On the morning of June 2, 1863 did not begin like some ordinary day along the Combahee River. The dawn brought confusion and flames to the South Carolina waterway. The dawn also brought freedom for hundreds. Federal troops, in the form of former slaves, arrived to raid the area around Combahee Ferry.
The Second South Carolina Volunteer Infantry came into being as one of Major General David Hunter’s programs recruiting contrabands. Starting in January 1863, Colonel James Montgomery organized the regiment. Montgomery had associated with the likes of John Brown and served as Brigadier-General James Lane’s second in command during the early fighting in Missouri. To say Montgomery was just an ardent abolitionist would be an understatement. He intended to make a statement by way of actions. As mentioned earlier, the ranks grew in part to “drafts” of escaped slaves under General Orders No. 17 through April and May 1863.
With his regiment mustered, Montgomery looked for an opportunity to use the colored troops directly against their former masters. What allowed Montgomery, and Hunter, to settle on a target was intelligence gathered by Harriet Tubman.
Having served at Hilton Head in several capacities, starting early in 1863 Tubman took on a more active role scouting and gathering intelligence. As she had done before the war to aid escapes from bondage, Tubman worked through a network of slaves. Soon the Federals knew the location and activities of Confederate pickets in the area.
And the Confederate picket lines were rather thin in the area between Hilton Head and Charleston. With the reduction of forces in the Department, General P.G.T. Beauregard accepted risk in order to defend the most vital points. Charleston, Savannah, and the railroad between were defended. But between the railroad and the sea, little more than a picket line was maintained. As spring turned towards summer, most southerners felt the Federals would simply stay in their camps to avoid the unhealthy season.
Unconcerned with the onset of summer, Montgomery, using Tubman’s information, determined the plantations near Combahee Ferry were vulnerable. His plan was to move with three companies of his regiment, supported by artillerymen of the 3rd Rhode Island Artillery manning howitzers and boat guns, on three Army steamers – the gunboat John Adams, and the transports Harriet A. Weed and Sentinel.
The map above shows the area of operations, with the locations of Hilton Head, Combahee Ferry and Tar Bluff. The blue arrow is the route up the Combahee River. Notice the proximity of the Charleston & Savannah Railroad.
The force left Hilton Head on June 1 and transited to St. Helena Sound overnight. Tubman acted as guide for the force. Along the way the Sentinel grounded forcing the transfer of troops to the John Adams. Around 3 a.m. the two steamers reached Field’s Point, where they were observed by Confederate pickets (three red dots on the map below). But the pickets could do little but send a warning. And that warning had to travel some ten miles to reach reinforcements.
Montgomery landed a portion of his force, roughly company strength, near Tar Bluff. Those troops moved inland towards a crossroads in the early morning light. The John Adams continued upstream to Combahee Ferry. There Montgomery landed more of his force. At around 6 a.m. this force moved east towards the plantation houses of Heyward and Lowndes. Again, Confederate pickets (red dots) reported the Federal landings but reinforcements were far away.
Montgomery’s men moved forward with very little actual firing, save that of the gunboat. To prevent reinforcement from the west side of the river, the John Adams destroyed a pontoon bridge that spanned the river at the ferry site. When the troops arrived at the plantations, they took anything deemed of military value, particularly livestock, and began setting fire to the buildings. Likewise the force landed downstream began destroying plantations there.
Alerted about the timing of the Federal raid, hundreds of slaves made their way to the river. This was their emancipation day. Although over 700 were carried off, Confederate pickets managed to prevent a sizable number of others from joining this mass escape.
By mid-morning, Montgomery had achieved what he set out to do and ordered a withdrawal to the boats. Arriving too late to stop the Federals, Confederate reinforcements staged a haphazard pursuit. No artillery pieces moved up quickly enough to engage the Federal boats or even prevent the escaping slaves who were rowing out in the river. By mid-afternoon, all was over and most buildings around the Ferry were smoldering ruins.
The dismal Confederate performance at Combahee Ferry led to a formal investigation. Captain John F. Lay filed a lengthy report on June 24. Lay found the action “mortifying and humiliating to our arms.” In summary he noted:
This raid by a mixed party of blacks and degraded whites seems to have been designed only for plunder, robbery, and destruction of private property; in carrying it out they have disregarded all rules of civilized war, and have acted more as fiends than human beings. Fortunately the planters had removed their families, who thus avoided outrage and insult. The enemy seem to have been well posted as to the character and capacity of our troops and their small chance of encountering opposition, and to have been well guided by persons thoroughly acquainted with the river and the country. Their success was complete, as evidenced by the total destruction of four fine residences, six valuable mills, with many valuable out-buildings (the residence of Mr. Charles Lowndes alone escaped), and large quantities of rice. They also successfully carried off from 700 to 800 slaves of every age and sex. These slaves, it is believed, were invited by these raiders to join them in their fiendish work of destruction. The loss of Messrs. Nickols and Kirkland was very great–an entire loss, including for the former a large and choice library, valued at $15,000.
There’s a lot to take in there. Certainly the staff in Charleston were more concerned with the 700 lost slaves than Mr. Nickols’ books. How many month’s worth of labor details made off on those boats?
On the Federal side, Hunter was more than happy with the raid. In a letter to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, he boasted of penetrating 25 miles into Confederate territory, capturing large quantities of cotton and rice, destroying the pontoon bridge, and bringing back 725 slaves. He went on to suggest this was just the start:
This expedition is but the initial experiment of a system of incursions which will penetrate up all the inlets, creeks, and rivers of this department, and to be used in which I am now having several of our light-draught transport steamers supplied with bulwarks of boiler-iron to protect the troops on board from musketry and rifles; such steamers carrying 10 and 20-pounder howitzers in their bows.
In the same letter he mentioned a similar raid in Florida that brought in 118 head of cattle. And before he closed, he noted the arrival of a new regiment:
The Fifty-fourth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers (colored), Colonel Shaw commanding, arrived to-day in good condition, and appear an excellent regiment, over 900 strong. They will soon have abundant and very important employment, as will all other regiments, white or colored, that may be sent to re-enforce this department.
I’ve summarized (if 1200 words is summary) the raid mostly from an operational standpoint. There are several threads to consider here – Confederate reactions, growing use of black troops and implications, Federal justification for destruction of private property, to name a few. I’ll look some of those threads in future posts.
I would also point out, the Combahee Ferry site is today were US Highway 17 crosses the Combahee River, on the Harriet Tubman Bridge. It is also the site of some solid archeological field work, to include confirmation of Confederate earthworks on the west side.
(Captain Lay’s report appears in OR, Series I, Volume 14, Serial 20, pages 298-308. Hunter’s letter is in the same volume, page 463.)
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