The palmetto herald. (Port Royal, S.C.) 1864-1864, March 17, 1864, Image 2
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BT S. W.?A8(W A5D CO. *
PORT ROYAL, THl'KSLAX, MAKXJU n, law.
. "SAVK ME FROM MY FRUEXDS."
"It will be recollected that some
twenty months since, in June, 1862, while
. Gen. Hunter commanded the Department
of the South, and Gen. Beriham the District
now under Gen. Gillmore, an expedition
was planned against Charleston,
which landed at James island."
* * ? * * j
"At Fort Rilaski he commanded all the
troops engaged, and was the senior offi- j
* eer who gave any orders at that bom- j
harlmeat, being night and day under tire
In the batteries fully as much so as Capt.
Gillmore himself who was then Benham's
chief engineer, having no higher appointment
beyond what had been given him
by Gan. Benh%ni"8 predecessor. Yet, in
connection with neither of these affairs
.. does Gen. Benham's name appear in
Headley."
The above are.extracts from an article
in the Washington Chronicle of Feb. 20th.
The writer, whoever he may be, is either
grossly ignorant of the history of this
Denartment or "is greatly given to
lying." With the following corrections,
from official records, what there is left of
. the extracts will perhaps "pass master:"
1st. Gen. Benham never held the command
now held by Gen. Gillmore! He
commanded a District in this Department
under Gen. Hunter.
2d. Gen. Benham and Gen. Hunter
were both present at the bombardment
of Fort Pulaski, bnt neither of them gave
any orders altering or modifying the plan
of the siege, which had been matured in
all its details before either of those officers
came to this Department. The
bombardment was carried on in exact
conformity to Gen. Gillmore's orders to
commenced.
3d. Qen. Benham was in the trenches
one night only, and not later than twelve
o'clock. During the many weeks of lalorious
and enervating night'work on
Tybee Island, and in the marshes above
Fort Pulaski, he was not even in the Department
but was awaiting orders in the
North, under charges preferred by Gen.
Rosecrans. ,f
in. uen. uutmure ww uc?u v?uci
engineer to Gen. Benham. He held a
command under Benham, comprising all
the U. 8. forces <m Tybee Island, and
afterwards on Tybee and Cockspur
Islands.
These statements are all matters of histor*"
and official records, and Gen. Ben- j
ham's friends are certainly not doing liim
a friendly torn in attempting to falsify
history in his behalfl
Impressive Masomc Ceremony.? On
Monday last the body of Acting Master
Granville W. Fogg, of the gunboat Mercedita,
who died some ten months since,
and was buried at Bay Point, was disinterred
and seat North on the naval supply
steamer Massachusetts, Capt West, with
impressive Masonic ceremonies. Such of
the members of the Fraternity at this
Post as could be notified at short notice,
assembled at the quarters of Lieut.-Col.
J. F. Hall, the Provost-Marshal-General
of the Department, at one o'clock P.M.,
and marched to the pier, where a tugboat
was in readiness to convey them to
Bay Point. There the body was received,
and conveyed, in a suitable casket, to
the Massachusetts. Lieut.-Col. Hall j
there performed such portions of the j
beautiful and impressive Masonic service j
as were appropriate to the occasion, and
Oil. J. R Howell commander of the'
y*m
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District, made a very solemn jtfdress,
which di jw tears from many eyep. The
Masons present appeared without regalia,
but wore the symbolic sprigs of cassia.
Among the prominent military officers
representing the Fraternity on the occasion,
in addition to thoec above mentioned,
were Col. Redfield Dury ie, commanding
the Post; Col. Campbell, of the
76th Penn.; Capt. W. L. M. Burger, of
Gen. Gillmore's staff; Capt. Peek, Provost-Marshal,
and Lieul. Woodruff, of
Col. Duryee's staff. Mary naval officers
also participated in the solemn rites, and
a number of civilians.
