s and commanders, not all of whom had before been
willing to look upon negroes as comrades. But after that
time, white soldiers in the army of the Potomac were not
displeased to receive the support of black ones; they had
found the support worth having."

Ferrero had the confidence of his men, who were ever ready to follow
where Grant ordered them to be led.

But this was not the last important battle the Phalanx took part in.
Butler, after sending the larger portion of his forces to join the Army
of the Potomac, was not permitted to remain quiet in his intrenchments.
The confederates felt divined to destroy, if not capture, his base, and
therefore were continually striving to break through the lines. On the
24th of May, General Fitzhugh Lee made a dash with his cavalry upon
Wilson's Wharf, Butler's most northern outpost, held by two Phalanx
Regiments of General Wilde's brigade. Lee's men had been led to believe
that it was only necessary to yell at the "niggers" in order to make
them leave the Post, but in this affair they found a foe worthy of their
steel. They fought for several hours, when finally the confederate
troops beat a retreat. An eye witness of the fight says:

"The chivalry of Fitzhugh Lee and his cavalry division was
badly worsted in the contest last Tuesday with negro troops,
composing the garrison at Wilson's Landing; the chivalry
made a gallant fight, however. The battle began at half-past
twelve P. M., and ended at six o'clock, when the chivalry
retired, disgusted and defeated. Lee's men dismounted far in
the rear, and fought as infantry; they drove in the pickets
and skirmishers to the intrenchments, and made several
valiant charges upon our works. To make an assault, it was
necessary to come across an opening in front of our
position, up to the very edge of a deep and impassable
ravine. The rebels, with deafening yells, made furious
onsets, but the negroes did not flinch, and the mad
assailants, discomforted, returned to cover with shrunken
ranks. The rebels' fighting was very wicked; it showed that
Lee's heart was bent on taking the negroes at any cost.
Assaults on the center having failed, the rebels tried first
the left, and then the right flank, with no greater success.
When the battle was over, our loss footed up, one man killed
outright, twenty wounded, and two missing. N