The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-06-10
GENERA. SHERMAN.
pai.n ia Morris, CarOiiaa.-.'E.lc
Negotiations ss1ck, Gen. sgO;sn-
stem.
HDoRs. Mp. DIV. OF THE Mss,

IiDQRS. tiD. I'i'- Of Miss,
:. IL TIE FIELD, CITY POINT, Va, May9
Gen i'm j Rrc'ia3s, CHEF Of .slgf,
-WasAu.ytoHs ID. G
GENERAL: wv last official -npnrt brought
the history Of events, is Cu.nected with the
armies III the field subject - nay immediate
command, down to the ist ot rri when
the Army of the Ohio, Major General J. VI.
Schofeld Commanding, lay at = Cu!d>borouyh,
with .lctachneIts distributed tS tn secure
and Cover our routes of commus =, ion and
supp les back To the ~ Wilmington and
Morehead Cit;; Mairr General \. II. Terry.
Wi h the lU.h cLrps. being at Folsom ; Depot
The Army of tie Tennessee, Major General
o. o. Howard comm in.lia,. was enc Imi,ed
To the font and RIGHT of Gol!sborough. aud
tn. Army OF Genr-.a Maj n General II. ".
Slocum cuI:l mlnaing. to the left ad front;
the cavalrv. Bfevet VI .ihr General J. kilprt-
rick commanding al Mount Olive. All We're
busy IN repairing the wear aud tear q. our
then rece MT h.ri march from Savannah, AMI
in repleui- hing clothing and stores uecccS>.l-
~ for 4 further pro-ress- | had previously.
by letter and IN pers notified the liruten-
ant General. Commanding. The armies Of the
United States. that the 10Th OI ADrl would
be the earli"st possible mpnIe@t 1T which |
could hope to have III things in readiness
anu NtEt iI4It-4ltl 30 l~- VA -siiiifti ~
the very highest possible limit in order to
fulili that promise. Owiag mist. ke Ia
the railroai department in scu@iug !ocomn-
tives and cars Of Ihp iivc-tD,t gauge. We wer~
limited 10 the use OF the few lucDmrtives add
cars Of the tour foot ci-,ht and half inch
gauge already IN North Carolina. with such
ci' the old >toci. was captured ~ Major
General Trrry at Wilmington aud On bis VIZ
up To tuldsbuIorgh. Yet S.ch irl;ci,.S rs,-
was nl,e Of them aud .cL Iuau,,rr dis
PLAYED in the railroad mana cement r. Gene
raj f ,ton ard Becllwith, and CD.naci Wright
and Mr.. Van Dy"r, illIt hy The F5;h April
our men were all reClaa III. w -,a- r,intI-.i.
and :, fair amount of fur;t.p :rc lnuiutr,i
ahead. In the .in'irne II i,r General
George StuuenaI. Ill n.Iuinini IT a division
of cavalry, operating from East Tennessee ~
connectio with Major General Il ore II.
Thonls. in prrsIa of M o-,!rr>. hll
reached the rilrr,t abp.t ;;r.cu>GoruuEH.
y. G. anil had male - ! hrv.sc with i. and
ha pushed rinrr it to S..'i,hIr.. Ge-trnye!
en- - tie hr i.es, oulycrt', d"prt~, and all
kind; If rebeI suppl =; nj ult cX;rn !ei
the hrrach in the railro al dawd t. The 'attW-
b. Brii.n. This fatal II the hostile
armies of Lee and Johnston, who depended
on that rJaA for supplies ;.ui ;hr.r u3G-
mate line of retreat. Brey,t Major General
J. Il Wilson also. in command OF the cavni-
rv corr, orsauil i b. himself. under special
field orders No. %! --. 1851. at Gay!eS-
Vile. Alabama. had started from the neigh
bnrhool of Decatur and Florence. Ala. and
moved straight into the heart of Alabama,
on a route prescribed for Gen. Thomas after
he had defeated Gen. Hood at Nashville.
