line and opened up a brisk fire on them, when they fell back. The two other companies then came up and were properly formed on the left of the artillery and commenced firing and continued doing so until the ammunition was exhausted when I reported the case, and was ordered to fall back slowly and proceed back to the landing.

The officers and men performed their parts well, obeying promptly every order; our loss being 75 in killed, wounded, and missing. Of this number 12 were killed (2 captains), 62 were wounded and 1 missing.

Upon arriving at the landing I immediately supplied my command with ammunition and then bivouacked for the night.

At 12 o'clock on the 23rd I re-embarked on board of the gunboat Water Witch, and arrived at Hilton Head, S. C., at 6 p.m., and then disembarked and proceed to camp. The men were considerably workout but the were feeling well in consequence of the victory.

I have the honor to be, captain very respectfully, your obedient servant,

D. C. STRAWBRIDGE

Colonel, Commanding Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers.

Captain THEODORE BACON,

Actg. Asst. Adjt. General, Second Brigade, Tenth Army Corps.

Numbers 16. Report of Colonel William B. Barton, Forty-eighth New York Infantry.

HDQRS. U. S. FORCES ON THE SAVANNAH RIVER,
Fort Pulaski, Ga., October 23, 1862.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report my share in the recent operations against the Charleston and Savannah Railroad:

In accordance with orders from General Mitchel, received on the evening of the 20th instant, I left this post at 8 a.m. on the 21st instant with 300 men of the Forty-eighth New York Volunteers and 50 men of the Third Rhode Island Artillery (the latter under command of Captain John H. Gould), with three days' cooked and seven days' uncooked rations, on board the armed transport Planter.

On arriving at Hilton Head I received instructions as to my number in the line of the fleet, and also directions to report to Brigadier-General Brannan, who commanded the expedition on reaching Mackay's Point, for further orders.

Soon after daylight on the morning of the 22nd I reported to General in the line of the fleet, and also directions to report to Brigadier-General Brannan, who commanded the expedition on reaching Mackay's Point, for further orders.

Soon after daylight on the morning of the 22nd I reported to General Brannan, on board the Ben De Ford, and was directed by him to proceed with my command up the Coosawhatchie River, as near to the town of that name as I might deem practicable, and, disembarking under cover of the gunboats, which were to accompany me, to move toward the town, and if possible, reach the Charleston and Savannah Railroad and destroy it that point, and the bridge on it, over the Coosawhatchie. I was fully instructed,however, not to hazard too much in order to accomplish the above; but, if opposed by a force at all superior, to fall back under cover of the fleet.

There was some delay in starting, arising from the gunboats being well to the rear, which I improved in borrowing from Commander Steedman on board the flag-ship Paul Jones, a 12-pounder Dahlgren boat howitzer and 52 rounds of ammunition, which proved of great