| Hdqrs. Dept. S. Carolina, Georgia, and Florida |
| Charleston, S. C. |
| March 25, 1864
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| |
| General Samuel Cooper |
| Adj. and Insp. Gen. |
| C. S. Army |
| Richmond, Va. |
| |
| General, |
| In transmitting detailed reports of
recent operations in East Florida
I have to accompany them, for the information of the War Department,
with the following:
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| *****
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| On the night of the 11th ultimo, I
ordered all our batteries bearing on Morris Island to open a heavy
simultaneous fire on that position, as if a cover for an assault,
and with the hope of forcing the enemy to withdraw from John's
Island to the protection of his own works. This stratagem seems to
have produced the desired effect, or assisted to make him abandon
the movement on John's Island and withdraw hastily before daybreak,
thus releasing and enabling Colquitt's command to reach General
Finegan in time to meet and defeat the enemy at Ocean Pond, some 13
miles in advance of Lake
City.
|
| In the meanwhile other troops (fast as
the means of railroad transportation would enable me) had been
dispatched to the theater of war from the works around Charleston
and Savannah
and the positions covering the {Charleston
&} Savannah Railroad. This was done,
indeed, to a hazardous degree; but, as I informed the honorable
Secretary of War by telegraph the 9th ultimo, I regarded it as
imperative to attempt to secure the subsistence resources of Florida. General Finegan was also apprised of these re-enforcements on
February 11, and instructed to maneuver in the mean time to check or delay
the enemy, but to avoid close quarters and unnecessary loss of men.
While these re-enforcements were en route the enemy again
attempted to delay them by a movement, with show of force, against
Whitemarsh Island, near Savannah, and it became a measure of proper
precaution to halt at Savannah two of the regiments on their way to
General Finegan for the development of the enemy's plans, one of
which regiments, indeed, I felt it but prudent to detain there to
the present.
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| The want of adequate rolling stock on
the Georgia
and Florida
railroads {Charleston & Savannah RR, the
Savannah, Albany & Gulf RR and the Pensacola & Georgia RR}, and the existence of the gap of some 26 miles between the
two roads {the future Lawton and Live Oak
connection}, subjected the concentration of my forces to a delay which
deprived my efforts to that end of full effect.
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| *****
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| Respectfully, your obedient servant,
|
| G. T. Beauregard
|
| General, Commanding
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