The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-01-06

was unreSlSteu, ana even unmOleSted saw
by an occasional guerrilla, and the retalia
ton against the citizens in such cases wa
very severe.
The March to MiIIen-The Crossing 0
the OcOnee.
The army left Milledgeville Nov. 81
en- route to Nlillen, through which place
it passed on the evening of Dec. 2, camp
ing in the vicinity. The distance from
Niilledgeville to Milen, the way Sherman
marched, is about II miles, and the dis
tance was accomplished in eight days
The main body crossed the Oconee a
Mllledgeville, destroying the bridge ove1
that river, and the railroad bridge Owe
Fishers Creek, south of the city. A
large sorce of cavalry demonstrated a
the Central railroad bridge over the Geo
nee, p miles southeast of Milledgeville
which was defended by earthworks by the
rebel Gen. Wayne, who commanded al
improvised brigade of stragglers and mill
tia which had been picked up between
Milledgeville and Augusta. The roac
here runs for several miles through q
swamp, which borders the west bank OF
the Oconee Wheeler, who had been left
in the rear of Macon, took swift circuit
southwark, through Twiggs, Wilkinson
and Laurens counties, and crossed the
Oconee to Wayne'S assistance at Buckeye
Bridge. eighteen miles below the railroad
brid ge. But this availed nothing, for
Howard'> column. in moving upon San
dersville, in Washington county, marched
down the east bank of the Oconee, and
Wayne, hearing of it, imagined he was
tl;,nked, and on the 25th retired in pecip-
itate haste to DayiSboro', and thence III
the direction Of Louisville, the county
seat of jefferson county. The advance OF
lloward's column reached S;,ndcrSyille
Nov. 26. The railroad was cut again.
and the depot burned, at Tcunille Station,
immediately south of Sandersvile
The Left Wing Across the OcOnee,
Gen. Slocum's column crossed the Geo.
nee simultaneously with the ri ght wing
but bore to the northward in its march.
aiming for Sparta, a tiouriShing village,
and the county seat of Hancock county.
On the evening of the 9th. Gen. Slo-
Gums advance cncamped at Devcrcaux
seven miles west of Sparta, and the cav
airy secured the whole county, one of the
most fertile and thickly settled in the
whole State, and vast quantities OF torag,
and provisions, many horses and mules
were obtained. and much cotton burned
The Georgia railroad on Gen. Socum
left flank, was not neg glected. While the
army lay at Nlilledgeville Il portion of the
cavalry force were roaming unresisted
through Morgan, Greene and Putnam
counties, striking the railroad repeatedly
burning the bridge over the Oconee al
Blue Spring. and the buildings at Buck
head in Morgan county. Greensboro il
Greene county and Charlottesville in Tai
iaterro county
Alarm In Augusta at Sherman's Positive
Approach.
When it was demonstrated to a certain
" that Sherman was east OF the Oconcc
the rebels in Savannah and Augusta be
came greatly frightened. Up to that time
many of them We're cOnsoled with tht
idea that after all, Sherman was only OF
a great raid into the heart of the State
OF would yet turn and move westward
upon Columbus, Montgomery and Mobile
But such hopes We're di>pel!ed when hi
cavalry were discovered in Washington
and Hancock counties. AT Augusta, thel
deemed the object OF Sherman's march
preparations for defense went on vigorous
ly. Bragg was summoned from Whining
ton, and came, the Augusta papers sad
with ten thousand men. Troops came
from Charleston, lIampton'S cavalry cam
from Virginia, and the entire population
of the city waS put under arms, and al
the slaves in the surrounding country wer
impressed to work upon the Notifications
Then began, also, vi gorous system O
rebel Jrug, Wheeler was put to hi
trumpS, and required to whip Kilpatrlc
three times day, and to invariably clos
the report of his victory with the an
nounccment, latter this glorious success
wc teN buchr All this Wheeler mos
valiantly did
The Rebels in the Dark.
1t was through this march from Nil
ledseville 10 Milen, occupying llttl
over week, that the movements of Xii
patrick were so vigorous and his cavalr
so perfectly ubiquitous, that the positio
Of Shermans infantry was wholly III
known to the enemy. Towards colum
passed through Sandersville Nov. 26 an
, Louisville Nov. 80. SIocum's marche
through Sparta, in Hancock county,
Gibson, in Glascock county, and the
moved upon Louisville, converglng wit
the right wing near the latter place. III
whole army appeared in the vicinity
Millen, Dec. 2. Until it was fully a
certained that Sherman had reached Mi
len, the rebels believed that he was pas
ing down between the Ogeechee and Oc'
nee rivers, aiming to reach tle coast at d;
rien or Brunswick.
More of Sherman's Strategy.
Very adroit strategy was necessary
this juncture to conceal the real directie
of the march, for had the rebels know
in time that Augusta was certainly to
avoided, the entire force there could ha
been sent down to Millen, and thus throw