Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-01-05

We were delayed but few hours. The
passage was also contested by the rebel cav
airy, under Wheeler, and they fought our
front oil the way, and into the streets OF
Sandersville. The Goth Corps had the sd-
vance, deployiig . regiment as administers,
forming the remainder OF brigade in line
ofbattle on either side fthe road. The move
ment was executed in the baDdsomest man.
ner, and was 40 ehectual as not to impede
the march Of the column in she slightest
degree, although the roll Of musketry was
unceasing. Our loss was net seri0us-twen-
ty odd killed and wounded.
NEAR TEE oCoNEE.
As the Goth Corps entered the town they
were met by the l4th, whose head Of column
arrived at the same moment. While these
two corps had met with the distinctions
above mentioned, the army under General
Howard were attempting to throw pontoon
Railroad bridge. Here they met Q force
under the command OF Gen. Wayne, which
was composed Of portion Of Wheeler's Q
cavalry, militia. and band Of convicts who
had been liberated from the penitentisry
army.
The most OF these desperadees have been
taken prisoners, dressed in their State ,,Pris-
on clothing. Gen. Sherman has turned
them loose believing that Gov. Brown had
not got the full benefits Of his liberality. -
The rebels did not make remarkably stern
defense of the bridge, for Howard was able
to cross his army yesterday, and commenced
breaking railroad again to day. In fact, all
of the army, except one corps, are engaged
in this same work. Morgan, with his army,
was hardly able to reach this point, when
hc met Gen. Hardee, who has managed to
get around here from Macon. Our troops
struck the. railroad at this station few hours
after the frightened band escaped.
THANKSGIVING DAY KEPT.
We had been told that the country was
very poor East Of the Oconee, but our ex-
perience has been delightful gastronomic
contradiction Of the statement. The cattle
trains are getting 50 large that We find diff
Guilty in driving them along. Thanksgiving
day was very generally observed in the ar
my, tho troops scorning chickens. in the
plsntitude ofturkeys with which they had
supplied themselves.
SUPPLIES ABUNDANT.
Vegetables of all kinds, and in unlimited
quantities, were at hand, and the soldiers
gave thanks as soldiers may, and were merry
as only soldiers can be- In fact, so far as
the qualification OF the stomach goes, the
troops are pursuing continuous thanks
giving.
In addition to fowls, vegetables and
meats, many obtain delicious sirup made
from sorghum, which is cultivated on all
the plantations, and stored away in large
troughs and hogsheads. The mills here
and there furnish fresh supplies OF -four
and meal, and we hear little or nothing Of
"hard tack"-that terror to weak mastica-
ton. Over the sections of county lately
traversed, / find very little cultivation Of
cotton. The commands Of Davis appear to
have been obeyed, and our large droves of
catts are turned nightly into the immense
field of uBgathered corn to eat their fill,
while the granar es are crowded to overflow
ing with both oats and corn.
We have also reached the sandy regions,
so that the fall of rain has no terrors, the
roads are excellent, and would become
irmer from liberal wetting. The rise of
the rivers will not bother us much, for each
army corps has pontoon, and the launching
Of its beats is matter OF an hour.
THE COUNTRY PEOPLE.
Frequent occasions occur for conversa-
tions with the people. In the upper part
Of the State, not meeting with any but the
poorer, more ignorant class, wasled to be-
iieve that the rich and refined class had fled
farther south; but although l have made
dilgent search for the intelligent, intellect
ual aristecracy, / have met only with fail.
ure and disappointment. Rich men there
are, whose plantations line the roads for
miles; men and women who own, or did own,
hundreds Of slaves, and raised every year
their thousand bales of Gotten; but their
ignorance is only equaled by that twin sis.
ter of ignorance, intolerance. can under.
stand, as never did before, why it was
that few persons who every year repre-.
sented the South in Congress, were able to
WELD that influence as unit. To be sure
the interest of slavery was all. controlling,
it never would have brought this people to
the pitch Of civil war, had they received the
NEST common benefits of education. The
solemn truth is that the Southern people
have never had any conceptions of the ma
tion as l did. They don not know what it is
to be an American.
Itmust not be supposed that we do not
meet many persons who claim to have been
Unionsts from the beginning Of the war.
The vote Of Georgia was undoubtedly given
by large majority against secession, and
most every old man when he sees his pigs
and poultry killed in his very door-yard, and
gazss with mournful eyes upon the wagons
that are filed with his corn. protests that
he was always Union man. 1t seems hard
sometimes to strip such men as clear Of all
eatables IS do our troops who have the art
cultivated to the most eminent degree, bat
as General Sherman often says to them
''lf it is true that you are Unionists, you
should not have permitted JEFF. Davis to
dragoon you, until you are as much his
slaves as once the niggers were yours"
HOWELL CoBB's PLANTATION.
Just before his entrance into Milledge'
Vile Gen. Sherman camped on ono Of the
plantations of Howell Cobb. 1t was coin
eidence that Macon paper containing
Cobb's address to the Georgians as Genera
Comm anding was received the same day
| do not know that this Cobb ever claimed
any great reputation as man ofplety anC
many virtues, but could not help con
trasting the call upon his fellow citizens tC
"rise and defend their liberties, homes, &c.
from the step of the invader, to burn anG
destroy everything in his frent assail hin
on oil Sides" and all that, with his own con
duet here, and the wIetched condition o
his negroes and their quarters: ~.
| We found his granaries well filed will
corn and wheat part Of which was distribu
| ted and eaten hv our animals and men. A
| l. Aa xk.txx