from Bull's Bay hastened the retreat. The cotton warehouses, arsenal, quartermasters' stores, railroad bridges, and two iron-clads were burned by the enemy. Some vessels in the ship-yard were also burned. Nearly all the inhabitants remaining in the city belong to the poorer classes. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, Q. A. GILLMORE, Major-General, Commanding. Chief of Staff, Armies of the United States, Washington, D. C. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Hilton Head, S. C., February 26, 1865. GENERAL: An inspection of the rebel defenses of Charleston shows that we have taken over 450 pieces of ordnance, being more than double what I first reported. The lot includes 8 and 10-inch columbiads, a great many 32 and 42 pounder rifles, some 7-inch Brooke rifles, and many pieces of foreign make. We also captured eight locomotives and a number of platform and passenger cars, all in good condition. Deserters report that the last of Hardee's army was to have crossed the Santee River yesterday, bound for Charlotte, N. C., and that it was feared that General Sherman had already intercepted their march. It is reported on similar authority that the last of Hood's army, 12,000 strong, passed through Augusta last Sunday, the 19th, on its way to Beauregard. I have a force forty miles out on the Northeastern Railroad, toward the Santee River. Georgetown has been evacuated by the enemy, and is now in our possession. Deserters are coming in constantly; we have over 400 already. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, Q. A. GILLMORE, Major-General, Commanding. Chief of Staff, Armies of the United States, Washington, D. C. (Copy to Lieut. Gen. U. S. Grant, City Point.) HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Hilton Head, S. C., March 6, 1865. GENERAL: I have to correct one statement in my telegraphic dispatch from Charleston of February 18, that the arsenal was burned on that day. That building was not among those destroyed by fire. The force sent out on the Northeastern Railroad reached Santee River, skirmishing with Hardee's rear guard. The railroad bridge over the Santee was burned by the enemy. The time having expired when this advance could be of any assistance to General Sherman, judging from the reports of his present position, and it being necessary to recall this force in order to replace the troops drawn from General Grover's command for Cape Fear River, orders have been given for it to return to Charleston. My present intention is to hold Georgetown permanently. Admiral Dahlgren's flag-ship, the Harvest Moon, was sunk by a torpedo in Winyah Bay three days ago, with the loss of one man. I cannot learn that any torpedoes have yet been found in Charleston Harbor, or indeed any obstructions of any kind that seriously interfere with the free navigation of all parts of the harbor. Very respectfully, your obedient servant. Maj. Gen. H. W. HALLECK, Q. A. GILLMORE, Major-General, Commanding. Chief of Staff, Armies of the United States, Washington, D. C. No. 272. Reports of Brig. Gen. Alexander Schimmelfennig, U. S. Army, commanding Northern District, of operations January 1-February 16. HDQRS. NORTHERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH, FIRST SEPARATE BRIGADE, Morris Island, S. C., January 13, 1865. CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that nothing of especial importance has occurred in this command since my last.* The enemy is at present in about the same strength on my front as last summer; changes, however, take place daily, at least in regard to location. None of the deserters ever heard of any troops being sent from Lee's army to the vicinity of Charleston, nor has anything been observed to lead to such a supposition. None of the deserters know what troops Hardee has. The armament of forts and batteries, as well as their number, has been considerably altered since last summer, and the information received on this head I have made the subject of another report. The enemy has for the past fortnight been briskly at work strengthening his position. On Sullivan's Island he has cut several embrasures so as to be able to command the beach with grape and canister, and is daily at work on a bombproof at Fort Beauregard; at Fort Sumter he is occasionally heard at night working with heavy timber and iron. At Castle Pinckney heavy working parties have been constantly employed since my last report, probably sodding. The castle at present presents from the outside all the appearance of an earthwork. On James Island, from Fort Johnson to Pringle, they have been busy repairing and clearing the ground to the front and rear. The buildings at Secessionville are disappearing. More than any. where else, however, has the enemy displayed activity on the forts and batteries on John's Island; there also buildings have disappeared and batteries been unmasked. This would seemingly tend to show that the enemy is preparing for a vigorous defense; intercepted dispatches, however, rather point in the direction of evacuation. The heavy artillery has been armed with good rifled muskets; they are seen engaged in skirmish drill, and reports have been called for from commandants of regiments as to what they required for active duty in the field. (Camp kettles, haversacks, &c., were reported.) These dispatches were sent in a new code, which Sergeant Colvin, of the Signal Corps, succeeded in deciphering a few days ago. Sergeant Colvin performs his duty with great intelligence and most faithfully; his work gains importance daily, as the enemy's telegraph line is more frequently down than before. *See Vol. XLIV, p. 839. 