Tennessee but the road Dci"g too heavy ior
infantry, General Thomas had devolTed the
duty oH that mo-: energetic young cavalry
officer, General wilson. who, Iuibued with he
prop.r spirit, has strucl Cne OF the best blows
O.. tie war at the waning strength OF The Con
el.racv. HIS route one never before
touched bv our troops. and afforded him album
dant supplies as long as lie was in nation,
viz: Tuscaloosa. Salem, Montgomery. Col
umbus. and Macon. Though in cnn'1runica-
ton with him have not been able to, Trceiva
as vet his full and ,:ctllied report. which will
in due time be published and appreciated.
Lieutenant General Grant, also in ifnmedi-
ate commani of the armies about Rich
moad, had taken the initiative III that mag
,iiicent c lmpaiga. which In less than ten day>
complete the evacuation OF Richmond and
resulted in the destruction Aul surrender oil
the entire rebel army Of Nir5inir under com
mand of General Lee The news Of the bat
ties about Peterai-rg a,hed me at Colds
borough on the 9th of April. Up 10 tina
time INV rurp, Sc was 20 move rapidly north
ward, ieignIug on Raleigh. and striking
straight for Burkesvilc ther"by imterpoain-
between Johnston and Lee. But the auspic
ious events III Virginia had changed th'
while military problem, and. IN the express
i've language OF Lieutenant General Grant
the confederate armies of Lee and Johnston
became the strategir points. General Gran
WIS fully able to take c,.arse of the Former
and my task was to destroy Or capture the
latter.
Joh ,ston at the tim, April 6. ad hi
army well in hand about SnIthtield. ! esti
mated his ina mir :Aand artillery at thirty tvt
thousand $4,000. his cavalry iron six 10 ter
t:louslnd 5000 TO 100 jcl he was superip
TO me in cavalry. that | had General kil
patrick in reserve at Mount Olive with or
ders to recruit his horses and be ready t,
make Il sudden and rapid march on the i0tl
of April.
At ,laybrcah on the day appointed. all TIN
heads vi column were III motion straIgl.
against the enemy, Major General IL. "
SlGcum taking the TWO direct roads Tor SmI.L
field Major General 0. O. Howard maxim:
circuit by the right aud ieignng up Tia
Weldon road To- discuncert lac enemvs cav
alry. Generals Terry ana fitzpatrick moving
on the west sile of the Neuse RIVER, and L
reach the Of The enemy between Smith
field and Raleigh. General Schueli to
lowel General Si"cnn il support All IN
. column met within (j) miles of Goldsbl
rorgh, more or less cd7a!ry with the usua
railbsrricades, which swept before u
as chaff, and by 10 Il. m of the llth, ia
l4th corps entered Snithtiell. the Twentiet
corps close at nand. Johnston had rapid
re,reate,, acr, s. the Ncusc River, and h;,vii
his railroad tn Tighten up his IT,. ms. could r
treat faster than We cOu d pursue. Iae iai;
had also set in. IN king the resort to cor.urc
absolutely Necessary to pass even enambuance
The enemy had burneJ the bridge at Sm,i
field, and as us possible Major Gentr
Slocum got his pontopns and crossed oTer
division OF the l4th Corps
ye then heard of the surrender of Lee
army a. app6r.,attox Conrt House, w., whi'
was announced to the army III orders al
created universal lov. Not one officer o. SC
Dir of my army bun expressei pr'de a.
satisfaction that it fe!, t. The lot OF Inc arm
OF The Potomac and james 50 gior'ousiy
overwhslm and capture the e.1tire army To
had held them in check SO lo,, q, ana the
success gave new impulse to fin sh up o
task
Without -sorpent's hesitation We a, opp
our trains, .remarched rapidly in pursup
aud through Raleigh, reaching that rlare :
7;a0 9. M, oasae l3,h, in heavy rain. n