tenant Breeden approached to within 500 yards of the breastworks his scouts, whom he had sent on from the field, called to him to rush on; they could se the enemy leaving the premises of Colonel Heyward; that the lieutenant looked sick, ready to vomit, and said to his men, "I am given out; I can't run;" that he also stated that they had not been far, and that they knew nothing of the country or course of the river, and that they had no sabers with them.

John D. Sanders (who, with Privates Lumpkin and Leightley and Lieutenant Brunson, of Captain T. G. Allen's company of State troops, the Combahee Rangers, was at the farm of Mr. William Middleton, on the opposite side if the river from Colonel Heyward's and immediately at the ferry) states that Lieutenant Brunson went to the stable about 6.20 a. m. on the 2nd June, 1863, and called to us that a gunboat was in sight; we could see it from the stable. We saddled up, and Lieutenant brunson, leaving us, rode off to inform Mr. Blake. Leightley, who had charge of the negro dogs, also rode off with them. Lumpkin and I remained until the boat came to the bridge and landed some men upon the plantation. He saw the picket form the ferry crossing the bridge just before the boat came up, which discharged two small pieces, supposed to be 6-pounder guns. About 30 or 40 who landed took a path across the field to the house - chiefly white men; indeed noticed no negroes - and some of them had arms. We were only 300 yards from them, and they must have seen us. We retired and rode off toward Mr. Blake's, through the woods, and met Lieutenant Brunson, Mr. Blake, and a few others. We remained three or four hours, endeavoring to keep between Blake's negroes and the gunboat. While there we could see the Yankees and negroes crossing the road, until, seeing none, some of us rode back to Mr. Middleton's. the enemy had all left, but the boat was still at the bridge. We saw some of Blake's negroes endeavoring top get to the ferry; we went back to the road to get the dogs and cut them off; some of the negroes turned back. The enemy had burned all the buildings at Mr. Middleton's and taken off the negroes. When we returned the boats had left. We went down with Bell, the scout, and when we had passed the ferry we saw that the bridge was on fire, but not badly; we turned back and put it out, and endeavored to collect the scattered negroes of Mr. Blake. At 6 a. m. two of the pickets came up from ferry to water their horses at the well. They gave us no notice, and we knew nothing further from them until we saw them crossing the bridge. The Cotton Hope picket had a few moments before they crossed the bridge informed the ferry picket that a boat was in the river; we saw the other steamer lower down in the river. Mr. Lumpkin, Leightley, and Lieutenant Brunson support this statement. (See Inclosure E.)

Mr. Hughes (overseer for Colonel W. C. Heyward) states that he had a conversation with Corporal Wall on the Wednesday succeeding the raid; that he accused the picket at the ferry of having ben asleep; that Wall denied this, but admitted that they ought to have discovered and reported the steamers sooner than they did. Wall also stated that when, after the enemy, 20 in number, all negroes except one had marched up the causeway, he dashed back to meet the troops he supposed were coming down. But that time he found them, under Lieutenant Breeden, about three-fourts of a mile back upon the road halted near to Colonel Heyward's corn field; that he at once stated all the facts to Lieutenant Breeden, and told him if he would charge down the road to the gate he would bag the whole party; that it would be impossible for them to escape; to which the reply was, "Well, I don't know;"