64 R R-VOL XLVII, PT I The enemy's attention has, since about a week, been drawn to the country around Bull's Bay. General Taliaferro and Colonel Rhett have been several times to inspect the works at Christ Church. A regiment of infantry and a light battery were sent to that neighborhood a few days ago, and yesterday again a regiment of infantry is reported as having crossed the bridge from Sullivan's Island to Mount Pleasant. In regard to the troops on John's Island I am entirely in the dark, and cannot get any information. The enemy has discontinued to feel my picket-lines during the night, or to reconnoiter during the day on my immediate front. He shows, however, a stronger picket-line than usual. He has occasionally fired a few shots from his batteries, probably practicing, for his fire was never directed at my lines. About forty shots have been fired from my batteries at the channel during the past fortnight. In accordance with instructions from department headquarters the firing on my part has entirely ceased. My pickets have received the necessary instructions in reference to any evacuation of Charleston. Captain Hennessy, of the boat infantry, demonstrated on Sumter last night and drew artillery and infantry fire. I have succeeded in repairing the plank walks leading over Cole's Island to the fort on the right. I have also prepared the material for an artillery bridge to cross from the right of Cole's Island to James Island, and a party of engineers are engaged repairing the bridges on the left of Cole's Island and preparing materials to construct temporary landings in the neighborhood of both forts. I regret to be obliged to report that the supply of scows and row-boats in this district has been reduced during my absence to about one-third of their former number, simply through carelessness. I was able last summer to transport with the scows and boats then on hand one light battery (six pieces) and 2,500 men. I am at present scarcely able to transport four pieces and 500 men. I have the honor to be, respectfully, your obedient servant, Capt. W. L. M. BURGER, A. SCHIMMELFENNIG, Brigadier-General, Commanding District. Assistant Adjutant-General, Department of the South. HDQRS. NORTHERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH, Morris Island, January 25, 1865. CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the movements of the enemy on my front since the 13th instant: Circumstances compelled me to send, by my acting assistant adjutantgeneral, a slight sketch of these (up to the 21st instant). Since I have reported the enemy, as well as myself, have remained on the defensive. His reconnoitering parties in boats, sent out during the night from Secessionville and in front of Long Island, discontinued as soon as I sent out mine to meet them. On the 18th the enemy showed unusual activity on John's Island and to the west of Secessionville. He fired four shots from his batteries at the bridge; fired on John's Island opposite Battery Pringle; struck in the rear and to the west of Legare ville. On the 19th a party came down on James Island on the imme. diate front of Cole's Island; they carried fire-brands, probably to set the brush on fire and destroy the bridge. Being fired upon by our forces they scattered without accomplishing their object. The enemy's fatigue parties have gradually disappeared during the last week, first on Sullivan's, then on James, and finally on John's Island. Only on Castle Pinckney strong fatigue parties (say over 100 men) are still at work day and night between low and half tides. They are engaged at the foot of the rampart carrying and spreading earth and stones. The probability is that the heavy rampart sinks, and that they are strengthening the foundation. There have been various guns changed in the enemy's position, but none removed. A gin was up for about a week at Pinckney, always at the same point, probably changing the carriage of a gun, which is now lower than before. The strength of the enemy's forces on my front, if it has changed at all since my last report, has been augmented. There is a considerably larger number of camp-fires seen on James Island in rear of the first line from Fort Pringle to Battery No. 3. About 150 to 200 men were seen marching from Battery Beauregard to Battery Marshall, on Sullivan's Island, yesterday. They had knapsacks and were followed by a wagon train. One or two more lots were seen moving in the afternoon from Moultrie to Beauregard. These troops seem to be strangers on Sullivan's Island, as they have during yesterday and to-day appeared in large numbers on the sand-hills looking around them. Their tents are erected near the barracks of the former garrison. Sullivan's Island has no doubt been largely re-enforced, but I have not yet been able to ascertain to what extent. The enemy's outposts are stronger than ever before, and they have been kept so now for over eight days. For instance, the outpost near Fort Simkins consists at present of about 200 men every night. Six weeks ago there were only twenty-five men, nights. Last summer the outposts at that place amounted to twenty-five men. Trains are heard very frequently at night running to and from Charleston, sometimes as often as every three-quarters of an hour. I am under the impression that they are not employed most of the time