge, but a few shots, well directed from the Valverde battery, drove the boat a mile below, where she opened on us with her heavy guns; about the same time several batteries from the opposite shore opened on us; the shot of the enemy was so well directed that we found it necessary several times to shift the position of our guns and caissons. The heavy gun on shore, which first opened fire on us from the principal fort above Brashear, with the garrison of that fort, was brought down nearly opposite my position, and opened fire on me with the running of the gunboat, and drawing out this heavy gun and most of the garrison from Fort Buchanan, left the waters above free to the approach of Major Hunter's command, in our little flotilla, to Tiger Island.

Major Hunter, who had moved under your orders, from the mouth of the Teche, during the night of the twenty-second, on board our mosquito fleet, landed, unperceived and unsuspected by the enemy, above their defences, and making his way through the swamp, about seven o'clock, on the morning of the twenty-third, attacked the enemy in his rear, while I was occupying him in front, completely surprising and routing him. The enemy surrendered the defences and the town of Brashear, to Major Hunter, about half-past 7 o'clock on the morning of the twenty-third. Major Hunter's command consisted of about three hundred men from Baylor's, the Fifth Texas, and Wallar's battalion, and Second Louisiana cavalry (picked men). After crossing a part of the troops, I was ordered to pursue the enemy to the Boeuf. During the evening of the same day I had quite an animated skirmish with him at the Ramos, where he had burnt both the railroad and public bridges, and was well fortified on the east bank; but finding that I had flanked him with a part of my command, on the east side of the Boeuf, he hastily retreated. I threw a small detachment over the Ramos, on the night of the twenty-third, and moved them as close as possible to the enemy, on the Boeuf; Colonel Major's command being behind the enemy, and it being difficult for him to escape (about four hundred strong) surrendered to us about daylight on the morning of the twenty-fourth. Our troops, during the three days campaign, did their duty with great alacrity, and behaved with gallantry on all occasions.

Very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,