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?I)C Comftcn vTonfclicrrttc.
j VOLUME I. CAMDEN, SO. CA.7 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1861. NUMBER 3,
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TO on? A Arrrir TPI?Q
JLV_/ Jl ltll. V JJJlJjlJilL'.
& OP THIS
SOUTH CAROLINA IAIL ROAD.
I ?
I taaepa-.rsrs psaaanj;':s Jf?
^Mtrnnnrai 11 .'i ;-J
tt :?? T
XORTI1EUX HOt.
pT XIGIIT
""""-" T^s. TRAINS.
I tLoave'Charleston J f* a m 6.30 p m
Arrive at Kingsvilk?, tlie
Junction of the Wilmington
& Manchester LL It.. 2pm 3,15 a no
Arrive at Columbia 4pm 5.2C a m
Arrive at Camden A p ci
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Leave Columbia |0 a in 1.40 p m
Leave Kingsville, the June- lj
tion of the Wilmington 3
?- If L 1 r, ) l)r, v. ?<
OU mniiciicnivi uuuiuuu*. j (>v II r.i / }'. .11
Arrive at Charleston IjjjjiO p ni |4.ih) a. in.
WESTERN KTE.
MA^I^ f)AY moht~
STATIONS. rAlNS. TRAIN'S
Leave Charleston B75 a in 2.30 p in
Arrive at Augusta |' 5 p in 111.15 p m
Leave Augusta tt) am 7.3*0 p in
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CfiROUQII TRAVEL BETWEEN JSdTA AM) JCINSfi V II.I.K
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fAINS. I RAINS.
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Arrive at Kingsvillo f 5 p iu 3.15 a in
o4Leave
Kingsville |J. ami 3.25 p m
Arrive at Auersta ? n nil 11.15 n ni
I?? - ? o u ? r
*
MID-DAY TRAIN BET\* CAMDEN AND
KINGSVB
Monday, Wednesday Saturday,
down. I up.
LeaveCamden, 10.20a. m. J litvingsvillo, 7.30a.m.
Leave Boykin's, 1.0S p. m IgClnrkson's 7.40 44
Leave Chiremant 1.45 14 IjeManchestcr Juno
Leavo Middleton 2.10 44 '8.10 a. iw.
Leave Manchester lunc- Dediddlcton 8.20
tion 2.20, p. m. D9:inreniont 8 45 44
Leave Clarkson's 2.43 44 Iieioykiri'a 9.20 44
Arrive at Kingsville 3.00, Arit Camden, 9.50
Nov. 8?tf II. T. t;E, Gen'l Sup't.
IOats and Co Peas*
X^OIl SALE FOR CASH, AT 'OLD CORNER.'
JU November 1 W. BONNEY.
Election ftce.
I A N ELECTION WILL BE I) ON TUESDAY '
tho nth of December nexa Keeper of tho ]
fl?oor Houso. , i
Applicants will liana 111 tnoir0sals, sealed, to
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day at 11 o'clock, at the Countii.ni of Mr. E. W.
Sonncy. ITGIIKSON,
November 8 3 S?. p. Kor. Dist.
il
i
From the Charleston Mercury.
TI1K BATTLE OF PORT KOVAL.
The battle of Port lloyal will be remembered
as one of the best fought, and best coil- j
ducted battles, which have signalized the war
in which we arc engaged.
. The two islands of Hilton llcad and Pay
Point, with their extreme limits, constitute the j
two points which guard the entrance to Port 1
lloyal Sound, about three miles in width. On !
t.hosn tvvn nninte l?n frti-tu ????? ?
V v IV i to ?I V. I V VIVVVViU I'UI \j I
Walker on llilton Head?and Fort Beauregard
on Hay Point. The time we possessed,
enabled us to make them only earthworks,
without any protection from shells or bombs.
'i he Island of IJilton Head was commanded
by Gen. Drayton. The oflieers immediately
superintending the artillery and conducting
.he lire of Fort "Walker, were Col. Wagner,
Major Arthur linger and Capt Yates, of the
icgula.i service, especially detailed by (Jen.
Ripley to aid in directing the artillery. Cob
Dunovant commanded at Fort .Beauregard,
but he generously allowed Capt. Elliott, of the
Beaufort Artillery, to direct and conduct the
batteries of the fort
The day was beautiful?calm and clear, with
scarcely a cloud in the heavens?just such a
day as our invaders would have ordained, if
they could, to carry on their operations.
In such a sketch of the battle as, amid the
excitement and thousands of baseless rumors,
we are enabled to present to our readers, a
brief review of the earlier events of this memorable
week will not be uninteresting.
i'KELIMlXAAY OI'KUATIONS OK TIIE ENEMY.
The great fleet of the enemy Passed our
j .
Tar on Sunday, the 4d inst., and on the following
day was anchored off Tort Royal entrance.
