Early in February, General Beauregard was advised of Gillmore's expedition in Florida, threatening the capital of that State, and he immediately began forwarding troops to that almost defenseless region. Colquitt's Georgia brigade was under orders to move, when news was received of a Federal advance on John's island, doubtless undertaken to detain troops at Charleston, or to take advantage of their absence. Gen. Henry A. Wise, in command of the Sixth district, reported that the enemy landed in force on Kiowah island, the night of the 8th, crossed Seabrook island, at the Haulover to John's island, driving in the pickets of the advanced post held by Maj. John Jenkins, with part of the Sixth South Carolina cavalry. Jenkins, though outnumbered, made a gallant resistance when attacked on the morning of the 9th, and suffered considerable loss, Capt. M. B. Humphreys, commanding the cadet cavalry company, being severely wounded. Said General Wise:
With about 150 men composed of the Stono scouts, the Rebel troop, the Cadets and Sullivan's cavalry company, one section of the Marion artillery, and Captain Jennett's company of the Fifty-ninth Virginia infantry, he held the whole force of the enemy in check; fought and fell back some two or three miles only, and in turn drove them back nearly the whole distance by such repeated charges all day that he made them fear he was supported, and he held his ground manfully until night, when he was reinforced by Colonel Tabb with a battalion of the Fifty-ninth Virginia and the Marion artillery.
On the morning of the 10th, Jenkins was reinforced by Charles' South Carolina battery and a battalion of the Twenty-sixth Virginia, under Col. P. R. Page, who took command until General Wise came up and retired the forces to a more advantageous position, across the Bohicket road. Part of Colquitt's Georgia brigade soon arrived, and a strong line was formed. The enemy's advance was met by the artillery, before whose effective fire the Federals retreated from the field. General Wise did not order an advance till next morning, when it was found that General Schimmelfennig, the Federal commander, had abandoned his enterprise and left the island under cover of the gunboats. In these operations about 15 men were killed or wounded in Jenkins' command. The Federal loss was about the same. Colquitt's brigade was immediately forwarded to Florida. On the morning of the 11th, all the harbor batteries bearing on Morris island opened a vigorous bombardment, as though preceding an attack by infantry, to make a diversion in favor of General Wise.
The night of February 17th was made memorable by the destruction of the United States sloop-of-war Housatonic. This was done by the submarine torpedo boat H. L. Hunley, under command of Lieut. George E. Dixon, of Alabama. This brave officer and his associates left Battery Marshall, on Sullivan's island, that night, for their daring deed, and were never again heard from. They shared the fate of the vessel they destroyed.
The usual daily round of artillery firing continued in the harbor defenses, with little activity on the part of the enemy, during the following months, when both North and South were preparing for the great struggle between the armies in Virginia and Georgia. The guns of Fort Sumter, at noon of April 13th, fired a defiant salute in honor of the surrender by Major Anderson, and provoked a fire in which J. P. Huger, of the signal corps, was killed. A day or two later Colonel Elliott was relieved in command by Capt. John C. Mitchel, of the First artillery. On May 16th, two monitors moved up and opened fire on Sumter, but were driven off, seriously injured by the Sullivan's island batteries.
Sumter's flagstaff was again shot away on June 20th, the Federal gunners at Cummings point hitting the staff at the second shot and cutting it in two. Lieut. C. H. Claibourne, First regulars, assisted by Sergt. N. F. Devereux and Corp. B. Brannon, mounted the gorge wall and lashed the two pieces of staff together, under a rapid fire. The flagstaff was again struck on the 25th, and twice shot away on the 26th, the last time being replaced by Privates Walter Steele and D. E. Badger. In return, a skillful gunner at Fort Johnson brought down the Federal flag at Battery Gregg.
With the approach of the May campaigns in Virginia and Georgia, heavy drafts were made upon General Beauregard's forces. On March 17th, the First and Second cavalry were ordered to South Carolina, and the Fourth, Colonel Rutledge; Fifth, Colonel Dunovant; Sixth, Colonel Aiken; Seventh Georgia, and Millen's battalion, and the cavalry companies of Captains Tucker, Wallace, Boykin, Trenholm and Magee were ordered from General Beauregard's department to Virginia. On April 14th, General Evans' brigade, under Gen. W. S. Walker, was ordered to Wilmington, N. C. The Eleventh and Eighteenth South Carolina, Colquitt's brigade, and Company A, siege train, were ordered back from Florida. General Beauregard, on the 20th, was assigned to command of the department of Southern Virginia and North Carolina, and Maj.-Gen. Sam Jones succeeded him at Charleston. A week later Hagood's brigade was ordered to Virginia. Several Georgia regiments were sent to General Johnston at Dalton. On May 3d, both Wise's and Colquitt's brigades were ordered to Richmond. On the 4th General Jones telegraphed to Johnston, "I am sending off my last infantry brigade to Virginia." Under this pressure for troops, General Jones requested the mayor to organize the fire brigade into companies, ordered all the detailed men in his staff departments to be organized, and called on the president of the South Carolina railroad to muster in his employes for defense of the city. Commander Tucker co-operated in this effort by organizing a naval battalion. On the 24th Colonel Keitt's regiment was started for Richmond. Federal troops, also, had been sent to Virginia and General Gillmore had been called to that field and replaced by General Foster.
While these troops were being ordered from the State, the "reserves" were called out by the government at Richmond. In a communication to the secretary of war on this subject, Governor Bonham pointed out that in South Carolina, unlike other States, militia officers and magistrates were not exempt and were already in the field, and that the taking away of the remaining population at home, under eighteen years of age and over forty-five, would cause great suffering next year, and in view of the loss of upper Georgia, possible starvation.
At the same time there was much change in district commanders, one of the most important being the assignment of General McLaws to the Third district and Georgia.
On July 31st, the aggregate present in various commands under General Jones was as follows: First and Fourth districts, Gen. R. S. Ripley, 3,177; Seventh district, General Taliaferro, 3,742; Second and Sixth districts, Gen. B. H. Robertson, 1,280; Third district and district of Georgia, General McLaws, 3,600.