At Tiller's Bridge General Corse had two brigades wade the creek immediately upon his arrival, and a few wagons succeeded in getting over. At Kelly's Bridge General Hazen did much the same thing, sending over a part of his infantry and a few wagons. General Corse had hardly reached the mainland when the foragers and skirmishers were fiercely assaulted by Butler's cavalry.

The assault was sturdily met and repulsed, with a loss to the rebels of several killed and wounded. I saw a number of horses of the enemy killed. The water rose during the night upward of two feet, and rendered the crossing impassable except by bridging. I had dispatched the same day Captain Duncan, with all the available mounted men that I could raise at my headquarters, about sixty in number, with instructions to penetrate as far as the Charleston and Florence Railroad, and break that road by burning some one of the bridges west of Florence. While at Peay's Ferry news had come of the evacuation of Charleston. The news was corroborated by prisoners taken at Tiller's Bridge. Lieutenant McQueen, my chief of scouts, accompanied Captain Duncan with a cipher message, which he undertook to send through to Charleston. Captain Duncan crossed below Kelly's Bridge, and had reached Mount Elon Post-Office, where he was followed by quite a large force of rebel cavalry, considerably outnumbering his company. On the approach of this force he held his command well in hand and fought them desperately. The commander, Colonel or Brigadier-General Aiken, and some 6 or 7 of his men were killed, and 50 or 60 reported wounded.

Captain Duncan had two killed and three or four wounded, including Lieutenant McQueen, very severely. Duncan drove the enemy from the field, but, thinking that he had met with too much opposition for his small force, turned back and reached my headquarters the next day. The 27th of February it rained all day. General Blair put his entire corps at work and succeeded in bridging the approaches to the main stream and crossed part of his command just at evening. General Logan had a footbridge constructed from mainland to mainland. The pontoon was put down on the west side; some of the bad places were filled up with brick; other points corduroyed under water, the corduroy being pinned down. But every effort at this point was baffled be new difficulties. We did not succeed in getting over any wagons. The water, however, was subsiding slowly. The next day, the 28th of February, the bridging at Tillersville was continued, and a few wagons and animals crossed with great difficulty. General Hazen had commenced a plank bridge, promising to have a good one completed early the next day. March 1 the water had subsided so much that a roadway completely practicable was finished by noon at Tiller's Bridge, while at Kelly's General Hazen finished his plank bridge about 3. 30 p. ., of nearly a half mile in extent. But owing to the want of sufficient breadth of the trestles, and their resting upon a quicksand, the bridge racked over under the weight of heavy wagons, and part of it had to be reconstructed. I accompanied two of General Hazen's leading brigades as far as Kellytown. The accident at the bridge prevented the remainder of Hazen's column from getting up. We found the country at this point very rich, furnishing plenty of provisions for the horses and men.

March 2, General Logan concentrated his command near New Market, excepting Corse's division, ten miles above, at Rocky Ford, Black Creek. Near night General Logan mosion forward to the intersection of the New Market road. With my headquarters I crossed the columns and encamped near Rocky Ford. General Blair had moved