trating on Milledgeville," which was entered without opposition; Sherman thus far accompanying the 14th corps, which was the last to leave Atlanta, and had not had a chance to fire a shot. In fact, the principal resistance encountered by our infantry was that of the bad roads of Georgia at that rainy season. Osterhaus had seen (for a moment) a few Rebel cavalry at the crossing of Cotton river; but, though they set fire to the bridge, they were driven off so promptly that only the planks were damaged. Thus far, our infantry had mainly been busied with destroying railroads and foraging on the plenty of central Georgia; each subordinate commander being instructed to live on the AUGUSTA Country so far as possible; saving to the utmost the twenty days' bread, forty days' beef, coffee, sugar, &c., and three days' forage, contained in our wagons. Helping the trains across the Ocmulgee and its tributaries, and up the long, steep hills beyond, had been the principal labor of the march; which was intended to average 15 miles per day. 0 10 ——— 30 SHERMAN'S MARCII TO THE SEA. Kilpatrick held the laboring oar. 3050 Moving south' from Atlanta with Howard, he had been confronted at East Point by Rebel cavalry; with whom he skirmished, driving them to Flint river, which he crossed at Jonesboro' at 7 A. M. next day; following the enemy to Lovejoy's, where they had taken post in the old Rebel works, having two guns. Dismounting Murray's brigade, Kilpatrick at flank of the infantry, so as to screen, so far as possible, the direction of our advance and the points to which it was directed. Each wing had its separate and efficient pontoon train. Gen. Sherman marched and camped first with one wing, then with the other. Moving rapidly to Atlanta,' How-tacked and carried the works, capturard advanced thence by McDonough, Monticello, and Clinton, to Gordon; while Slocum advanced by Covington, Madison, and Eatonton, concen ing 50 prisoners; Atkins's brigade soon after charging the fleeing foe, and taking their guns. Kilpatrick pushed thence by McDonough and KILPATRICK ADVANCES TO WAYNESBORO'. Monticello to Clinton; whence he made a dash at Macon, driving in the enemy's cavalry; but was unable to carry the defenses, which were held by infantry and artillery. He burned a train of cars, and broke up the railroad; covering all the roads which diverged eastward from Macon, by the aid of Wolcott's brigade of infantry, which was sharply assailed from Macon, but worsted and beat off its assailants; while the right wing marched by to Gordon. 8 Howard now advanced to the Oconee at Ball's ferry, where a small force in his van crossed on a raft, but was driven back with loss. When his two corps had been brought up, and a detachment thrown across the swift current in boats, the enemy had decamped. Meantime, the Georgia Central railroad had been demolished, and the right wing pushed on, keeping to the right of that road, and encountering no serious resistance. Sherman was here with Blair; Howard with Osterhaus. Slocum had moved out of Milledgeville simultaneously with Howard's advance from Gordon, and had concentrated at Sandersville,' driving out a small party of Wheeler's cavalry. Thence, the left wing followed the Central railroad, breaking it up to the Ogeechee, which it crossed 10 at Louisville; whence it kept north of that road, striking out for the Savannah river. The roads and bridges in our advance, bad at best, were of course made worse by the enemy; while the great swamps wherein this region abounds rendered the movement of our trains and guns a matter of difficulty, and 691 taxed the best efforts of our engineers and axmen. At Millen, on the Central railroad, half way from Sandersville to Savannah, was a great prison-camp, where some thousands of our captured soldiers had long endured unspeakable privations. Sherman was intent on reaching and liberating them. To this end, he had sent Kilpatrick, with most of our cavalry, far to our left, so as to give the impression that he was making for Augusta rather than toward the coast, lest the prisoners should be removed from Millen. Kilpatrick had advanced from Milledgeville by Sparta and Gibson to Waynesboro'," skirmishing with Wheeler, who constantly menaced, but did not seriously attack him; and now Kilpatrick learned that the enemy had taken the alarm and removed the prisoners from Millen: so he judged it wiser to fall back on the left wing than to persist in a hazardous, unsupported advance, which had no longer a motive. In effecting this retreat, Kilpatrick and his staff, with the 8th Indiana and 9th Michigan, were, through a misapprehension of orders, cut off from the main body and very nearly surrounded by Wheeler; but they fought their way out and rejoined their comrades with little loss. Wheeler pressing on, Kilpatrick dismounted, selected a good position, threw up a breast work, and received the enemy's charge; which, though desperately made, was repulsed at all points with little loss. He then moved on a few miles and camped, unpursued; being soon reenforced by Col. M. C. Hunter's brigade of Baird's division, which Jeff. C. Davis, hearing of his peril, had sent from the left wing to his aid. | off, taking a gun and some prisoners. The need of assistance, however, was now over. Kilpatrick now joined the left wing, and covered its flank when it again advanced. 