About 4 o'clock on Monday afternoon,
Com. Tatna/I, with liis " mosquito fleet'*
ran out from the li arbor and made the first
hostile demonstration. The immense armada
of the invaders, numbering, at that time, thirty-six
vessels, was drawn up in line of battle;
and as onr little flotilla steamed briskly up to
within a mile of them, and opened its fire, the
scene was an inspiring one, but almost ludicrous,
in the disparity of the size of the opposing
llocts. The enemy replied to our fire almost
immediately. After an exchange of
some twenty shots, Commodore Tatnall retired,
and was not pursued.
About seven o'clock on Tuesday morning,
several of the largest Yankee war steamers
having come within range, the batteries of
Torts Walker and Beauregard were opened,
and the steamers threw a number of shells in
and over our works^ inflicting no damage upon
Fort "Walker, and but slightly wounding
two of the garrison of Fort Beauregard. This
engagement lasted, with short intervals, for
nearly two hours, when the enemy drew off..;
The steamers made a similar, but shorter rcconnoisancc,
on Wednesday, but without any
important results. On the next day (Wednesday,)
the weather was rough, and the licet lay
at anchor five or six miles from shore. During
the day, several straggling transports came up,
swelling the number of vessels to forty-one.
All Tuesday night, and all day Wednesday,'
and Wednesday night, our men stood to their
guns, momentarily expecting an attack, and
obtaining only such scanty rest and refreshment
as chance afforded.
TIIE DAY OF THE DATTLE.
Thursday dawned gloriously upon our wea- ;
lied but undaunted gunners, and all felt that J
<lir> nl' tvinl linil *if loci oi'riir/i.l
v. 1..M. .-v lt?ou C?I?M UUlltflV
had breakfast been despatched, when the hos- 1
tile llect was observed in commotion. The
great war steamers formed rapidly in single
lilc, and within supporting distance of each t
other, the frigate Minnesota, the Hag ship of' j
Com. Dupont, in the van. As the long line of 1
formidable looking vessels, thirteen in number, .
most of them powerful propellers, with a few 1
sailing men-of-war in tow. swent ranidlv nn.l v,
o * 1 J
majestically in, with ports open and bristliii" j
with guns of the heaviest calibre, the sight I'
was grand and imposing. This was at hallpast
eight o'clock. Until the Minnesota came
within the range of and directly opposite to
our batteries on Hilton Head, all was still.
Suddenly, the fifteen heavy guns of Fort
Walker, which had been aimed directly at the
huge frigate, belched forth their simultaneous
lire, and the action was begun. Almost immediately
afterwards, the batteries of Fort Beauregard,
on the other side of the entrance, also
opened their lire. The enemy at first did not
reply. But, as the second steamer came opposite
to Fort Walker, the hulls of the first
three were suddenly wrapped in smoke, and
the shot and shell of three tremendous broad
sides, making, in all, seventy-live guns, came
crashing against our works. From this moment,
the bombardment was terrific and incessant.
One by one the propellers bore down
upon our forts, delivered their fire as they
passed, until nine had gained the interior of
the harbor, beyond the range of our guns.
The Minnesota, still followed by the others,
then turned round and steamed slowly out,
giving a broadside to Fort Beauregard, as she
repassed. Thus the battle was continued, the
enemy's vessels sailing in an cliptical curve,
pouring one broadside into Bay Point, and
then sweeping around to deliver the other
against Hilton Head. This furious lire from
some four hundred guns, many of them of the
1J -inch Dahlgrcn pattern and some even 05
1.'Finch bore (for a sabol of that diameter was
found in Fort Beauregard), was maintained incessantly,
and the ronr of the cannonade
seciueu most continuous, lucanwnue, our garrisons
were making a gallant defence. They
kept up a vigorous and well-directed tire
against their assailants, and notwithstanding
that their best gun was dismounted at the beginning
of the action, they succeeded in setting
tire to several of the ships. Whenever
this happened, however, the enemy would haul
off and soon extinguish the flames. The effect
of our guns was, in many instances, plainly
visible from the forts. A Ithough the sides of
tbe Minnesota arc of massive strength, several
of her ports were knocked into one. Nor
was she the only vessel upon which this evidence
of the power of ou r tire could be seenMany
of tbe other steamers were likewise
badly hulled.
After sometime spent in sailing round and
delivering their broadsides in rotation, in the
manner wo have described, the enemy's steamers
adopted another and more successful plan
of attack. One of them took a position inside
tlie harbor so as to cniiladc the batteries
of Fort "Walker, while several opened a simultaneous
enfilading lire from the outside. Besides
this terrific cross fire, two of the largest
steamers maintained the 15 rc in front of the
fort. Thus three furious c onvcrging streams of
shot and shell were raincc'l amongst the brave
little garrison for hours. The vessels came up
within a half mile of the shore, hut nearly all
our guns had, bv this time, become dismount_
i - - i ?i ? -?
l*u, ituu wc were no longer auio 10 reply with
serious effect.
