The sun., 1864-12-29
shermnn's March Through Georgia

A correspondent who accompanied the left wing
under General socum furnishes the following de.
tails.
The erst days movement was slow. The col.
umn would move few hundred yards and halt
for Ten minutes or moro waiting for some hsltins
mule team 70 pun scross a slough In the road. Tho
troops were noiey and hilarious the road
broad and good, the night was bright and warm I
csTne up with General Ward and staff Just after
midnight, sleeping on there horses with fair pros
pect for passing the remainder Of the night In the
same manner. The vast FIRE in Atlanta lighted the
rosd behind them, burning fences and deserted
houses the path before them. They walked ten
miles In this way along an avenue bounded by Are,
and reached the camp of the two advance divisions
| at seven o'clock. General Wards troops were sill
| ent mice when they laid down for an hours rest
on "wednesday morning. The country through
which the corps had passed was familiar to most
| of the Twentieth corps as they had ioraged thirty
miles in this direction while they we're ca anped in
| Atlantis. Wetound but few occupied farm houses,
aud the unoccupied ones were burned in mere
wantounoss
Goary's division, in advance, reached Rut-
! ltdge village aud railroad station about seven
O'Clock in the forenoon Of the 18Th We were now
| travelling through a country OF tine larms, where
| forage was plenty, aud the animals OF the Twen-
| teth corps were rap dly recovering from the
short commons of Atlanta. Forsgug part cs
| swept the country three or four uliies on either
side Of tho column, and tail black columns of
| smoke told where theY had been. Al ali the large
plantation houses small los Ol cotton were ioun
In one case that came under my eye there we Q
more than twenty-five bales IN the cotton
house, These lots were invariably burned, and
only in rare instances woro the presses and
gin houses spared. Nearly three hundred ace of
cotton were destroyed during . days mAnh.
Eight miles above Maids IN We passed Mr.. Lanes
place, the proprietor Of which had gone 10 Angus.
Ia upon learning Of tne presence OF the Yankees a.
Ruuedge. The females u the family, including an
elderly lady from New Haven, c., rabdly dis.
union-weio left IN charso of the prem scs and
stock OF dcercpld negroes. Everything edible was
removed ~ the troops without a halt of the
column. Lieutenant Howgate employed an aged
rican lady TO cook biscuits lor us but they were
Tapped up by the stream II soldiers batch after
bath, hll We tired Of waiting our turn. ii ,ney
wus taken, geese were gobb ed up and cattl,
driven oil. The place Stripped. w,
reached cosy spot two NIL uom u,
village Of Ma !ls0n that night The caya,ry
vis.teI tie town aId burned the depot and express
, othce before they slept. Mauisou, tne county soa
OF Morgan C1uuiy, - really one Ot tie pro Iest /
llges ever saw In a country Unsurpassed fol
agricultural pdfsul1s ever acre o, wAva was im
proved, the lo"u looked too pretty TO think lt II
injection With the march ol al army. lhe papu
lat on OF Madison before the war WAS abouL L5uu
and the village represented n great deal OF wcsiIu
Fine BRICK resiuences WITH tasteful lawns hoNe
gardens ConseTSator Us and arUors, were common
on all the streets leading 20 the preat square,
stood the court house. On three sdos TINS sq lur
were the merchantS' shops, Oh the fourth iarg
hotel building. The Mad son Female College, on
of the best institutions of it's kind in the state,
accidentally burned q week before we reache
town Ihe troops marched INTO Madlson and hall
ed A brigade from Woods division was move
down TO the railroad depot and set at work upo
the track and the buildings overlooked by the
, airy ths night before. shed close al hand, cor