Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-12-29

Howard sarmy appeared at McDon0ugh 1t would be DIM
cult sny and their establishment must have approached
insanity when the other two columns heard from
one directed towards Augusta and the other swiftly march
ing straight upon their devoted city 1t seemed as they
surrounded upon all sides except towards the east
and that their doom was sealed With the certain punish
men for their crimes looming up before them they sought
every possible OF escape Private effects household
furniture books pictures every thing conveyed 10 the
depot and loaded into the until they were hed ana
heaped and the flying people could not find standing room
Any and every price obtained for vehicle. thou
sand dollars was cheap for common buggy, aud men men
rushed about the streets in agony OF fear lost tey shouu
" fall victims to the feroety OF the Yankees"
Several days Of perfect quiet passed alter ths e1odus
when, on bright sunshny mornlng! regmens entered
the city with band playing national airs which music had
many day since been huhtd IN the capita OF georgia
But few Of the troops were marched through the CITY,
Some two or three regiments were Detailed unaeI tae Or
deIs of the engineers TO destroy property desg
mated by the General commanding The magazines ar
enals depot buildings factories OF one kind and another
with sorehOuses containing large amounts OF Government
property and seventeen hundred bales OF cotton,
were burned Private houses respected every where
those Of noted rebels and heard OF no instance OF
page or insult TO the inhabitants One or two OF the
latter known having been in the rebel army were made
prisoners of war but the surgeons at the hospitals, the
Principal of the Insane Asylum and others expressed
their gratitude that such perfect order was maintained
throughout the city. Gen. Sherman is at the Executive
Mansion it's former occupant having, with extremely bad
grace fed from his distinguished yster taking with him
the entire furniture of the building
DECEIvIEG THE EEEMY-A FIGHT
has been successful in the highest degree At first moving
his army in three columns with column OF cavalry
hs extreme right upon eccentric lines he diverted the at
enton of the enemy that he concentrated hs forces at
extreme points Macon and Augusts leaving unimpeded
the progress of the main body In this csmpagnthe end
Of which does not yet sppears not the purpose OF The
General to spend hs time before fortified cities, nor yet to
cucumber his wagons with wounded men His nstruc-
tons TO Fitzpatrick to demonstrate against Macon,
getting within five miles Of the city The roads each col
umu were TO follow were carefully designated the number
of miles each day be traveedand the points Of rendez
given at tain date All OF these conditions
fulfilled to the letter. Slocum, with the Twentieth
Corps arrived at Miedgeve the 90 instant proceed
ing Davis, with tbs Fourteenth Corps, one day On the
day Fitzpatrick struck the Macon and Western road
destroying the bridge at Walnut creek. The day follow
ng Howard, with the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps
we'd at Gordon and began the destruction of the Geor
Ria Cent? al railroad.
lit was near here that the most serious fight Of the
psgn occurred to this date. Gen Wocot in command of
detachment of cavalry and brigade of infantry, was
thrown forward TO GrlsWodvie, towards Macon for de-
mOnstratiye purposes merely. The enemy, some FIVE
thousand strog, advanced upon our troops, who had
thrown up temporary breasworks with section OF bat
terry in position. The cavalry fell slowly back on Their
flank of the brigade protecting them from attack in flank
aud rear The rebels are composed OF militia chiefly al
though portion of Hsrdees old corps present. having
been brought up from Savannah With that ignorance Of
danger to troops the rebels rushed upon our
veterans with the greatest fury They received with
grape shot and mushety at point blank our soldiers
firing cooy while shouting derisively to the quveIng
columns come The rebels resumed the ack, but
with the fatal results, and We're IN full 1gnt
leaving more than three hundred dead the field Our
loss forty killed aud wounded, while their killed
wounded and prisoners estimated to exceed two thou
sand FIVE hundred. pretty severe lesson they have
ceIyed Ii is said, Ce lest que s premier pas q coutc
This first step has been expensive one aud judging
from the fact that have not heard rom them sdce
they feem TO have Proverb otherwise than
IN the recognised sense
THE FIGHTING NEAR sANDERsyHLE.
Near T0nnHc Station on the Georgia Central Rail
road, Nor 2-Snce writing the above the army has
ed forward all along the line The rebels to have
understood but too late that ii not sbermans inen
ton TO make serious attack upon Macon, They have
however, succeeded getting Wheeler the Oconee
at point below the railroad bridge. We fret became
Of their in our front by the destruction of
several small bridges Buffalo creek, on the two
roads leading to Sandersvie, which advancing
the Twentieth and Fourteenth Corps We were delayed
bat few hours. The passage also contested by the
rebel cavalry under Wheeler and they fought front all
the way and into the streets of Sandersve The TWEEN
eth Corps had the advance depoyng regiment as Skin
msbers forming the remainder of brigade ia line Of bat
tie either eide Of the road The movement execu
ed in the handsomest manner andsFas eecual not
to impede the nsrcEof the column the slightest degree
although the roll Of musketry unceaslng. Our loss
was not ssrious tWenty-odd killed and'wounded.
NEAR THE ocoSEE.
As the Twentieth Corps entered Sandervie they
met by the Fourteenth whose head of column arrived at
the same moment. While tbese two corps had met with
the obstructions above mentioned the army under Gen.
Howard attempting TO throw pontoon across the
Oconee at the Georl Central Railroad bridge. Here
| they met force under the command Ut Gen. wayne,
| which was composed Of portion Of Wbeeler's cavalry,
militia, aud band of cOnyics who had been liberated
from the pentenary upon the condition that they would
join the army The of these desperadoes have been
taken prisoners dretsed in their State prison clothing
Gen Sherman turned them loose believing that Gov
Brown had got the full benefits OF his lberaty. The
rebels did not mike remarkably stern defence Of the
bridge for Howard able TO bis army yesterday
and ICED breaking railroad again to-day In fact
all OF the army except corps engaged in this
work Morgan with his army, hardly able to reach
this point when he met Gen. hadee who had managed to
get around here from Macon. Our troops struck the
railroad at this station few hours after the frightened
| band escaped. ...
| ABUNDANCE, oil. SUPPLIES, ..
We had been told that the country very poor east
Of the conee, but experiences has-beeu adeghtul
gsstronomIc contradiction Of the statement The cattle
trains getting large that find difficulty in driving
| them along. Thanksgiving day very generally OBJ
served the army troops scorniug chickens in the
penitude of turkeys with which they had supplied them
selves Vegetables Of all klNds and in unlimited quanti-
tie hand AMI the soldiers thanks soldiers
may and were merry only soldiers be- In truth,
the qualification of the stomach goes the troops
| are pursuing continuous Thanksgiving In addition TO
fowls, vegetables and meats many obtain delicious strip
made from sorghum which cultivated all the psne-
tons ind stored away large troughs and hoRsheads.
The mills here aud there furnish fresh supplies Of -four and
meal, aud hear little nothing OF hard tack"-that
terror weak rnastcst0n over the sections Of country
lately traversed find very little cultivation Of cotton
The commands Of Davis appear TO have been obeyed and
our large doves Of cattle turned nightly the i'm.
mense fields of ungahered to eat their ill, while the
psuares are ded TO oyernDwDg with both aud
corn We have also reached the sand regions that the
fall Of rain has terrOrs the roads are excellent and
i iron yet rae NJ