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[413] E. Smith, of company B, got a shot in his right shoulder. Captain W. W. French, of company F, had his ankle shattered; Second Lieutenant Clark, of company H, was hurt in the shoulder. As an instance of what the One Hundred and Fifteenth endured, company F may be cited. Out of fifty-nine men brought into the fight, three were killed and twenty-nine wounded.

But the details of the slaughter must be looked for among the lists hereafter to be forwarded. Only fragmentary reports are now accessible. On board this ship are two hundred and forty brave fellows wounded. About five hundred others are left at Jacksonville in the care of the medical staff. On the battle-field are not fewer then five hundred of our dear brothers, most of whom are dead. In the mercy of Providence, the nights have been frosty of late. Cold is the best kind of weather for wounded men, while they are waiting for succor. A flag of truce is to be sent, asking for permission to remove our wounded and bury our dead. At Sanderson, it is understood, that some wounded had to be left with a surgeon in charge. At Baldwin, Mr. Day, of the Sanitary Commission, and Rev. Mr. Taylor, of the Christian Commission, await the arrival of wounded stragglers and of the enemy. Mr. Day has been twice before a prisoner in the pursuit of his calling of mercy.

The Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth, also on the right, suffered severely in their efforts to prevent the enemy from flanking the field. Among the dead of the noble Forty-seventh are Captain Henry Arnold, company K; First Lieutenant Charles C. Every, company B; Second Lieutenant L. Hunting, company I. The Colonel, Henry Moore, was wounded in the arm. Captain J. M. McDonald, company K; First Lieutenant Duffy, company K; and Second Lieutenant G. L. Scholendorff, all got wounds in their legs. Their companies will not muster over twenty-five men each.

As the rebels were preparing to charge with reinforcements just come in by railroad, the reserves, under Colonel Montgomery, arrived. They came up at double-quick.

The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts went in first, with a cheer. They were followed by the First North-Carolina, (colored.) Lieutenant-Colonel Reed, in command, headed the regiment, sword in hand, and charged upon the rebels. They broke, but rallied when within twenty yards of contact with our negro troops. Overpowered by numbers, the First North-Carolina fell back in good order, and poured in a destructive fire. Their Colonel was felled, mortally wounded. Their Major, Boyle, fell dead, and two men were killed in trying to reach his body. Their Adjutant, Wm. C. Manning, wounded before at Malvern Hill, got a bullet in his body, but persisted in remaining, until yet another shot struck him. His Lieutenant-Colonel, learning the fact, embraced him, and implored him to leave the field. The next moment the two friends were stretched side by side; the Colonel had received his own deathwound. But the two colored regiments had stood in the gap, and saved the army!

General Seymour, taking advantage of the diversion thus effected, had reestablished his fieldbatteries, and with four parting rounds of grape, canister, and solid shot secured impunity for his retreat. The Seventh Connecticut was placed to defend the shattered columns as they fell back; the mounted infantry and cavalry brought up the rear. Lieutenant-Colonel Hall, of the New-York engineers, galloped along the line of retreat, in his capacity of Provost-Marshal General, to secure order and rally fugitives. Arriving at Sanderson about nine o'clock in the evening, he found that Captain Bridgman, of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, had already commenced the good work. More than one thousand men were here collected. Some very slightly hurt; many seriously wounded. Many more had merely left the ground to help away their stricken comrades, and had not returned to take part in the fray.

The retreat continued all night to Barber's Station, and next morning to Baldwin. Here General Seymour arrived on Sunday P. M., and made arrangements for the evacuation of the place, and the burning of the stores. He also caused the destruction of the property of one Derby, a neighboring rebel, who had fought and obtained protection, and then gone over to the enemy with information. The wounded men who had been brought so far, or had painfully marched hither, were packed in horse-cars and sent down the railroad, to be instantly transferred to the Cosmopolitan, or placed in hospitals at Jacksonville.

The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, which, with the First North-Carolina, may be said to have saved the forces from utter rout, lost about eighty men wounded and twelve killed. The complete list will be forwarded with this letter. Other regiments were not in a condition the next day to make returns.

There are not fewer than one thousand two hundred men, white and black, lost to the army by this heavy calamity. This moment of grief is too sacred for anger. The blame that attaches to the planners or leaders of the expedition will hereafter develop itself. General Gillmore will himself superintend the security of the shattered regiments. There are forces in Jacksonville enough to hold the place. Not all the regiments thereabout were in the fight. Reenforcements for the Department of the South are arriving daily at Hilton Head. It is a dearly bought lesson for us, but not an overwhelming or fatal disaster.

G. B.


Defence of General Seymour.

Hilton head, S. C., April 8, 1864.
To the Editors of the New-York Evening Post:
By the Fulton to-day I have received and read, for the first time, all your articles concerning (somewhat) Florida affairs; but more particularly concerning myself.

You assail me professionally and personally. Now, so far as the character of my military service is touched, I may say that you will find it not unkindly referred to in the reports of not a few battles, and in some of these reports I am


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