The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-30
FROM GENERAL SHERMAN.
His Triumphant :, March
Through Georgia., d.
DETAILED AND. INTERESTING
NARRATIVE OF HIS -,>
... SCOUTS. -, ..e,

Incidents of the March---DeStruc-
ton Of Property---The OPP
position he Encountered.
" e.
The correspondent of the Cincinnati
Gazette furnishes the following interesting
details concerning Gen. Sherman's march
through Georgia:
THE FIRST NEWS FROM SHERMAN. @
On Sunday morning, the 18th inst,
parties from plantations came down re-
porting heavy cannonading in the direo-
ton Of Savannah, and at Fort Pulaski.
During the preceding night shells could
be seen bursting over or near the town.
Early on Monday morning the gunboat
Flag came steaming up from the south,
having on board Captain Duncan, 4yron
annie and George W. Quinby, three of
Gen. Shermans scouts, and the first of his
couriers reaching our lines since he set out
from Atlanta.
Capt. Duncan brought a dispatch from
Gen. Howard, dated the 9th inst, on the
Savannah Canal, saying: "We have had
perfect success, and the army is in fine
spirits" The canal referred to is about
five miles east of Savannah, running from
the Savannah River to the Cgechee River,
but it is, so far as business is concerned,
an obsolete affair.
Capt. Duncan and his companions left
Sherman q army at Savannah Canal on the
evening of the 9th, with written dispatches
from Generals Sherman and Howard for
Gen. Foster. They embarked in dug
out, and padded down the Ogechee river,
hiding during the day. On Saturday night
they foated by Fort McAllister and the
eneny's picket boats during rain storm,
and emerged into Ossibaw Sound, where
they were discovered and picked up by
the Federal gunboat Flag. They passed
under the bridge over the Ogeeche River
on the Gulf Railroad, which was then
burning, having probably been fred BY
the rebels to prevent Shermans army
crossing, not knowing that he had already
crossed. The gunbost Flag set sail i'm
mediately for Hilton Head, and arrived
here with her welcome passengers on the
morning of Monday, the 18th inst.
The news of Sherman's safety spread
with the wings of the air, and in an hour
or two flags futtered from many buildings
on the island, and decked out the numer-
GUS shipping in the harbor. Dispatches
were sent to Gen. Foster, who was at the
front at Pocotaligo. He came down i'm
mediately, and soon after, in company
with Capt. Duncan and his scouts, en-
barked on q revenue cutter for Ossibaw
Sound, to endeavor to communicate with
Gen. Shermrn. In the meantime salutes
were fred from Fort Pulaski, a. q given
signal to apprise Sherman that bis dis
patches had been received.
Capt. Duncan and his companions were
dressed in what may be considered the
habits of confederate citizens, not omit
ting in their make-ups moderate allow
ance of rents and tatters, to give their
garb an air of plausibility. Their eyes
glistened for want of sleep, and they ate
with Gallo vivacity. They had not dared
venture to shore while journeying down
the Ogechee; and they couldn't sleep or
eat very well on the gunboat Flag, for it
must be remembered they are Western
lads, and on salt water for the first time.
In q word they were very sea sick.
HOW SHERMAN MARCHED.
These scents report that throughout the
march the army moved in four columns,
Howard on the right and Slocum on the
left, with cavalry in front and rear. In
this manner it covered strip of nearly
sixty miles in width For 800 miles Gen.
Sherman has cut through Georgia swath
of sixty miles. 1t would seem that "the
hero turned fugitive might have been
found somewhere in this track of 10000
square miles if the search for him had
been very earnest.
Immediately after leaving atlanta, the
column marching toward Macon devasta.
ted the country for miles west of the Ma
con and Atlanta Railroad, in order to re-
tard the progress of Hood, should he at
tempt to follow in on Sherman's rear.
WHAT OPPOSITION WAS ENCOUNTERED.
Not the least significant and cheering
fact of the march is, that but very little
opposition to the grand raid, or rather &C.
cupation, was met. In their haste to fly.
bridges over the smallest streams were, in
several instances, left unburned by the
citizens. They were terrified out of dis
cretien, and failed to respond to the de-
spairing appeals of Generals and legisla-
tors, to fell trees, burn bridges and destroy
subsistence. In no place was the road
seriously blockaded, and the stores that
were burned were fired by the rebel cav
airy, who were feared by the agricultural
Georgians as much as the Yankees. The
horses were secreted in the swamps to
escape both parties. We got nearly all,
because the indispensable negro was very
apt to designate the spot where the coming
cavalry nags were to be found. Our troops
had few skirmishes, in all of which they
were successful. If Wheeler defeated
Fitzpatrick at any time, no one in Sher-
mans army was aware of the fact when
our scouts left it.
THE CAPTURE OF MILLRDGRvIILE.
The rebel papers make no mention of
the ludicreus fact that Milledgeville was
surrendered to our scouts two days before
the main army reached the town. These
scouts were met by the mayor, who insist
ed on surrendering the place, only asking
that private property should be respected.
These triumphant captors, after their in