The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-01-12

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which were stores that could not he taker
away. TWAS not yet daybreak when tn
Division filed through the town on the At
lanta road, but nevertheless, everything wa
plainly seen by the glare that lit up tn,
country. The sight was magnificent, as TIT
fire leaped from tent to ten, spreading ev
erywhere over the ground occupied bv the l:
regiments Of our Division; then in quick
succession the large store. houses broke ou
in flames. rejecting their light to the very
skies; the roar was deafsning, and it wa
with feeling Of awe that we threaded our
way through the burning sea. Daylight say
us several miles on onr route, the light of tn,
burning town gradually fading ont as tn.
day advanced. and we soon settled down "a
the very practical work Of marching. Fmn'
days hard tramping brought US close to At
lanta, camping one night near the fam ns
Kenesaw, where we viewed from its lofty
height the ground Of our summer labors.-
We marched into Atlanta on the morning oil
the 10Th. In the meanwhile the railroad
had been entirely destroyed in our rear. and
most of the city was already in flames when
we reached It. Hating only few hours To
load somc rations, We set our faces south.
ward, the rest Of the corps having preceded
US one days march. That night we camp.
ed miles south Of Atlanta the next two
days we measured out 40 miles, overtaking
our corps the evening Of the second day and
camped near Jackson, about half way from
Atlanta to Macon. We now discovered thai
the expedition consisted Of corps; l4th
Gen. Davis, 18th Gen. Osterhaus, 18th Gen
Blair, and Goth Gen. Slocum, and Kilpst.
rick's cavalry division. The 14th and Goth
on the left under Gen., Slocum shaped fos
Milledgeville. while the 18th and 18th under
Gen. Howard took the general direction o,
the railroad toward Macon. Fitzpatrick op.
Grated wherever circumstances required
During the day Of tho 18th the roar Of a.til.
'ery IN our right told that fitzpatrick was
driving the enemy's outposts along the rail.
road toward Macon, but the infantry column
encountered no opposition. The 10th brough,
us to the Ocmuisee river here delay Of "a
hours occurred, - Howard's column hitherto
marching on two parallel roads, was compel.
ed TO converge and Cross on the pontoon
bridge. The 4th Division crossed in the
evening and lay on the Mhei bank Of the
river Ill next day, being detailed to take
up the pontoons and bring up tn. rear Of
everything here; it began to turn cold, rem
dering everybody uncomfortable, and the
roads bottomless; but we got everything up
and started from the river at dark in q
drenching rain, the ponierous pontoon wsg.
ons cutting deeply into the soft mud, rem.
dering our progress painfully slow, and long
in the night whom ne infantry should have
been resting in camp, we were tuggins at the
wagons with the exhausted mules in un
fathomable mhiihole.; the mex. thres days
was but repetitio, Of this, freeziny, rain
ing, storming, roads horrible, q numbering in
the frozen mud oil dsv and ncsrly all night
For miles the fences bad to be taken and the
road "corduroysd" with tho rails, and be-
fore'the rear Of the train would pass over It
they would be one o. two feet out Of sight
in the mud, aud woe 10 the unlucky team.
ster that got Of the track. The infantry,
too, had to march alongside the wagon train
q