Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-12-06
Rebel Accounts from sherman.


patch OF Dec. I'd says: A cavalry fight, in
which we were victorious, took place in
East Georgia on Tuesday. The Yankee
cavalry under Fitzpatrick were attempting
to cross the Savannah river when they were
attacked by Wheeler, and after an obstinate
fight driven back in the direction of Mullen,
losing very heavily. The Dispatch of the
I'd also says Sherman's main army is NOV
ing towards the coast and battle is expect
ed.
The Richmond Whig of Dec. ID says: 1t
does not seem that our authorities have any
suspicion of the effect the movement of
Hood would have, at least we Judge so from
the very feeble opposition which has thus
far been made to the advance of Sherman.
1t is plain that he is moving to the coast.
and that so far he has been enabled to live
upon the country. We think it probable
that Sherman will reach the Atlantic in
comparative safety. His next move, in our
opinion, will be by sea to Richmond. We do
not believe he can succeed in taking either
Augusta or Savannah. Indeed should he
succeed in capturing the first named place,
it will do him no good, since he will find
nothing he is seeking. At the last named
place he will have to fight, and that he is
very well aware of, and does not wish be-
fore securing base upon the sea.
Charleston, for the present at least, we
think to be entirely out of the question:
Should he determine to secure himself on
the sea and thence issue during the winter
to ravage the country or carry on a regular
winter campaign, he must be kept in, as we
suppose he can. In the mean time he will
have abandoned All immense tract of coun-
try in the interior, over which it is impos-
sible that his army, situated on the ocean
and closely watched, can exercise any in
fluence for good or evil.
We do not see that Sherman's last ex-
ploits will have any effect upon the issue OF
the war, but after having been told by the
highest authority in the Confederacy that
his retreat from Atlanta was to be more dis
astrous than the retreat of Napoleon from
Moscow, it is a little veXing to find him
getting off so cheaply, burning and MUIR
dering as he goes.
The Richmond Dispatch of the 2dssays
Seven hundred prisoners have been receiv-
ed at Augusta, who were captured while
foraging for Sherman's army. The Gov
ernment has pardoned all the convcts in
the penitentiary, put arms in their hands
and sent them to the front, except those put
in for life, whom he could not reprieve ac-
cording to law. Heavy cannonading was
heard all yesterday forenoon in the direc-
tion of Macon, believed to be battle be-
tween sherman and our forces.
A letter in the Augusta Chronicle, from
a member of the Georgia Legislature, Civ
ing his experience in escaping from Sher-
mans army, he and others having been ta-
ken across the country, shows the extent of
the devastation inflicted on the country
He says: Going to McBeaddle's place, we
found his fine house in ashes and his gin
house burned and every horse and mule
gone. In his lot were about one hundred
horses lying dead. They looked like good
stock, and were evidently killed to deprive
planters of the use of them. Proceeding
OH, we found every plantation on the road
similarly devastated, except that no other
dwelling houses were burned until we
reached the fine farm of Hon. Joshua Hill
This is perfect wreck. A large gin house
full of cotton, cOrn-cribs, dwellings, all q
smouldering ruin. His loss was greater
than that of any planter in this section.-
Besides the cotton, several thousand bushels
Ofcorn and potatoes, several hundred BUSH
els of wheat and much other valuable prop
erty, with every horse and mule and many
negroes, are gone. No farm on the road to
this place, and as far as we can hear towards
Atlanta, escaped their brutal ravages. They
ravaged the country below here to the
Oconee river. The roads were strewn with
debris of their progress; dead horses, cows,
sheep, hogs, chickens, corn, wheat, cotton,
books, paper, broken vessels, coffee mills
and fragments of every species of property,
strew the wayside. In Madison they burn
ed the depot and one or two old warehouses,
with the Jail and market house. They gut
ted every store and plundered more or less
on every lot. They fired the drug store and
several other houses, and their officers
with q show of magnanimity, aided to put
out the flames. Many families have not a
pound of meat or peck of meal or flour.
Many negroes were enticed away from
homes OF comfort, to share the uncertain
forced to starve. Families of wealth have
not house servant left and those who were
the most trusted were often the first to leave.