in transporting troops or stores, but probably removing private property from the city. The enemy has been experimenting with balloons on James Island, near Charleston, and with light-balls on parachutes. Artillery firing has been heard frequently in the rear-that is, north of Charleston, and it is supposed that the enemy is trying the range of guns mounted there. The extraordinary strength of the enemy's outposts has probably prevented deserters from coming into our lines. All the information I have of the enemy's movements is therefore restricted to the reports of my outpost and lookout, as given above, and to the intercepted dispatches of the enemy. In regard to the latter, I have to report: January 14, the blockaderunner Syren passed safely out of Charleston Harbor. January 15, the commissary of Sullivan's Island reports 185,000 rations on hand, and is ordered to keep forty days' rations for the garrison on Sullivan's Island, mainly flour and hard bread, and turn in the rest. Reports of rations from other posts were called for, but we were unable to get the answers. On the same day Colonel Rhett, commanding Sullivan's Island, notifies Colonel Frederick, commanding Second South Carolina Artillery, that he has got for his regiment 1,550 Austrian rifles, which he considers a very good arm. January 16, Colonel Rhett orders his brigade to have 100 rounds of ammunition with regiment, and in the same reports a U. S. monitor sunk, but the cause is unknown to him. On the same day 220 boxes of powder are ordered to be sent from Sullivan's Island to the city. A telegraph operator at Mount Pleasant makes an application to his superior officer in Charleston by signal from Sulli van's Island, showing that the former telegraphic communication between the city and Mount Pleasant is interrupted. On the 18th General Taliaferro orders Colonel Rhett to the city, to go with him to General Hardee's headquarters. Officers from James Island were ordered there at the same time, and in my opinion they then held a council of war. On the same day Captain Le Gardeur's battery is ordered from Mount Pleasant to Adams' Run to report to General Wright. On the 19th an aide-de-camp of Colonel Rhett notifies a quartermaster on James Island that he will inspect the wagon train of Colonel Rhett's brigade, showing that a field organization had been decided upon. On the 20th the sick from Mount Pleasant are ordered to be sent to the city. On the 21st, negroes at Mount Pleasant are ordered to the city. On the 22d, early in the morning, Colonel Rhett reports two blockaderunners to have run into Charleston Harbor during the night. They had shown no lights and had not been previously announced. They were probably Wilmington blockade-runners. This shows plainly that our steamers might run in in the same way without being halted, and also that there are no torpedoes in the tour taken by the blockade-runOn the same day the negroes on Sullivan's Island (workmen on the fortifications) were ordered to the city. A steamer was sent for them, indicating that their numbers were considerable. On the 23d a surgeon on Sullivan's Island wishes to send his convalescents to Charleston, but is informed from there that the Summerville hospital has been closed and removed into the interior, and that no more sick can be received in the city. On the 24th it was too hazy to send any signal dispatches. On the 25th a number of officers of Colonel Rhett's brigade, from James Island and Sumter, were ordered to sit on a court-martial on Sullivan's Island. On the 26th there were a number of other dispatches of less importance. I may add that the enemy's signal corps is drilling with small flags, and on the field system. ners. From the above information it will be seen that the enemy is, as heretofore, preparing for both eventualities, determined defense as well as evacuation; and although his preparations point more and more in the latter direction, it is evident that he takes things easier now than a fortnight since. Courts-martial were then dissolved, and are now recommenced. He will evacuate in haste as soon as we threaten his line of retreat in earnest. He will show determined resistance if simply attacked in his front, where he is strongest. If we wish to get the majority of their garrison with the enemy's works, we have simply to attack them in front, and about the same time place a similar or a superior force in their lines of retreat and communication. I have the honor to inclose an order issued to my command to insure its readiness in case of an evacuation by the enemy, and also a copy of the instructions given by me to Colonel Kozlay, commanding Folly Island, for his guidance in the same case. For the command on Morris Island I have given verbal instructions, besides being myself on the ground. The activity of my command has been limited to a vigi lant observation of the enemy's doings during the day and to a feeling of his new lines at night. The boat infantry of the Fifty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers, under Captain Hennessy, have been up on sev eral occasions to reconnoiter around Sumter and Simkins, and other places, and drew the enemy's fire. For more than a week past they have not been able to draw any artillery fire from Sumter. On the morning of the 20th of January Captain Hennessy discovered a steamer at Sumter's wharf, most gallantly went up to her, and fired three shells at and into her with his boat howitzer, driving her aground. |