Ar
AFFAIRS AT JACKSONVILLE.
tFrom our Special Correspondent]
Jacksonville, Fla., March 14,1864.
pilatka occupied. ' 1
The little town of Pilaika, on the left
bank of the St. John's river, about seventy-five
miles from its month and fifty from
Jacksonville, was occupied by our forces,
under Col. Barton, on Thursday morning
last, the 10th instant, at daylight. The
force, consisting of infantry and artillery,
left Jacksonville on the transports ^General
Hunter, Delaware, Maple Leaf and
Charles Houghton, on Wednesday evening,
and, under the direction of good
pilots, reached Pilatka at about daylight,
without anything of an exciting nature
occiiring on the trip up. The night was
densely dark, and a terrible thunder-storm
added not a little to the difficulty of the
passage of the boats up the tortuous channel,
and also to the diicomfort of the
men. The rain poured in torrenWptnd
drifted into the boats and upon the nen
(JUilC a uuiuwi v/i uuv p_
the river bank, used as warehouses and
stores, which were formerly filled with
cotton and produce, and large and valuable
stocks of goods, such as are commonly
found in country districts. There
are also many dwelling houses in town,
built of brick, and with some architectural
pretensions. All of these buildings
are now vacant and deserted. Many of
them have furniture in them of no great
* rm ^ /vP *\1 aA.-\ la
value, i ne general aspcvi, w ^ ?
rlUmftl and melancholy, and possesses
but little interest at present.
Shortly after our forces arrived, a rebel
deserter came in from Lake City, and
gave some important information to the
commanding officer relative to the enemy's
strength and position. He was
tired of the war, and embraced the opportunity
afforded him by bis command
in young .Niagaras, wnne inc iigmmng
was incessant, and the peals of thunder
rapid and deafening. Through all these
disagreeable accessories to a night move,
the expedition progressed safely and Satisfactorily,
and had nearly accomplished
its first object before sunriseof^thflj^ly
I lowing day. But few ol 1he enemy were
seen by those who disemlerked first, and
they offered no resistance to our movej
ments. The rebels probably had only a
| small cavalry picket in the town, and on
i the approach of our men it was with|
drawn and the place given up without
firing a shot on either ride.
The town was found entirely de* e*t*d,
except by three small families, wlu professed
Union sentiments, and des red to
remain at their homes, and witliia the
Yankee lines. They have but little pro
perty, and arc not at all reluctant to seek
refuge and food under the old flj'g. The
remainder of the inhabitants of the once
flourishing and promising to- vn have
fled, and found new homes elsewhere
with the rebels.
The 'village is about one-fourth the
size of Jacksonville, and was, before the
war, one of the most active and businesslike
places in that section of the State.
The town is well laid out, and boasts of
?.:?? ? nf fino htif'b luiildinm rvn
ing officer, who had sent hira from Lake
City to an outpost near Pilntka to l>ear
dispatches. Once away from the rebel
lines, he struck for the St. John's, and
soon found himself among our men, who
-.--1 j -?_ l:? xt? ??
lUUh. gWU WUC Ul iiilil. vamioiuciuimi;
force of the enemy can be heard of within
forty or fifty miles of the town. One
or two cavalry companies are within the
vicinity of our force, but are not very
formidable in men or morale. Our lines
are now a mile or more from town, and
preparations for a strong defence have
already been begun, and are well advanced.
As yet, the reports relative to the immense
supplies of cotton, turpentine, ?fcc?
have not been verified. A more extended
search than that already made may develope
hidden and valuable supplies.
The naval tug Columbine escorted the
expedition up the river, and remains to
act in any contingency.
General Seymour and Commander
Balch went up from Jacksonville, on
Saturday, to look after affairs in that
quarter, and to concert for what may
prove an important movement.
! SOOIl DC ill operuuuu uuu win uiiuuuuiculy
prove of great value to the Depart I
ment.
The following are the members of the
; Signal Corps in the District?all good and
efficient men: Capt. G. S. Dana, Chief;
1st Lieuts. T. C. Vidal, T. L. Hatfield,
Wilson Bntyn; 2d Lieuts. T. E. Weber,
N. B. Roberts and Cliarlc3 Weihl.
A WELL MERITED RECOGNITION.
The following extract from General
| Orders No. 10, issued by Brig. Gen.
| Truman Seymour. Commanding District
of Florida, is a deserved tribute to the
efficient and industrious agent of the
Sanitary Commission at Jacksonville,
A. B. Day, Esq. I have had an opporI
THE COAST SURVEY.
The U. S. Coast Survey schooner Cas- j
well has arrived at Jacksonville, and is j
anchored off the town. Capt. William
H. Dennis, assistant in the Coast Survey
Corps, has been attached to the staff of
Brig.-Gen. Seymour, as Topographical
Engineer,, and has entered upon the discharge
of his duties. His aids are also
engaged in topographic and hydrographic
work about Jacksonville, preparing maps
and charts of the river and country about
the town. The work is going on rapidly
and must prove of great value to the
military authorities in the Department.
