placed him in
command of the district, without regard to rank, and sent him over
the line to Brashear to put things straight. In this work Stickney
was engaged, when, at daylight on the morning of the 20th of June,
he received a telegram from Emory conveying the news that the
Confederates were advancing on La Fourche Crossing; so he left
Major Anthony, of the 2d Rhode Island cavalry, in command at Brashear
and went to the point where the danger threatened. When, on the
afternoon of the 21st of June, the Confederate force drew near,
Stickney found himself in command of a medley of 838 men belonging
to eight different organizations--namely, 195 of the 23d Connecticut,
154 of the 176th New York, 46 of the 42d Massachusetts, 37 of the
26th Maine, 306 of the 26th Massachusetts, 50 troopers of the 1st
Louisiana cavalry, 20 artillerymen, chiefly of the 1st Indiana,
and one section, with 30 men, of Grow's 25th New York battery.

The levee at this point was about twelve feet high, forming a
natural fortification, which Stickney took advantage of and
strengthened by throwing up slight rifle-pits on his flanks. These
had only been carried a few yards, and were nowhere more than two
feet high, when, about seven o'clock in the evening, under cover
of the darkness, Major attacked. The attack was led by Pyron's
regiment, reported by Major as 206 strong, and was received and
thrown off by about three quarters of Stickney's force. For this
result the credit is largely due to the gallantry and good judgment
of Major Morgan Morgan, Jr., of the 176th New York, and the steadiness
of his men, inspired by his example. Grow's guns being separated
and one of them without support, this piece was abandoned by its
gunners and fell for the moment into the hands of the Confederates;
the other piece, placed by Grow himself to protect the flank, poured
an effective enfilade fire upon Pyron's column.

Stickney's loss was 8 killed and 41 wounded, including Lieutenant
Starr, of the 23d Connecticut, whose hurt proved mortal. The
Confederate loss is not reported, but Stickney says he counted 53
of their dead on the field, and afterward found nearly 60 wounded
in the hospitals at Thibodeaux. The next morning, June 22d, their
dead and wounded were removed under a flag of truce.(1)

While the flag was out, Cahill came up from New Orleans with the
9th Connecticut, a further detachment of the 26th Massachusetts,
and the remainder of Grow's battery.