Soon after 11 o'clock, tlic batteries of I>ay
Point were silenced. The fire of Fort Walker,
as far as the guns that remained were concerned,
was not a whit slackened, until one
o'clock. l)y that time t he dreadful condition
of the fort became too apparent to be longer
disregarded. The guns lay in every direction,
dismantled and useless ; the defences were
terribly shattered, the dead and dying were to
be seen on every side, and still the iron hail
poured pitilessly in.
FORT WALKER AltAXDONEn.
In this strait, it was determined to abandon
die fort. A long waste, about ^ mile in extent
find commanded by tnc enemy's guns, intervened
between the garrison and the woods.
Across this they were ordered to run for their
ives, each mau for himself; the object being to
icatter them as much as possible, so as not to
itford a target for the rifled guns of the fleet.
Hie propcrations for running this perilous
ganntlet were soon made. Knapsacks were
abandoned, but the men retained their muskets.
Each of the w ounded w as placed in a blanket
and carried off by four men. The safety of
the living precluded the idea of removing the
dead. And thus, the gallant little band quitted
the scene of their glory, and scampered off,
the best they could, towards the woods. The
retreat was covered by a small detachment who
remained in the Fort for an hour after their
comrades had left. Anions: those who remained
were Capt. Harms, with six men, Lieut.
\l 1 1 1* 1 T -!* %
iucicucrs wmi lour mer. aim ijicut. j>isciioiir
with four men. These worked three guns
until1 about two o'clock, when they also quitted
the post.
The abandonment of Fort Beauregard was
equally a necessity. The garrison were exhausted
and in momentary danger of being cut off.
When Col. Dunovont ordered a retreat, tears
of mortification and indignation filled the eyes
of Captain Elliott at the sad necessity. Thu
retreat was admirably conducted, and rendered
entirely successful by the prudent energy of
Capt. Ilanckcly one of Gen. lliplcy's Aids,, who
had got together sonic twelve flats at Station
Creek, by which the troops passed safely over
to St. Helena Island. From there,.they passed
to Beaufort Island, and reached the train at
Pocotaligo without the loss or injury ofone wan*In
this Fort none were killed, and but five were
wounded, and two of these were wounded by
negligence in loading a cannon, by which hot
shot was driven 0:1 the powder, w ithout the wet
wad proceeding it.
EVACUATION OP BAY POINT
Tlie rest of the story is briefly told.. Late
Thursday night the garrison of Fort Walker
had collected at the landing, in hopcofbeingublc
to reach l)luffton by water. Luckily, scvoraP
small Cofederate steamers were within hail.-r
But here a ludicrous mistake occurred.. Theretreating
troops imagined the little stcamor&
to be Yankee gun-boats; while the crews of the
steamers were convinced that the troops worea
body of disembarked Yankees. Acting uponthis
double delusion, a deal of mutual rcconnoitering.
was made, and it was only after a vast
variety of strategic approaches,, that they
reached the conclusion that it was "all right.''
A quick trip to Bluff'ton followed.?Tlicnecr
the troops marched to llardceville,. 17 milos>
distant. The road along which they dragged!
their exhausted frames was filled with a heterogeneous
throng of fugitives of all conditions..
C u *
carriages,.carta and conveyances of every description
that could, by any possibility,, bo
pressed into service. The spectacle was a sad*
one.
Thus ended the defence of Port Royal.. The
mortification of the disaster is lessened by the'
consciousness that our troops deserved successWhat
injury we did to the enemy,, wo donot'know.
Our firing was, of course,, less of?
fecient than theirs. Onr troops were vohurtcers?theirs
were picked artillerists. Yet, it isremarkable
how few were killed or wounded,,
amongst our troops. This battle, in this respect,
was very much like the battle of. Fort:
Sumter. IIow so many cannon could' havo
1 I! a 1 1 1 1 I 1..
uucu uiaiunuuuu aim renucreu useless, ana yew
so few of those who worked them injured,,
seems very marvellous. Our troops did their
duty faithfully and bravely, and fought until
to fight longer would Jiave been sheer folly..
Though encountering immense odds, no signs , S
of cowardice marked their conduct. Officers,'
and soldiers exemplified the ancient character
of the State, and deserve our profound gratitude
and admiration.
"My lad," said a lady to a boy, carrying a
mail bag, "arc you the mail boy?" " You ?
doesn't think I'm a female hoy, docs ye ma'am?" f
. Why is love like ft potato? Kaze it slioots
from the eye. Heigh, ho! i
- ? ^
The gin shops of London have invented ft
new drink, which they call "Bull linn."
?