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to the rear, and immediately mounting his horse, and acting as aid-de-camp to Gen. Stevens.
The way young Adams came to be taken prisoner was this: Our men reported him wounded, and Surgeon Kemble went after him, but was fired upon, and had to leave him.
As Capt. Rodgers went alongside of his men, landed with the howitzers from the Ottawa, he addressed them, saying: “Now, my men, I have given you my guns, and you are about to land; they were entrusted to me, and I would sooner die than leave them; when you come back, I want those brought also.
Will you stand by them, my lads?”
And if you could only have witnessed the expression, when every one, to a man, answered, “Ay, Ay, sir,” it would have done you good.
The Chisholm plantation was our first landing, the Heywood next, marching to the Adams, and then by another Chisholm, and thence into the Fort.
Lieut. J. A. Power, we found, by a bill for his uniform in his pocket, belonged to the Fourteenth South-Carolina Volunteers.
He was found on the causeway, poor man, all gone but his right leg and one side.
Two others, also, literally torn to pieces, were taken up by Brigade-Surgeon Dr. Kemble, and buried.
The troops were rowed by negroes, in launches and flatboats, nearly four miles, against tide, before arriving at the landing-place, which I stated was Col. Heywood's plantation.
The whole time the troops were occupied in their embarkation, disembarkation and landing, going the four miles, etc., was only about two hours, and so quietly, that only the dipping of our oars could be heard.
On the walls of the house at the Ferry, used as rebel headquarters, was marked out in pencil: “On the 18th day of December, the battery under charge of Lieut. McIlvaine, opened fire upon, and effected a total rout of the Yankees, killing fifty and wounding a hundred.”
Also: “Dec. 18, 1861, we repelled an attack made by the Yankees, killing one half their command.”
I suppose the rebels referred to a time when Col. Fenton, of the Eighth Michigan was making reconnoissances in launches — at which time we lost one man killed, none wounded.
Capt. C. R. P. Rodgers, of the Wabash, was Acting Commodore of the Navy on this occasion.
The howitzers were under command of Lieut. John Irwin, of the Wabash, and Acting Master Kemp.
The Seneca was commanded by Capt. D. Ammen; the Pembina, Capt. J. Bankhead, a Southerner, and well acquainted with all the inhabitants here; the Ottawa, Capt. T. Stevens; the Hale only arrived at Hilton Head the night before the battle, and I could not learn the name of her commander; the Ellen was commanded by Capt. W. Budd.
Capt. Bankhead invited me with the company of Surgeon George S. Kemble, of the Second brigade, Capt. Charles E. Fuller, of Gen. Sherman's staff, and Lieut. A. J. Holbrook, on board, as he had a curiosity to show us in the shape of a present from Mrs. Chisholm, formerly a resident of Beaufort, which she sent from Charleston by one of her “high cost” negroes, who, by the way, took care not to go back to her. The present consisted of six pairs extra silver-plated coffinhandles; a note accompanying them saying, that if he came that way again, to bring them with him. These he received at Beaufort, a short time since, and he says he knows he caused more coffins to be used yesterday, than have been used in Charleston lately.
The rebel battery in the fort did not return fire from the fort once, but retreated to the woods, and there first showed fight.
The Roundheads were ferried across, and entered the fort at half-past 2 o'clock P. M., Jan. 1st, going up the shell-road and over the embrazon at a double quick; and the first intimation Gen. Stevens had.that the fort was ours, was by Capt. Fuller's riding down and informing him. Hence the falling back of our troops, as explained, to the fort.
The feeling of satisfaction at the entire arrangement is duly reciprocated to his own staff and to Acting Brig.-Gen. Col. Perry, of the Forty-eighth, and Col. Frazier, of the Forty-seventh New-York, and to all, officers and rank and file, from Gen. Stevens..
He took Col. Perry by the hand, and shook it heartily, while the tears of manly courage and pride stood in his eye, and openly complimented him and his Lieut.-Col., Barton, and officers, for their superior merits as soldiers and leaders.
The Navy have at last paid a high tribute of praise to the Volunteers, for whom, until yesterday, they had only a meagre opinion; but when they (the officers of the Navy) saw from their ships the unflinching forward, and the bold skirmishing done by our men, and the manner in which they allowed shells to be hurled over their heads and into the enemy, they were loud in their appreciation of their coolness.
Why, time after time, the whole atmosphere seemed moving by the wind caused by passing shells directly over the heads of our troops.
The duty of signalizing from the land to the ships was in charge of First Lieutenant Taft and Second Lieut. Coggswell, of Gen. Stevens's staff and was done in a manner which brings credit to both these gentlemen.
Lieut. Taft being detailed with the skirmishing party, and Coggswell on the ships, one other officer occupying a position near the reserve, kept up a complete communication.
The big twelve-pounder cannon, captured from the enemy, now stands in front of Gen. Stevens's headquarters.
Philadelphia press account.
Port Royal, Jan. 5, 1869.
A very skilfully planned and skilfully executed little movement has just occurred here, which begins the new year in the pleasantest manner possible.
Beaufort lies on the eastern side of Port Royal Island, and about ten miles north of it, on the Coosaw River, is Port Royal Ferry, which affords the, best means of crossing from 