Walker's force consisted of Nelson's Virginia battery, two sections of Elliott's battery, and the following commands: Maj. J. H. Morgan's battalion of cavalry, the Charleston light dragoons, Captain Kirk's partisan rangers, Captain Allston's company of sharpshooters, Capt. D. B. Heyward's company of cavalry, and Capt. A. C. Izard's company of the Eleventh South Carolina, Lieut. W. L. Campbell commanding. The aggregate of these troops was 475, one-fourth of whom were horse-holders and not in the engagement now to be described. Walker took position near Dr. Hutson's residence, on a salt marsh, crossed by a causeway and skirted by woods on both sides. A section of Elliott's guns, Allston's sharpshooters, and two companies of cavalry, under Maj. J. H. Morgan, had gone in advance of Walker's position and were skirmishing with the head of Brannan's advance and holding him in check. In this affair Major Morgan was severely wounded, but his command held the advance of the Federal troops sufficiently long to allow Walker to post his gallant little force at Hutson's. Elliott's guns were posted in and near the road, and Nelson's in the field in rear of the skirmishers, and screened by woods in front. The rest of the command was put in line to the right and left of the road, covered by the trees which fringed the marsh.
General Brannan, encouraged by his success in driving in Major Morgan, pushed up with his infantry and attacked at once. Walker replied with the guns of Elliott and Nelson (Lieutenant Massie commanding) and with his rifle fire. The marsh was impracticable, but Brannan pushed his troops to its edge and opened an infantry fire from a force so much superior to Walker's as to inflict serious damage to his batteries by killing horses and wounding the gunners. The Federal artillery fired so incessantly that their ammunition fell short and their fire slackened.
Meanwhile Elliott and Massie raked the woods opposite with shell and canister. General Brannan reports that this fire twice drove his infantry out of the woods "with great slaughter;" "the overwhelming fire of the enemy tore through the woods like hail." But the position was not strong enough to be held against so superior a force, and as the Federal regiments pushed out into the edge of the marsh, enveloping both flanks of the Confederate position, and delivering a damaging fire from their superior rifles, Walker ordered a retreat upon Old Pocotaligo, some 2½ miles in his rear.
This was well executed and without confusion, Capt. J. B. Allston's sharpshooters and part of Company I, Eleventh volunteers, covering the movement. On the retreat, Capt. W. L. Trenholm, with his splendid company, the Rutledge mounted riflemen, joined Walker from outpost duty, and took command of all the cavalry.
Arriving at Old Pocotaligo, Walker took position in the old houses and behind the scattered trees of the hamlet, the Pocotaligo creek with its impracticable marsh being in his front, and the ground higher and better adapted for defense than the position at Dr. Hutson's.
Capt. John H. Screven, just as the enemy appeared, opened fire, and after the last man of the rear guard had crossed, took a party of men and effectually tore up the long bridge on the causeway, and the fight began in earnest. Brannan brought up all his troops and artillery and poured in a galling fire, to which Walker's men replied from trees and houses and every bush on the edge of the marsh. Two of Elliott's guns and all of Morris' but one were disabled by the loss of the gunners, killed or wounded, and after the battle had been in progress some two hours, Walker had only three guns left. One of these he withdrew from the position commanding the causeway and put it in position under Sergeant Fuller, about 300 yards to his right, where it opened on the Federal left. Nelson's battalion (Seventh), 200 strong, under Capt. W. H. Sligh, came up at this juncture on Walker's right, and swelled his gallant little band to about 800 men. Half of Sligh's command, under Capt. J. H. Brooks, took position beyond Fuller's place, and opened fire from the woods fringing the Pocotaligo 700 or 800 yards beyond the hamlet of Pocotaligo. This fire created the impression of a strong reinforcement on Walker's right, and threatened the Federal left, which was in full view "in air."
General Brannan had sufficient force to hold Walker at Old Pocotaligo, and move at least 2,500 men around his right flank, crossing the Pocotaligo a mile or so above, where it becomes very narrow. But he cautiously held on to his position and kept up his fire on Walker's force, relieving his regiments as they became slack of ammunition. He could not get to Walker without forcing the causeway and relaying the bridge, and this he could not do as the fire of the artillery and every musket would be turned on the least advance. The creek was deep and the banks boggy and made an impassable ditch in Walker's front. Finally the Federal artillery ceased firing, and the entire force opened on Walker's left an incessant discharge from their rifles. Captain Sligh and the Charleston light dragoons on Walker's left replied with so much spirit and effect that Brannan gave up the fight, and at 6 p. m. withdrew from range and began his retreat to his boats at Mackay's point.
The bridge being destroyed and Walker's men thoroughly exhausted, it was some time before Colonel Walker could organize and direct the pursuit. Lieut. L. J. Walker, commanding the Rutledge mounted riflemen and Kirk's rangers, passing around the head of the Pocotaligo, pushed on down the Mackay's point road in the rear of Brannan's force; but the bridges were torn up and Walker could not reach the flying foe until the night made it impracticable to proceed. Brannan reached his gunboats in safety and re-embarked for his base at Hilton Head.
The force which attacked the bridge over the Coosawhatchie was met by Le Bleux's and Stuart's artillery and the fire of Captain Wyman's company, and was promptly repelled. A detachment, however, while the main force attacked the bridge, marched to the railroad, cut down a telegraph pole, cut the wire, and tore up two or three rails. A train carrying a portion of the Eleventh regiment and one company of Abney's battalion, under the command of Maj. J. J. Harrison, unhappily ran up just in time to receive a volley from the party on the railroad, by which the engineer was killed and Major Harrison lost his life.
Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson, with his cavalry, arriving at this juncture, the Federal force retreated and joined the force retiring from the bridge. The destruction of several bridges over marshes and creeks, which are numerous in the tidewater section, so impeded Colonel Johnson that he dismounted his men, and thus moved three companies in line to within 130 yards of the boats and fired on the troops as they embarked. The gunboats returned the fire, and a gallant soldier, Private Thomas B. Fripp, was killed, and Lieut. T. G. Buckner and Corp. Thomas Farr wounded. When the train was fired upon and the engineer killed, the conductor, Mr. Buckhalter, with coolness and courage, ran his train on in the face of the ambuscading party. Thus ended the expedition to destroy the railroad and bridges on the Charleston line.