Expedition to Coosawhatchie. Landing at Dawson's plantation. March to
Coosawhatchie. Ambuscade. Firing on Confederate train. Confederate
prisoners. Destruction of track. Retreat. Peril of Lieutenant Corwin.
Lieutenant Blanding wounded. Pocataligo expedition a failure. Perilous
voyage back to Pulaski. Confederate weapons. Yellow fever. Death of
General Mitchell. His character. Review of Coosawhatchie.
October 21 we embarked on the steamer Planter, six companies of fifty
men each, and proceeded to Hilton Head, where we joined the main body
of troops belonging to the expedition, and, accompanied by a number
of gunboats, started for the point of attack. The morning of the 22d
found us opposite Mackey's Point on the Coosawhatchie River, in rear of
the fleet, which numbered in all fifteen gunboats and transports. This
was the point of disembarkation for the main body, but we proceeded
farther up the river, accompanied by two gunboats. We had not gone far
before our boat grounded on a point on the Dawson plantation near the
house, and we landed in small boats. A few cavalry pickets delayed us
a little, but we finally started up the road with Company H deployed
as skirmishers under command of the writer. This road led directly to
the village of Coosawhatchie, and ran nearly parallel to the railroad.
The attempt to skirmish through the woods was soon abandoned, owing to
the dense growth of plants and shrubs and trailing vines. The Spanish
bayonet plant was the most formidable, its thick bristling points
presenting such obstacles to our progress that we were soon compelled
to confine ourselves to an advanced position on the road. Where other
roads intersected, guards were stationed. A short march brought us to
an open space, with the railroad in plain sight, only about two hundred
yards distant from the turnpike. Without waiting for special orders,
Company H was deployed along the railway embankment, at the same time
that the whistle of an engine warned us that a train was approaching.
Carefully posting the men along the track, but out of sight, a cautious
observation discovered the train stopped a short distance below us.
It was a period of anxious suspense, until we were assured that it
was again in motion, when, the most careful instructions having been
given as to when and how to fire, we awaited its approach. Several
platform cars were loaded with troops, and as we poured in our fire
upon them, at only a few feet distance, the effect was terrible. In an
instant those crowded masses of humanity had disappeared. Some were
killed and more were wounded, but a large number jumped from the train
and concealed themselves in the swamp and woods. A few were taken
prisoners, but the wounded were left to be cared for by their own
people, who were known to be near by, as we had no means of caring for
them. It was a cruel ambuscade, for as they came to the place where
we were awaiting them, it was apparent that they had no intimation of
our presence in the vicinity. We hoped to injure the engine and so
wreck the train, and a number of the most reliable men were assigned
to that special duty; but it passed on out of sight, and we gave our
attention to the destruction of the railroad, under the direction of
the engineers who had accompanied us for such purposes. Not much was
accomplished before heavy firing warned us that we could not delay;
and, collecting the prisoners and such arms as we had captured, we
proceeded to join the regiment. This had arrived at the open space
just in season to discharge the little cannon, which the colonel had
borrowed from the navy, at the passing train, when it pushed on, hoping
to destroy the bridge which crossed the river a little farther up the
road; but the Confederates were found strongly entrenched, with heavy
batteries guarding its approaches, and, after carefully feeling of
the position and drawing the fire of the batteries, the colonel was
obliged to give the order to return. Company H was again thrown out as
skirmishers, and, discovering what was supposed to be a Confederate
detachment, commenced firing. Fortunately, before any injury was done,
it was ascertained that it was Lieutenant Corwin with his company,
which had been left to guard a threatening point. Nothing further
occurred until we reached the boat, when, as we were embarking, the
little knot of cavalry which had been closely watching our movements
for some time rode rapidly forward and gave us a volley, by which
Lieutenant Blanding, of the 3d Rhode Island Artillery, who accompanied
us, was severely wounded. A few shells from the little Parrot gun on
our bow dispersed them, and we steamed down the river without further
casualty. The main body of the expedition had the usual experience at
Pocotaligo, where they hoped to be able to effectually destroy the
railroad. The force was too small, and was repulsed with severe loss.
We nevertheless expected to renew the attempt the next day; but this
purpose was given up, and we were ordered back to the fort. The perils
of our return passage were quite equal to any that we had encountered,
for in the intense darkness the pilot lost his way, and for a long
time we were buffeted about by wind and waves, not knowing what was to
become of us. The next day we had leisure to examine the weapons we had
captured. It was a curious collection, consisting of rifles, swords
of venerable age, and a species of cleaver, much resembling those
commonly used by butchers, showing to what extremities the Home Guards,
at least, were already reduced. As I write I have a specimen of the
last mentioned weapon on my table, personally taken from a rebel at
Coosawhatchie.
[Illustration: HEADQUARTERS OF HUNTER AND MITCHELL.]
October 28, General Mitchell was reported seriously ill with yellow
fever, and General Brannon assumed command of the department. October
29, Dr. Strickland, our chaplain, an old friend of General Mitchell,
was sent for to attend him. October 30, General Mitchell died, at
6 P.M. And as others at Hilton Head were prostrated with the same
disease, there was danger that it would spread through the department,
and every precaution was taken to guard against it. The loss of
General Mitchell was a severe blow. He had the confidence of the
troops, had shown his ability as a commander, and was supposed to be in
such relations with the authorities at Washington as to promise such
additions to our forces as would enable us to undertake something of
importance. Our last expedition would perhaps have had a better result
had he been well enough to assume its direction. As it was, the colors
of the Whippy Swamp Guards, with the prisoners and arms, captured by
Company H of our regiment, were the only favorable results, while the
complete failure of the main expedition, with the loss of so many men,
added another to the disheartening blows from which the department had
suffered from the beginning. And now the loss of General Mitchell, on
whom our hopes were centred, left us without a promise for the future.
Soon after our return from Coosawhatchie, two deserters from the 1st
Georgia regiment, called the Whippy Swamp Guards, came down from
Savannah. They reported the loss of thirty men, their major, and the
engineer of the train, at Coosawhatchie, together with their colors.
These latter, which we had in our possession, attested the correctness
of their statement in at least one particular. Had the Confederates
whom we attacked been commanded by any one of ordinary ability, troops
would have been sent down by the railroad to cut off our retreat, for
there was but one road by which we could return, and this was bordered
on either side by impenetrable woods, so that a small force could have
held us and made our escape impossible. It is probable that our attack
at the railroad so disconcerted them that before they recovered, it was
too late to interrupt our rapid retreat. Those who sent us into such a
trap either knew nothing of the country, or were willing to make the
sacrifice of our command for the sake of drawing off troops from the
main point of attack. Looking back upon it now, it seems a part of the
blundering operations which characterized our department for the most
of the time that we were there, the attack on Pulaski forming a happy
exception to the general rule.