nd Charleston is the
"Shell Road," a beautiful avenue, which, about nine miles from Beaufort,
strikes a ferry across the Coosaw River. War abolished the ferry, and
made the river the permanent barrier between the opposing picket lines.
For ten miles, right and left, these lines extended, marked by well-worn
footpaths, following the endless windings of the stream; and they never
varied until nearly the end of the war. Upon their maintenance depended
our whole foothold on the Sea Islands; and upon that again finally
depended the whole campaign of Sherman. But for the services of the
colored troops, which finally formed the main garrison of the Department
of the South, the Great March would never have been performed.

There was thus a region ten or twelve miles square of which I had
exclusive military command. It was level, but otherwise broken and
bewildering to the last degree. No road traversed it, properly speaking,
but the Shell Road. All the rest was a wild medley of cypress swamp,
pine barren, muddy creek, and cultivated plantation, intersected by
interminable lanes and bridle-paths, through which we must ride day
and night, and which our horses soon knew better than ourselves. The
regiment was distributed at different stations, the main force being
under my immediate command, at a plantation close by the Shell Road, two
miles from the ferry, and seven miles from Beaufort. Our first picket
duty was just at the time of the first attack on Charleston, under
Dupont and Hunter; and it was generally supposed that the Confederates
would make an effort to recapture the Sea Islands. My orders were to
watch the enemy closely, keep informed as to his position and movements,
attempt no advance, and, in case any were attempted from the other
side, to delay it as long as possible, sending instant notice to
head-quarters. As to the delay, that could be easily guaranteed. There
were causeways on the Shell Road which a single battery could
hold against a large force; and the plantations were everywhere so
intersected by hedges and dikes that they seemed expressly planned for
defence. Although creeks wound in and out everywhere, yet these were
only navigable at high tide, and at all other times were impassable
marshes. There were but few posts where the enemy were within rifle
range, and their occasional attacks at those points were soon stopped by
our enforcement of a pithy order from General Hunter, "Give them as good
as they send