that the upper battery should fire five rounds and then cease, to allow the infantry to enter the village. If the crippling of the vessel had been regarded as the signal for the advance of the infantry, this restriction would have been unnecessary. Certainly I must ever remain of opinion that a most favorable opening for that advance was presented when the Marblehead, seemingly distructing her ability to stand our fire, steamed down the river, leaving the men in the village to their fate. My first report was, it seems, too brief; I trust I will not be considered as having reached the opposite extreme in this.

I am, general, your obedient servant,

DEL. KEMPER,

Lieutenant-Colonel, Artillery.

Brigadier General THOMAS JORDAN,

Chief of Staff.

[Indorsement.]

I don't understand the purpose or motive of this second reports of Lieutenant-Colonel Kemper. Colonel PAGE is absent on furlough, but I forward this for whatever it is worth to aid the clear understanding of the failure of the attack on Legareville and the gun-boat Marblehead. The estimate of distance by Lieutenant-Colonel Kemper must be inaccurate, or the best maps of the locality must be incorrect. The Marbehead could not have been at any time mre than from 900 to 1,200 yards distant from the middle battery, if the maps are at all corect. I do not sustain Lieutenant-Colonel Kemper in his insinuation that the infantry should have advanced upon Legareville. Subsequent developments show that Colonel PAGE's judgment was right in not advancing. I refer to the reports of Major Jenkins. He thinks that the battery of Charles would have been lost; so I think Lieutenant-Colonel Kemper's bad shots could not have been helped by the advance of the infantry and of Charles' battery. He, Lieutenant-Colonel Kemper, was under the orders of Colonel PAGE. He did right not to wait for those orders. He retired first and without orders. Charles' battery continued the fight after he was reported as retiring. I see no object, I repreat, in this report. If Lieutenant-Colonel Kemper means to cast any censure upon Colonel PAGE he ought to state it distinctly. In my opinion Colonel PAGE's course ought to be approved. Charles' battery may have passed the road first for obvious reason, though delaying and firing later than siege pieces. I regret that the heavy howitzers were not brought off. Lieutenant-Colonel Kemper is responsible for that, and for leaving the dead body on the ground. I acept his account of that part of the faiture. The sketch which he appends is incorrect. The shots from the Marblehead passed directly over the middle battery over to where Charles' light battery and infantry were placed. The loss in Charles' battery and in the infantry (one ambulance mule) was all owing to that circumstance. I repeat that the failure of the expedition was owing, first, to the bad gunnery of the siege train; second, to the fact that no work was thrown up to prevent the enfilade fire of the Pawnee from Kiawah. I have no censure to cast except upon this disposition to inculpate the infantry.

Respectfully,

HENRY A. WISE,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

[28.]