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POPE’S HOUSE, HILTON HEAD , USED BY THE UNIONARMY AS A SIGNAL-STATION. FROM AWAR-TIME SKETCH.
had it been within the power of the
message was delivered to the only white man found, who sat in the post-officeand seemed quite dazed. At General Drayton’s headquarters was found achart of the coast, and, in red-pencil marks, a very valuable addition, no lessthan the position of all the earth-works within his command, the number ofguns being shown by the number of red marks in each locality. All of thebatteries indicated from North Edistosouth to Tybee were found to be aban-doned; the guns, however, had beenremoved, with the exception of someinferior pieces. Wherever the gun-boats penetrated, into harbors orrivers, huge columns of white smokewere seen on all sides from the burn-ing cotton, far out of our reach, hadit been the special object of our visitto secure it. Thus the enemy inflictedupon the inhabitants injuries theywould otherwise have escaped, evencrews of the gun-boats to inflict them.
O11 the 10 th, on board the Seneca , the flag-officer paid a visit to Beaufortand endeavored, by proclamation printed and distributed, to assure peaceableinhabitants of his protection. A planter whose house was on Paris Island,plainly in view from the anchorage at Port Royal, remained without molesta-tion for weeks, and was then constrained to leave only under threats of direpenalties from his Confederate friends.
After abandoning his works on Hilton Head , the enemy did not succeed ingetting off the island, at Seabrook Landing, only six miles from the fort, until2 a. m. of the 8th. On the Bay Point side, owing to a much longer march andthe indifferent means of crossing a small stream, it was not until the follow-ing afternoon that the force reached an adjacent island or the mainland. ,1Every man of them, whether in the one fort or the other, was doubtless greatlyimpressed with the power of gun-boats when brought face to face with thosebatteries which only a few hours before they had regarded as quite capableof sinking or driving off any force that would be brought against them.
The battle of Port Royal, occurring a little less than seven months afterthe fall of Fort Sumter, was of surpassing value in its moral and politicaleffect, both at home and abroad. It gave us one of the finest harbors on theAtlantic sea-board, affording an admirable base for future operations; and, bythe establishment of coaling stations, shops, and supply depots, made it pos-sible to maintain an effective blockade within the entrances of the wholecoast from Charleston to Cape Florida, except at Fernandina . Although
i General T. F. Drayton says, in his report:“ Notwithstanding the prompt measures adoptedhy Colonel Dunovant to effect his retreat in thedirection of the Narrows, it is surprising that, withthe knowledge possessed by the enemy (throughMr. [C. A.] Boutelle and others connected with
the Coast Survey), his retreat had not been inter-cepted by gun-boats passing up toward Beaufort,and mine by other steamers taking the passagethrough Scull Creek toward the ferry landing.Why they did not adopt this course must be leftto time to explain.’’ Editors.
vol. 1. 44