As darkness came on the firing ceased. A detachment of the regiment was left in skirmish line, among them Co. G. The forces were being withdrawn. Those woods, so lately echoing with strife, were now perfectly quiet. And when the main column had passed, a sergeant went from one to another of the thin line out there in the darkness, and whispered orders to quietly fall back to the road. The 157th detachment was rear guard. The johnnies did not follow. Both sides were fully surfeited with fighting for one day.
As stated, the five companies of the 157th one hundred and forty-two men, lost in that hot little fight of Honey Hill, S.C., Nov. 30th, 1864, twenty-seven men and three officers. Two of the enlisted men were fatally hurt and Lieut. Grant seriously.
The rebels claimed a glorious victory. They acknowledged they had fourteen hundred muskets and seven pieces of artillery to begin with; and later in the day, another regiment, a battery and a company of cavalry arrived. And their main force were behind works.
Hatch's men did not exceed three thousand, who with the exception of the small force on the left, fought without cover. Hatch lost in killed and wounded that day fully eight hundred officers and men and gained nothing. No comment is necessary.
The forces fell back, carrying their wounded and bivouaced at Boyds Point under the protection of gunboats.
Co. G could now figure up the cost of the brisk little brush fight.
- Capt. McWilliams, wounded in thigh.
- Lieut. Grant, shot through side.
- Lieut. Forbes, contusion.
- Corporal C. A. Near, head.
- Amos Avery, left hand.
- John Miller, left hand.
- J. McMaster, head.
- Michael Miller, left hand.
- Nelson Kimball, groin.
- Simon Nestler, head.
- James Johnson, right thigh.
With exceptions of Capt. McWilliams and Lieut. Grant, the wounds were slight. Those officers eventually recovered although Grant was partially disabled for life. Neither returned to the regiment and thus Co. G lost two excellent officers.
Corporal Near was knocked over by a ball passing over the top of his head, shaving the hair close to the scalp in its course. Jim McMaster caught a buckshot against his forehead, he picked out the shot and went to the rear—it gave him a headache. Many of the boys had narrow escapes from bullets which struck the trees very close to them.
Charleston papers admitted the rebel loss to have been eighteen killed and eighty wounded.