New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-02-16
GEN. sNEEMAN,s CAMPAIGN.

Inc latest news ABOUT SncrlnOu - HOu! tuc
Rebel papers, and puts him we'll to the north OF
Branchyile without fight. The letter OF our
special correspondent hereV it'll published fur
nisles q clear account of previous movements
down to the Sd of February. What our cor
respondent says was meant to be done the
Rebel accounts show has been done, and the
two tally with curious exactneSs.
Gen. Sherman inprQjecting his new campaign
preserved the organization ofhis army into right
and left wings which had made the march from
Atlanta to Savannah under Gen. Howard and
zen. Slocum respectively. The former com
prses the Fifteenth Corps under Gen. Logan,
and the Seventeenth under Gen. Blair. The
latter comprises the Fourteenth Corps under
Gen. JEFF. G. Davis and the Twentieth under
Gen. Williams. And the advance from Savan-
nah divides itself into two columns.
The right wing under Gen. Howard was sent
round by water TO Beaufort, took Pocotaigo
bridge over the Broad River, and moved from
that as a base. The let wing under Gen.
Slocum was subdiyided into two columns, the
Fourteenth Corps taking the road ont the Georgia
side Of the Savannah River, the Twentieth
Corps the eastern bank, and they were coneen-
trated at Rober;syille, in South Carolina, forty
miles north of Savannah. The last Of the army
was ont Of the city on the 9th of January.
There was good deal Of delay at the outset
Of this Increment owing to the rain which laid
the coast Of South Carolina under water during
part Of January. But from the time when the
two corps met at Robertsyille the march seems
to have proceeded rapidly. Gen. Howard
ment Of the other wing. He left Pocotaligo and
reached Whippy Swamp on the LIST of February,
crossed the Swamp after sharp skirmish, and
pushed on next day to Rivers Bridge,
within fifteen miles Of Branchville. There
Tue right wing seems to have halted for the left
TO come up, and on the 4th, two days later,
Gen. Slocum crossed the Salkehatchie some
distance 20 the west. From this point the two
wings can still be separately traced. Howard
was to strike the railroad at Midway, ten miles
west OF Branchyillc, and ct Crahamsyln5,
Eighteen miles west, and the Rebels announce
that he has dane z Sloeum was to reach tue
same road OF Blackyille, nine miles beyond Ora.
Evansville, and that also has been accomplished.
West Of Branchyille, therefore, the railroad has
been completely destroyed for q considerable
distance, and the line of advance of the two
wings has been such that the line OF the Edisto
River, relied on for the defense Of Branch
I'LL, fsttra zad oil inn %
struck the railroad at points northwest
Of Branchyille and still south of the
Tdisto. so that without forcing the
passage II that stream the dctachments guard
ing Il we're Aankcd, and Branchyille became
untenalle; being Itself furthermore utterly cut
of from Augusta and its Importance destroyed
before gun had been fired. That such was
Ger Sherman's pupose Is further proved by the
fact that the right wing Of his army ir,medi-
ately turned to the northeast from Midway
and Grahamsville, and moved straight
upon Orangeburg, sixteen miles north OF
Branchville. Is capture cut OFF Branchvile
FROM Columbia, and the former place need no
longer be mentioned, except historically, in
treating OF OtH. SDtrfnalib CouIh SlHoiua
campaign. So much for his first objective point.
The first step hss been taken not merely with
complete success, but without anything that
deserves the name OF resistance.
There ia 10 account Of the operations Of the
left wing under Gen. Slocuu after IL reached
Blsckyillc. 1t lay then equidistant from Au-
gusta and from Columbia. Perhaps it will do
no harm 10 conjecture that while Gen. Howard
was cutting tho railroad at Orangeburg, Gen.
slocum was marching straight upon tho capital
Of the State, and would essay at some conyen.
lent point the passage Of the COngarec River.
l. is evident this army means TO leave moth.
ing Of consequence behind it as it advances
that is no railroads. The railroads from
Charleston to Augusta and from Augusta to
Columbia no longer exist. The question arises
therefore whether there Is any remaining rail-
way communication between Augusta-that
is, tho State Of Goorgia-and Richmond. BY
.he destruction Of the line from Augusta to