Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-12-30
Gen. sherman. March through Georgia

A correspondent of the Cincinnati CONNER
cial who was with General Sherman's Army
when marching through Georgia, gives the fol
lowing account of a cruel joke on Gen. Hardee
and how Gen. Walcutt, of Columbus Ohio
thrashed Gen. Cobb and the militia. The wri.
ter says:
After literally riding over brigade of rebel
cavalry, at Jonesboro, Gen. Fitzpatrick with six
thousand horses, went to Griffin, where he
found the telegraph line in working order to
Macon. Improving the opportunity he sent
his compliments over the wires 10 Hardee, with
an assurance that he would be "happy to take
breakfast with him the next morning in Ma
conf Hardee replied, inviting him to come
on, as he had "had the pleasure of making Gen.
StOneman's acquaintance at the same place. "
and promising him Stonemsn's cell, as it was
now empty.
I'm give Hardee one of my seHs!'' thought
Fitzpatrick, and so it happened, that at ,]riswold-
vile, on the 22nd of November, when Hardee
ordered the militia to attack the Yankee caval-
ry, Fitzpatrick quietly withdrew his forces, un-
covering Woods diUiSiOR Of the 18th Corps! and
that division occupied a clump of woods that
lOol.Id not be easily taken-by the enemy.
Brigadier General Charles G. Walcutt's brig
ade, being in the advance, and behind hastily
constructed rail barricades, received the assault
and repulsed it handsomely. Ignorant of the
ruse, the militia under Gen. Cobb, of Alabama,
formerly member of the United States Senate.
boldly made the attack, and from two o'clock
IN the afternoon until dark the battle ragged with
relentless cruelty. Massing in open fields. and
in three different columns the militia charged
no less than six times, In the vain endeavOr to
occupy the woods, Walcutt's brigade was arm
ed with sixteen-shooters had ample protection,
a large mark, and steady nerves, and all they
had to do was to ptERtp into the rebel ranks a
storm of lead hall Lookers-on were there from
all parts of Sherman's army and they univer-
sally declare they never saw such fight in the
world. The enemy formed his lines with all the
precision of battalion drill, and then they moved
forward like so much machinery. Officers swore;
men cheered; drums beat; banners waved, bull
lets whistled, towards fied but at last when
this COBB had been we'll shetted, and his meal
roughly ground at his own mill. he "acknowl
edged the corn, and left the field to reflect on
his lOss-twelve hundred wounded, three hun
dred killed, and one hundred missingl The Reb-
e. General Phillips was killed and Gen. Smith
was wounded An awful scene was that CORY
field. Old men, with heads that had been Si1o,o-
ed on and young boys, with youths freshness
still visible on their up-turned faces, lay side by
side, riddled with bullets. Here head, there
an arm, yonder leg and the wounded piled
up with and among the dead. War seldom pre-
sents picture so frightful.
Walcutt's loss was only fourteen killed and
forty three wounded. His brigade the I'd in
Woods division, behaved nobly.
The General was severely wounded in the leg
by fragment of a shell, and he accepted leave
OF absence to go North. He is a native of Col
umbus, Ohio; is about twenty five years of age;
was formerly Colonel of the 18th Ohio; and is
pronounced by General Howard to be sta brave
and excellent commander" Ohio has reason
to be proud of Brigadier General Charles G.
Walcutt.
When Cobb reported that he had ~fought in
6ntry instead of cavalry, and been completely
used up by the mistake" Gen. Hardee fully ap-
preciated Kipatrick's @Sea. :"