to surmount. All the men
who knew anything about General Hunter believed in him; but they all
knew that there were bad influences around him, and that the Government
had repudiated his promises. They had been kept four months in service,
and then had been dismissed without pay. That having been the case, why
should not the Government equally repudiate General Saxton's promises or
mine? As a matter of fact, the Government did repudiate these pledges for
years, though we had its own written authority to give them. But that
matter needs an appendix by itself.

The "Hunter Regiment" remained in camp on Hilton Head Island until
the beginning of August, 1862, kept constantly under drill, but much
demoralized by desertion. It was then disbanded, except one company.
That company, under command of Sergeant Trowbridge, then acting as
Captain, but not commissioned, was kept in service, and was sent (August
5, 1862) to garrison St. Simon's Island, on the coast of Georgia. On
this island (made famous by Mrs. Kemble's description) there were then
five hundred colored people, and not a single white man.

The black soldiers were sent down on the Ben De Ford, Captain Hallett.
On arriving, Trowbridge was at once informed by Commodore Goldsborough,
naval commander at that station, that there was a party of rebel
guerillas on the island, and was asked whether he would trust his
soldiers in pursuit of them. Trowbridge gladly assented; and the
Commodore added, "If you should capture them, it will be a great thing
for you."

They accordingly went on shore, and found that the colored men of the
island had already undertaken the enterprise. Twenty-five of them had
armed themselves, under the command of one of their own number, whose
name was John Brown. The second in command was Edward Gould, who was
afterwards a corporal in my own regiment The rebel party retreated
before these men, and drew them into a swamp. There was but one path,
and the negroes entered single file. The rebels lay behind a great log,
and fired upon them. John Brown, the leader, fell dead within six feet
of the log,--probably the first black man who fell under arms in
the war,--several other were wounded, and the band of raw recruits
retreated; as did also the rebels, in the opposite direction. This was
the first armed encounter, so far as I know, between the rebels and
their former slaves; and it is worth noticing that the attempt was a
spontaneous thing and not accompa