The Battle of Coosawhatchie
Pronounced koo-saw-HACH-ee
On October 21st, 1862 a Federal force of 4400 men, under the command of
Brigadier-General Brannan, sailed from Hilton Head, destined for Mackay's Point on the Broad River.
Brannan carried orders "to destroy the railroad and railroad bridges on the Charleston and Savannah line."
Brannan landed on the night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd, marching his troops up the road towards
Old Pocotaligo, in what is now called Point South. He sent two companies of engineers and the 48th New York
regiment to attack the bridge at Coosawhatchie then work their way towards Pocotaligo tearing up the rails.
During this attack on Old Pocotaligo, a smaller force was diverted to destroy the railroad bridge at
Coosawhatchie. This Union force consisted of the 48th New York regiment and two companies of engineers.
They were met by the Lafayette artillery and a section of the Beaufort battery of artillery along with
Captain B.F. Wyman's company of the 11th South Carolina Infantry. The attackers were repelled in their
initial assault by this small combined force of infantry and artillery, but eventually made to the
railroad, where they managed to cut down a telegraph pole and tear up a few rails.
Their work was cut short when a Confederate train carrying reinforcements appeared unexpectedly.
The Federals immediately delivered a volley of musket fire that killed an engineer and a major on the
train, but the arrival of a company from the 3rd South Carolina Cavalry forced the Federal raiding
party to retire. The cavalry pursued the Federal force back to their transports but were slowed by
the destruction of several tidewater bridges. The retreating Federals were harassed with musket
fire from the cavalry troops as they tried to board the transports and in a skirmish with the
gunboats protecting the transports, Confederate cavalryman Private Thomas B. Fripp was killed;
Confederate Lieutenant T.G. Buckner and Corporal Thomas Farr were wounded. Though a small section of
track was ripped up, repairs were quickly effected and the railroad was back in business within a few hours.
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