Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-11-23
sHEamlrs GREAT MOVEMENT.
The Numbers oi his Army--Ihe
Route hke will March, &c.


nashville, Tenn, Nov. Is, 1864.
II has become well known through the
North that Sherman has started on an I'M
portant expedition from Atlanta; but the
conjectures which have been formed rela-
tive to its character and destination have
been so various but little is really known
concerning it. 1t should have been kept
entirely secret; but there are other leaks
than newspaper correspondents through
which almost everything reaches the enc
my in q remarkably brief period. In this
instance two staff officers got drunk, and
blabbed the whole thing-at least as far as
they knew anything about it--in almost
every saloon in Nashville; and have 1t on
the very best authority that Major GEN.
eral, while inebriated, revealed all he knew
three weeks since; but who he is do not
know. ~.
Under all these circumstances deem it
altogether proper to give such an outline
OF the movement as will not interfere with
any of Sherman's plans.
.8fg HIS FORCE.
The army which left Atlanta consisted Of
the following troops:
l4th Corps 5000 Cavalry ......'.. 10000
nth Corps. ....... 5000 Total. ........ AT 900
10th Curps ....., 5000 Guns............... l3O
2 The cavalry are well mounted, the best
horses formerly In this section having been
sent them.
SUBSISTENCE.
Sherman has been chiefly occupying his
time in laying in full supply of hard bread
and beef cattle; and he has with him of the
former sixty days. full rations, and several
thousand head of the cattle. For all things
else he will depend on the country over
which he is TO pass. His animals can subsist
well. Corn and sweet potatoes are abun-
dart. During the week ending on the. 9TH
instant he gathered In l,760 wagon loads OF
corn, 436 loads of sweet potatoes, and few
horses, without sending his foraging par
ties more than thirty miles from Atlanta.
He could manage to live for six months
without communicating once with the
North. In reference to his cavalry, he feels
certain of his ability to obtain horses
enough to keep good his original stock; and
perhaps he may be enabled to mount some
more men.
ATLANTA.
You have heard great deal about the
proposed destruction of Atlanta, etc. But
that is all bosh. Sherman's motto is: Re
move all obstacles to success; permit no
wanton destruction of life or property y
aud it is upon this that he has recently
acted. He has rendered Atlanta untenable !;
has destroyed such buildings as could have
been made valuable to the enemy, but has
harmed no others.
THE DESTINATION.
A portion of the army left Atlanta on the
morning of the 9th, and followed the rail-
road to Macon, destroying it as it proceeds ;
col, LODI in
way, and it is probable that the cavalry will
attempt to release the Union prisoners.
The second column started on Saturday
morning last, and goes direct to Augusta,
the chief manufacturing point of the Con-
federacy, and one in which nearly all the
powder used by the Southern army is made.
This will be reached in about twelve or
fourteen days.
At this point the whole army will con-
-centrate, and then move on one of three
points, as Sherman shall deem most proper.
These are Savannah, Charleston and Beau
fort; but know that if nothing occurs to
change his present plans, he will go to
Beaufort. He believes that Savannah, with
the railroads through Georgia cut, will be
perfectly harmless, and there will be no
advantage in holding it. The same may be
said of Charleston. Let Sherman advance
to Branchville, twenty or thirty miles out,
and that place is cut off effectually.
To capture either Savannah or Charles
ton, fortified as they are, would take time,
even though not strongly garrisoned, while
the moment the army reaches Beaufort, it
meets supplies in abundance. and ships to
transfer it to any point it may be made
most useful.
This, know to be his plan at present.
However, it may become necessary to make
Augusta a new base, and in that case Sa-
vannah must be captured; but Sherman
now believes that lie can as easily make one
on the sea coast, and in the meantime de-
stroy all the railroads in Georgia and South
Carolina so effectually as to render them
worthless during the war. Unless, there
fore, unexpected obstacles are met, he will
reach the ocean at Beaufort, in about thirty
five or forty days.