15 | He followed the fugitives across the Little Ogeechee to within 8 miles of the city, where he halted, and resumed breaking up the Gulf railroad; King's bridge having been burned by the enemy. No force remained in our front here save the garrison of Fort McAllister. And now Blair's pontoons were laid across the Ogeechee, near Fort Argyle, and the two wings thus substantially united before Savannah. Sherman, still with Blair, crossed" the Ogeechee near Barton, advancing to Millen;" Howard, with Wood's and Corse's divisions of the 15th corps, still moving south of the Ogeechee on the old dirt road to Savannah; while Hazen's and John E. Smith's divisions, keeping farther to the right, reached Statesboro'." Ha- Slocum had set forward from Louiszen had a skirmish here with a regi- ville "the 20th corps in advance— ment of cavalry, which was easily and had moved down between the driven; but the roadless swamps Savannah and the Ogeechee; finding were vanquished with more difficulty. the roads mainly of quicksand, coated Wood threw " over the Ogeechee, by by a thin crust of firmer sand, which a foot-bridge, Williamson's brigade, was soon cut through by our trains, which moved down the left bank; rendering their movement barely while Corse crossed his division on possible, and requiring miles of 'corpontoons at Jenks's bridge, some dis- duroy.' At intervals, the Rebels had tance below; Rice's brigade, in ad- fallen trees across the roads, but not vance, having a smart skirmish with exactly where they were wanted. a Rebel battalion which disputed The 14th corps had advanced farther the passage; losing 5 men and taking to the left, with Kilpatrick still 17 prisoners. The right wing now farther east; Sherman's object being moved down both banks of the riv- still to threaten Augusta and beer; Osterhaus crossing Cannouchee wilder the enemy as to his purpose. creek; while Blair encountered a Thus Kilpatrick, supported by Baird, Rebel force holding an intrenched was thrown out again to Waynesline, with guns in position and rifle- boro'; fighting 18 Wheeler and drivpits in front, in a dense swamp, ing him 8 miles across Briar creek; where his men had to wade knee- while Baird destroyed the Augusta deep to form line of battle. The railroad; when the 14th was concenenemy were not in great force, how-trated on Jacksonboro', and all moved ever, and were easily driven: two brigades pushing on to the Savannah and Gulf railroad and breaking it; while J. E. Smith's division closed up on Corse's, and Corse pressed on toward Savannah. He was opposed by 600 infantry and 2 guns; but his advance brigade quickly ran them 16 12 Nov. 30. 13 Dec. 2. 14 Dec. 4. 15 Dec. 6-7. rapidly down Briar creek toward the Savannah; Baird and Kilpatrick in the rear, which was now pressed by Wheeler, with sharp skirmishing, but with little loss on either side. Gen. Morgan, in Davis's van, was halted, near Ebenezer church, a strong fieldwork in his front," which seemed to 17 Dec. 1. 18 Dec. 4. 10 Dec. 9. 16 Dec. 9. HAZEN STORMS FORT MCALLISTER. 693 Her gar be firmly held; but night fell while | gle, McAllister was ours. rison of 200 surrendered; having 40 Sherman watched till he saw our colors hoisted over the fort, and heard the cheers of the victors as they fired their pieces into the air; when, taking a boat, he went with Howard down to the fort and congratulated Hazen; rowing thence down the Ogeechee till he met the National tug Dandelion, Lt.