The surveying steamer Vixen, Captain
G. 0. Boutelle, is daily expected at the
mouth of the St. John's, to replace the
'lh Iignt-houscs, and re-light
them. They are much needed at this
point, in order to enable vessels, if necessary,
to cross the bar in the night, and
also to serve as beacons to vessels passing
up and down the coast The work
will be speedily completed.
A NEW SIGNAL LINK
Has been established by Capt. Dana,
Chief Signal Officer of the Southern
District, horn Jacksonville to the mouth
of St. John's river. The intermediate sta!o
/* i>o ot Vollmr RinffV nhnnt. mid
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way between the termini of the line.
The Yellow Bluff Station is now in process
of erection. It will consist of a
tower about one hundred feet in height,
from the summit of which the eye can
sweep over a vast region of country.
The tower on the church in Jacksonville
is clearly visible through a glass, as it is
only seven and a half miles distant, as a
crow , flies. The light-house at the
mouth of the river, which is to be used
as a signal station, is seven miles and
throe quarters distant from Yellow
Bluffs, in an air line, and is easily discerned
in clear weather. The line will
* *? 1 ?"11
j tunity of observing the faithful manner
in which Mr. Day has performed his
arduous and varied duties, and can endorse
every word of Gen. Seymour's
acknowledgment:
" ine ur^aarer-^TfiK-nti ivmnKiiuuug nian-fully
recalls to the recollection of the troops of
this command, the debt inenrred by them,
during the recent movements, to the Sanitary
Commission and its Agent. Mrr A. B. Day.
Much suffering- has byeu allevi.ted and many
inconveniences removed by the energy and
promptness with which the supplies of the Commission
have been placed at the control of our
medical officers; and for those who have been
so benefitted, officers and men, the Brigadier-Gen
eral offers his own and their most sincere
thanks."
REGTLA7IOX " BOOTEES."
The following is an extract front si re
cent General Order:
"Long experience having shown that the
Regulation " Bootees" are the hest that can he
worn by Infantry in Florida, on the march, and!
that straggling is mainly caused by wearing
I L-U* otoooo of otVior nntt?mfi. the till
ll^Ul IAA>M auu PUUVO VI Viuvi .? 1 ?
listed men of this command are forbidden to
wear any other than those issued by the U. S.
Quartermaster's Department Officers of all
grades will give especial attention to this order."
HONOR TO TltE HEROES OF OLOSTKE.
The batteries and redoubts about Jacksonville
have been appropriately named
after the following brave officers, killed
or wounded at the battle of Olustee:?
Capt. John Hamilton, Lt. Col. W. II.
Reed, Col. Ilenry Moore, Lieut. Tulley
McCrea, Col. C. W. Fribley, Jdeut. J.
R. Mvrick, Col. S. Summons. The General
Order, designating these names,
says in conclusion :
" No recollections can be more permament to
this command than of those who fell so gallantly
and gloriously at Olustee; the above is less to
commemorate than to acknowledge the honor
that is justly felt to be due to those who spared
neither their blood nor their lives on that occasion."
___
LATE NEWS PROM REBEL PAPERS.
We rcceivyfl ypsfprrlny filec nf Pioli , .
mond and Charleston papers to the 11th
inst. The former are still harping upon
the atrocious enormity of Kilpatrick'sraid
and "the Lincoln dynasty," while
the Charleston prints meekly follow suit
in similar strains, and clamor for " retaliation."
AFFAIRS AT SUFFOLK#
The most important feature of the
news from Richmond is to the effect
that on the 9th instant our forces at Suffolk,
Va., were attacked and routed,
and were driven out of town in confusion,
with the loss of a large number
killed, one piece of artillery and a large
quantity of commissary's and quartermaster's
stores. According to the rebel
accounts, our troops were " flying"
toward Portsmouth, burning bridges and
everything else behind them. By our
papers we learn that the town was retaken
on the following day.
EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.
The Richmond Sentinel has a column
glorifying the eight hundred men whom
General Butler recently sent up from
Point Lookout, for having withstood the
"bribes" held out to them; but it complains
bitterly that " they were landed in
silence; not a cheer?not even the waving
i ? i _ii !. r 1 it ii
i oi a nanuiterciuei?iu weiuumc iiit-m.
OLUSTEE.
The secession press is jubilant ovTr
the results of the battle of Olustee. One
writer speaks of the long list of casualties
in the New York Times of the 2d as
" the prettiest page- of printed matter he
ever saw."
CAPTCRED OFFICERS.
The Union officers captured in the recent
raid have, been placed in solitary
; confinement, by order of Jeff Davis.
CHARLESTON.
The Mercury states tliat a new ironclad
gunhoat, entitled the Ashley, was