a sufficient force to meet him on the road in those directions; or, should he so select, on that to Mackay's Point, where a landing was equally feasible, and would have taken my advance troops in rear, should he succeed in forcing his way. For these reasons no other troops than those mentioned were advanced, though others were held in readiness at a moment's notice.

Colonel Martin's cavalry corps acted during the day principally as pickets and vedettes, the colonel himself rendering efficient service as my aide-de-camp when his other duties permitted.

Our troops evinced from first to last a laudable desire to meet the enemy whenever and wherever it could be done upon anything like equal terms. On every occasion of his attempt to advance beyond the cover of his gunboats he was driven back or his troops dispersed. At no time during his occupation of the river bank did he leave their protection, and finally, when withdrawing to the island, did so under a fire from his vessels almost as heavy as that under which he had landed.

I also transmit herewith reports of killed and wounded; many of the latter were slight, by far the larger portion of the casualties being from the shells on the fleet; yet, from all the information I have been able to obtain, I am convinced the enemy's loss at least equaled our own.

My aide-de-camp, Lieutenant J. H. Morrison, Provisional Army, was necessarily engaged during the day in office duties. I am much indebted to my volunteer aides-de-camp, Messrs. J. Huguenin and George Elliott.

To the officers whose reports are transmitted herewith I have to return my thanks, and through them to those under their immediate command. Also to Surgeon Turnipseed, Twelfth South Carolina Volunteers, for his untiring professional zeal, as well in the field as in the camp.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. C. PEMBERTON,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Fourth Mil. Dist. S. C.

Captain T. A. WASHINGTON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

No. 17. Report of Brigadier General Daniel S. Donelson, C. S. Army,

BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS,

Pocotaligo, S. C., January 5, 1862.

GENERAL: I refer you to the inclosed report of Colonel James Jones, of the Fourteenth Regiment South Carolina Volunteers, which I found at my quarters last night, of all that transpired in the engagement of the forces under his command with the enemy at Port Royal Ferry on the 1st instant.

I reached the encampment of Colonel Jones between the hours of 4 and 5 a.m. the 1st instant; proceeded about 200 yards, after a moment's halt, to a point in the woods near the Kean's Neck road. Here I halted my command, which consisted of eight companies of the Eighth Tennessee Regiment, the Sixteenth Tennessee Regiment not having came up, until I could make a personal reconnaissance by going into the field in which the Chaplin house was situated, with the view to taking position and to co-operate with the forces of Colonel Jones. I saw upon entering this field our troops falling back along the road leading from the Chaplin house perpendicularly to the Kean's Neck road, near the