We remained in camp about two weeks before we took up another march, and this march was back to Johns Island. A courier came dashing into camp suddenly, bringing news that the enemy had landed in force on Johns Island, and that the gunboats were advancing put he Stone River. The long roll was sounded, 3 days rations were gotten ready, and in an hours time we were on the march. We soon arrived at Church Flats on the Stone, and took up quarters on the banks of the river, while Colonel Dunovant’s1 Regiment of Regulars was sent over on the island to oppose the advance and to serve as a vanguard for us. We remained at Church Flats until about four in the evening, when a courier came up at full speed saying that they enemy was still advancing and that Donovant’s whole Regiment had been cut off by the Yankees and were all prisoners. This caused great excitement. Everything was gotten ready, not doubting that we would have a tough struggle. Orders were given and we took up line of march for the Yankees. We marched on until about 10 at night. The enemy was said to be in two miles of us. We were certain of having a hot fight in the morning, but slept soundly after the fatigue of the march. In the morning we marched down to the forks of the road where the Yankees were supposed to be, but we were mistaken. They were still further off and when we arrived at the crossroads we received orders to halt and await the arrival and orders of Brigadier General Evans, commanding the whole forces, and whom I think was rather tardy in all his proceedings, and through whose mismanagement a splendid opportunity was lost for if he had have been with us that morning we could have advanced against the enemy and no doubt have driven them off the island with loss, but they soon began to fall back again and when General Evans arrived the enemy had retreated into the neighborhood of Seabrooks Island. On the arrival of General Evans, we were ordered to retire to a house a short distance back and spend the night, leaving a picket at the crossroads. Nothing of importance occurred that night, this was the second night on the island. The following day we spent lolling about our temporary quarters, listening to the various reports brought in from picket lines in front by our cavalry. About 4 p.m. a heavy thunder storm came on. The clouds were perfectly black, and seemed to be a forerunner of the bad mistake which occurred that evening. It had been raining all the previous night. The roads were very wet, but every now and then reports would again reach us that the enemy was advancing. About this time our pickets stationed at the crossroads sent in a man saying that body of Yankees, both infantry and cavalry, were upon them and that they were in great danger of being cut off and for us to hasten to their relief. In five minutes we were ready and on the way to the picket lines, two miles distance. Our picket number about 30 men, all cavalry. We had gotten in about half mile of the line when a sad calamity, or rather, mistake, befell us. Just as we turned an angle in the road what was our surprise on seeing a body of horsemen immediately in front of us, at about to ten paces, going, or rather coming, at horse neck speed toward us. We had barely time to part to the sides of the road to save ourselves from being run over by these flying horsemen. We supposed them to be Yankees, but as the foremost neared us we saw them to be our pickets. The foremost man as he approached us shouted out, “The enemy are right behind us,” but it so happened that our men had gotten divided into two squads on account of some horses being faster than others and we took the first squad to be our pickets and the hindermost ones to be the enemy in pursuit, for all of them were going so fast no distinction could be made, and we were very naturally mistaken as the last squad, which we took to be Yankees, came up, our first two companies fired into them dropping men, horse, etc. and in our confused melee. Rain was pouring down and we were soaking wet, and the fact of a great many of the guns not firing saved several lives. It was bad enough. The cavalry likewise mistook us for the enemy and fired their pistols at us as they passed. Two Lieutenants in the Regiment and one private were wounded. I was standing right by one of the Lieutenants when he received his wound which was slight. I had just fired at the cavalry as they passed and was reloading when I heard the command given to form line of battle on the other side of the road. I immediately rammed my bullet home and ran across the road jumping over the dead and wounded lying in the road and took my place in line. The Yankees on hearing our fire immediately stopped pursuit, wheeled, fired into us and left as fast as possible. But we still supposed that a large body of Yankee infantry was in front of us and we immediately deployed on one side of the road, and forming line of battle advanced, wading through the marsh, sometimes up to our hips, getting a thorough wetting. In the meantime, torrents of rain poured down in all its fury, and such thunders as I never before heard. However, after reloading we kept steadily forward in line of battle. Having thrown out Captain Hill’s company as skirmishers inout front, all of a sudden the skirmishers fired into what they supposed to be a company of Yankee