-Com'r Williamson; who informed him that Capt. Duncan, whom Howard had sent down the Ogeechee in a canoe, to run by the fort and communicate with Foster and Dahlgren, had safely reached them several days before, and that they might be expected here directly. Hazen was in front of Fort McAllister on our left, and had been exchanging shots with it-hoping thus to attract the attention of our fleet blockading the coast, when Gens. Sherman and Howard rode" to Dr. Cheves's rice-mill to reconnoiter that fort. Kilpatrick had just been sent across the Ogeechee with a like purpose, and to open communication, if possible, with our fleet off the coast. About noon, as the two Generals scanned the fort through their glasses, it was observed to open fire inland from several guns; while Hazen's skirmishers could be discerned approaching it, and the smoke as of a steamer was visible off the mouth of the Ogeechee. A signal from Hazen now imported that he had invested the fort. Sherman signaled back that it was important to carry it that day. The steamer signaled that she was sent by Gen. Foster and Admiral Dahlgren to communicate with our army, but was in doubt whether to approach the fort as hostile or friendly. At that moment, Hazen's bugles sounded the charge; when his division rushed over torpedoes and abatis, through a shower of grape, up to and over the parapet, and, after a brief but desperate strug Foster arrived in the Nemaha during that night; and Sherman met Dahlgren on board the Harvest Moon next day; sending by him to Hilton Head for heavy guns wherewith to bombard the city-those which he had brought through Georgia in his Winter march being inadequate. When several 30-pounder Parrotts had reached him, Sherman formally summoned" Hardee, who held the city, and who refused; suggesting that he was not yet completely invested. Slocum was now ordered to get the siege-guns into position, while Sherman started " to pay a flying visit to Hilton Head, to arrange with Foster for stopping the exit from Savannah toward Charleston. Being detained by high and adverse winds, however, he was met,' in one of the inland passages among the Sea Islands, by an army tug 22 23 with the news that Hardee, with a of fodder, had been gathered from force reported at 15,000 men, had the country and issued to our men evacuated the city during the dark and animals; while 5,000 horses and and windy night of the 20th; cross- 4,000 mules had been 'pressed' into ing the Savannah on a pontoon- the National service. Of cotton, bridge, and marching up the cause- 20,000 bales had been burned; while way road toward Charleston. The 25,000 more were captured in Savanmovement had been unsuspected by nah. Of negroes, 10,000 had abjured our pickets; and, when next morn- the delights of bondage to follow the ing broke, Savannah was ours, and National flag; beside thousands more Hardee beyond the reach of pursuit. most of them women and children He had destroyed, under cover of a-who had had been most shamefully heavy fire, which he kept up through driven back by certain of our offithe day and evening of the 20th, the cers" at the crossings of rivers; and | Navy Yard, two iron-clads, many pitilessly reconsigned to Slavery, and smaller vessels, and a large quantity thus to their masters' vengeful wrath. of ammunition, ordnance stores, and Sherman made some little atonement. supplies of all kinds. His guns he for this cruelty by assigning lands could not even wait to spike, lest his on the Sea Islands, deserted by Rebflight should be detected. As our els, to the Blacks who had followed bombardment had barely commenced, him to the coast. the city was surrendered almost intact; while, of its cotton, a large share had been made over to the Confederacy, and so was an incontestable prize. We had lost, in that march of 255 miles, which was substantially the conquest of Georgia, six weeks' time and 567 men; whereof 63 were killed, 245 wounded, and 159 missing. To offset these, we had taken 1,328 prisoners and 167 guns. Our ammunition expended was inconsiderable; while our 65,000 men and 10,000 horses had lived generously off a State wherein our captives in thousands had died of virtual starvation and kindred agonies because (as was alleged) their captors were unable to subsist them. Aside from sheep, swine, fowls, sweet potatoes, and rice, whereof they had found an abundance, 13,000 beeves, 160,000 bushels of corn, and over 5,000 tons The merit of Sherman's achievement is dwarfed to vulgar appreciation by circumstances which should rather exalt it. It is true that Hood's movement on Nashville had withdrawn the main obstacle from his path; yet it was still possible to have confronted him on the Oconee, and then on the Ogeechee, with 30,000 men, one-third of them mounted; and thus have compelled him to repeated concentrations, assaults, and flank marches, which might have exhausted his food if not his munitions, and left him helpless while encircled by foes and vast stretches of inhospitable swamps and forests. The country, which yielded bounteous subsistence to an army covering a breadth of 40 miles and advancing from 10 to 20 miles per day, would have proved utterly inadequate in the face of a foe able to detain him a week at each considerable river and drive in or cut 24 Gen. Jeff. C. Davis appears to have been prominent in this inhumanity. |