Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-04-06
The March from Fayetteville so
a# D. GOldsbore, N. q. E.
sArrIgs or AvRRAsBoRo AND BKNToNs-
81 ~ o. yILLR


saaFl oa vILLK.
The following graphic and exceeding
iy interesting details of the march from
FAYETTEVILLE TO Goldsboro, N. O., and of
the battles OF AYerasboro and Bentons
vile fought on the way, we oondense
from the correspondence of the New
York Herald, and make room for them
to the exclusion OF much other matter
this morning
The movement from Fayetteville com
menced on the l4th of March, by leint-
ing column, consisting of Jackson's and
Wards divisions, twentieth corps; Car
Inns and Morgans, fourteenth corps, and
Kilpatrick's cavalry command, taking
the river road towards Raleigh. The
trains of the left wing were started on
an interior road, directly towards Colds
boro, in charge Of Geary's division,
twentieth, and Baird's division, four
teenth corps. Towards wing moved in
the same manner on parallel roads near
er the coast. Thus the wagons were
protected by an uuincumbered fighting
column on the left, another in front and
ON the right by. the sea coast and
swamps, where no enemy could come.
Hardee Wade Hampton, Wheeler and
Butler retreated up the river road--the
route to Raleigh as well as one Of the
paths to GoldsbOro-and It was expect
ed they would attempt to check our adj
vance in that direction. General Sher-
man cast his lot-of headquarter waS
ri ons-with the left wing, fact which
received as an indication that the left
would reach Goldsboro first, no matter
who or what opposed 1t. After travel
ing through Georgia and the Carolinas
with the great chief have an adding
faith that he can 60 where he pleases.
a" FITZPATRICK STRIKES THE ENEMY.
Kilpatricks gaily dressed horsemen
moved out on the Raleigh plank road
and found the rebel rear guard Gener-
al Williams came up and camped near
Fitzpatrick on the night of the 10Th,
Hawley's brigade, of the first division,
twentieth corps, was sent forward TO
assist the cavalry in the event of offensive
operations on the part of the enemy.
The night of the 18th was rainy. and
the old plank road was rapidly becom-
ing fearful, JEFF. G. Davis brought his
troops up, however and the lighting
column was completely dispersed before
Sherman, Slocum, Williams and JEFF. G.
Davis slept.
THE BATTLE OF AYRRAsBoRo.
During the fight early on the morning
of the 18th Silver run was crossed, the
forces skirmishing and we found our
selves near Kyle's Landing on the Cape
Fear river, about twenty miles from
Fayetteville The Cape Fear and Black
rivers run parallel here, about three
miles apart. The country is poor with
but few cleared fields rendered doubly
dismal by the rain that has set in. Kill
patrick and Hawley found the enemy in
his first line of works, between Silver
p run and Tayior's Hole creeks, and re-
ported they could go no further without
help. They had developed infantry, ar
tillery and breastworks, which subse-
quently proved to be the rebel 'first
line" Reinforcements were sent up.
Fitzpatrick and Hawley on the right
were having heavy diminishing when
Ward came up on the road. Hawley
was standing square and steady, while
Kilpatriek's men foundered through the
woods against the enemy's left. The
surface of the earth in these piny woods
looks fair enough during a rain, but it
is very treacherous. The crust cover
ing once broken through, the horse sinks
two or three feet like a plummet. The
difficulty of moving cavalry in such
place may be imagined, but Fitzpatrick
did it. He charged the enemy mounted,
got in their rear so that they carried
wounded men into his line, fought right
and left, and only retired when he found
that he, Hawley and Selfridge could not
turn the rebel left The eighth Indiana
cavalry lost seventy-o one men in this
meier in an incredibly short space of
time.
ga Meanwhile Cases and Dustan'sl brig
AIDES were deployed and sent up careful
ly by General Ward-Case on the road,
Dustan through an open field of farm
to the left of the road. Winnegar's
Buffalo battery was brought up into this
field and commenced firing as rapidly
as they could load Dustan advanced
across the field, his brigade climbed over
the rude pile Of rails and mud and
reached the rear of the enemys first line
of works just as Case got in from their
flank. Three guns were captured and
about one hundred prisoners, and sixty
odd rebels lay dead on the field. Case
expounded ohermans flanking policy,
Dustan instanced Joe Hooker's idea; to-
gether they get the credit OF the three
guns and the prisoners.
s ,.r-s -THR BNEMy's MAIN LINE. s~77
The rebels, now known to be in con-
siderable force, fell back to Taylor's
Hole Greek to their main line of works,
extending from Black river to the Cape
Fear, perhaps two miles, covering The
intersection of the Goldsboro with the
Raleigh road. The distance between
the two rivers was here shorter than at
any other point. We pressed up to this
main line and engaged them, Coggsx
wells brigade, of Wards division, being
on the right. The Fourteenth corps was
far behind, and owing to the unfathom-
able mud were having trouble in get
ting up. Sherman and Slocum sat
around in the woods and along the road
with their stats, under the fire of a rebel
canister shooting battery, till Morgan's