infantry who immediately skedaddled, proving to be cavalry, leaving one horse killed. The night was very dark and with difficulty we could see our hands before our faces. Nothing more of the enemy was seen and returned to learn of our unfortunate mistake in firing into our own men, but which was to be blamed entirely on our cavalry pickets. We had only returned a short time and were drying our clothes before large fires when our company was ordered out on picket to repair to the crossroads and remain as guards for the rest of the night. We immediately left, and arriving at the crossroads pickets were stationed and the utmost silence maintained. I was placed at one of the stations with two others, and remained standing the rest of the night, shivering with cold, but the bright Goddess of morn at length succeeded in raising the dark mantle of night and ushered in a bright sunny day. We were now relieved by Captain John H. Witherspoon’s company and returned to quarters to rest and eat and lay about all day, nothing occurring to excite interest. At dusk the regiment was again formed and marched down to the crossroads, but at dark General Evans arrived and ordered us to leave the island, and our whole force, excepting the cavalry, left, consisting of Dunovant’s Regulars, 16th Regiment and ours, the 17th. We got to Church Flats at about nine at night, tired and sleepy, having stayed on the island a week. The following day we repaired to Camp Simon for a short rest, for it was not long before we were again on the march, our route and also our purpose this time was different from that which we had hitherto pursued and something more exciting, for we had hitherto acted only on the defensive, but now we assumed an offensive position. An attack was planned on the enemy on Edisto Island to be led by Colonel Stevens of the Halcombe Legion, an able and excellent officer. We soon received orders, and with little preparation were on the march. First we went to Adams Run, the headquarters of General Evans, about 12 miles distance from our camp. Here we met up with one or two other Regiments bound on the same expedition. In truth, our force was very small, being only the Halcombe Legion, 17th Regiment, Nelson’s Battalion, and some other separate commands of artillery and cavalry. A small force to undertake to drive ten thousand Yankees off of an island so well fortified and defended. When we arrived at Adams Run we halted and spent the night out in the street. The next day, by daylight, we were on the march for Edisto. We walked all day under a scorching sun, suffering from thirst and fatigue. We at length arrived at Pineburg, the place of crossing over to Ichossee Island, at about sunset, having only one large flat to cross the whole body, we were a long time getting over. Our regiment did not get over until about nine at night, when we took a small embankment for a path, thrown up just between the rice dams and the river, only a yard wide, with very tall grass growing on each side of it. It needed only one misstep on either side to precipitate us into the river, on one side or the rice dam on the other, but luckily for us the moon was shining brightly. We kept up this narrow path for about three miles, following the course of the river until at length we reached a road leading to Ex-Governor Aiken’s2 plantation, and following it, soon reached his wealthy farm. It ought to be called a village as I never saw so great a number of negro houses together to be owned by one man and on the whole so well fixed. We stopped here to rest, it was then about 12 o’clock at night. When we had hardly gotten seated on the ground a courier came dashing through our ranks at headlong speed saying that the enemy was endeavoring to cut us off with their gunboats by sailing up the river, and were prepared to receive us on the island, having been informed by some treacherous negro of our intentions, and as only half of our forces were yet over on Ichossee orders were given for us to retreat. We immediately marched back, leaving a picket behind, and taking the same route by the narrow path proceeded very slowly and did not reach the ferry until about two o’clock and were then compelled to stand in this narrow path for three hours and a half before we could cross, the tide having fallen and we were compelled to wade thigh deep in mud and water before we could reach the flats, but we go over safe at last just as the gray tent of morn began to appear on the Eastern horizon. Having walked the whole night and the day previous we were pretty well worried, and took a great rest at Pineberg, and about ten a.m. started for camp which we reached the following day. Our march being all for nothing as it turned out to be. This was the last march of any consequence that we took on the coast. True, we made another trip to Pocotaligo once in the case of an alarm, but it proved to be false, and we returned. Our next experience now came to possess more the appearance of stern reality, and instead of false alarms we came to sturdy blows, and close contest with a powerful enemy. We received the orders to repair to the Old Dominion, the land of fights, and were soon on the way.
1 John Dunovant - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dunovant
2 William Aiken, Jr. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Aiken,_Jr