the space from the Secessionville road to the marsh on the left of our lines.

At 4.30 a. m. on the 16th I received a dispatch from Colonel Stevens that the Secessionville pickets had been driven in and that the enemy were advancing in force upon that position. I immediately ordered under arms the portion of the First Regiment not on picket and Colonel Simonton's Eutaw Battalion, directing them to proceed down the Battery Island road in front of our entrenchments to the flank of the enemy's advance, and ordered Colonel McEnery's Louisiana Battalion Island road in font of our entrenchments to the flank of the enemy's advance, and ordered Colonel McEnery's Louisiana Battalion to proceed in rear by the bridge to Secessionville, delivering these orders in person.

Proceeding in advance down the Battery Island road, I ordered forward one of the two 6-pounders of Boyce's battery stationed at the Crossing of the Fort Johnson road, and arriving at the scene of action found the enemy making their second advance upon the post at Secessionville. A thicket of felled trees ran parallel with their line of advance and about 400 yards west of it, on the edge of which next the enemy Colonel Stevens had deployed about 100 men from the companies of Captains Tompkins, Pearson (Lieutenant Hamter commanding), and Gooding (Lieutenant Beckham commanding), of the Twenty-fourth Regiment South Carolina Volunteers. The Battery Island road, so obstructed as to be impassable by troops or vehicles, ran between this felled thicket and a dense wood stretching toward Grimball's, on the StoNumbers Simonton's battalion coming up was placed behind the felled thicket in line of battle, its right resting near the Battery Island road, and the detachment of the First Regiment South Carolina Volunteers was placed in reserve in the Battery Island, road, throwing out a strong line of skirmishers toward the Stono (which runs nearly parallel with this road) to guard against an advance from that point. Boyce's piece, under Lieutenant Jeter, was placed on Simonton's left at the extremity of the of the felled thicket. The object of this disposition was chiefly defensive, as a general advance upon our lines seemed immanent. Three regiments of infantry advanced in front of us, but beyond musket-range, to attack the west flank of the work as Secessionville, being supported by a battery of field artillery near the Battery Island road, in front of and beyond musket-range, to attack the west flank of the work at Secessionville, being supported by a battery of field artillery near the Battery Island was directed to open upon those regiments, which he did with effect. I immediately sent to the general commanding, asking to be supported in making an attack upon the rear and flank of these regiments. When the permission to attack and the assurance of support arrived the enemy had retreated.

In the mean while the fire of Jefer's piece drew upon us a heavy fire from the enemy's field battery, which, from the sheltered position of our troops, did but little damage, and four companies of the Third Rhode Island Regiment were sent in as skirmishers to size the felled woods and capture the piece. Stevens' skirmishers gallantly repelled them. A portion of the enemy, however, penetrated to Simonton's line of battle, and one of his companies and a platoon of another were for a few minutes engaged in driving them back. A few casualties in other portions of his line occurred from the random fire of the enemy engaged with our skirmishers, and one man i the detachment from the First Regiment was wounded in the same way. The enemy in retiring were seen carrying off their wounded. Six men were left dead in front of our skirmishers; 12 were left dead farther on toward Secessionville, where the three regiments spoken of were fired upon by Lieutenant Jeter, making their loss in this part of the field 18 killed; 11 prisoner were