American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-03-29
VOLUME 2.
From the New YORK lrlpuh
Gon Sherman's March.


ed this point after march across South
Carolina, almost wholly without opposl-
Zion It onters the town where it opens
communication with Wilmington by the
Cane Fear River in as good condition in
almost every respect as when it left Sa-
vannah. and seems neither fatigued by
its long journey, nor to demand either
rest or equipment before it resumes It's
resistless advance. OF what it has alrea-
DIV accomplished | send you hurried
sketch.
About the 18th of January all prepar-
tions has been made for the opening OF
Shcrnlan's Carolina campaign. The 10th
and 18th Corps had been conveyed to
Beaufort by transports. The 18th and
2Oth Corps had been taken up to Sister $
Ferry, with one division of the 10Th, Gen.
Corse and Fitzpatrick s cavalry, which was
the last to go up. The 18th Corps, un-
der Major Gen. Frank Blair, moved f'om
Pocotaligo landing, where he had slight
skirqish with the enemy. The weather
suddenly broke into rain, and the whole
country about Savannah was dcluged,
which retarded for some time the advance
of the army, the advance column, as it
commenced its line of march, being actu-
ally caught in the ride.swamp5 and sur
rounded by water, where they were for
ced to remain for several days, being una
Bile either to advance or retreat.
Our pontoons on the Savannah had
been swept away, and several men and
teams had been lost, January 26, the
weather was so much more favorable that
the 24th and 10Th Corps took up Their
line of march from Sisters Ferry. On
the evening Of the 29th, the l7th Corps
broke camp near Pocotaligo road. The
only force they met sligh bodies OF the
enemys cavalry On the 3Jth the 10Th
Corps marched along the Beaufort road
toward NTPhersonyilIe The 10Th and
18th Corps commanded by Gems. Logan
and Blair, both under Gen. Oliver o.
Howard, formed the right wing Of the
army. The let wing was under Major
Ge eral SIoclm, comprising the 18th
and 10Th Corps, commanded by Gems.
Williams and Davis. On the extreme
left, and partly in advance, was Kilpat-
ricks cavalry. On the lst Of February
the advance of the 18th Corps reached
Hickory Hill, Gen. Charles r Woods
division leading. As the army marched
through McPhersonyille they set fire to
the few wooden shantics composing that
town--the army having a keen sense that
they were travcrsing the soil of South
Carolina itself, and occasionally giving
vent to their feeling by such acts as
might elsewhere have seemed unwarlike.
So determed moreover, were the soldiers
to leave some real traces of their march
that they even forgot at times the distinc-
ton between friend and foe, and at Beau
fort, which for three years has been uu-
der the Union flag, they pounced upon
fences, and destroyed that of Father
French, and made it necessary for double
guards to be posted at various places in
the town.
For the first two or three days of the
march toward Hickory Hill the roads
were o5struc,ed by fallen lumber at the
different swamp crossings. \ South Car
olina swamp crossing is place where Il
sunkcn road has been carried through the
swamp below the level Of the ground and
so as to reach solid bottom. On either
side Of it is the morass, aud the water
overfows the road itself, so that no little
caution is required to keep the path.
Such places afford great facilities for OBJ
structing the march of an army, bu. de
spite of all obstacles the c umn passed
through, and at no place did the enemy
make anything like determined stand
Hickory Hill was the place fixed upon
for the junction Of the two wings of the
army, but the left wing was SO much de-
layed by the condition of the roads that
it did not reach that place till two days
after the time appointed. The Coosa-
watchie swamps might have given at this
point an easy defense to the enemy, but
no effort was made by the Rebels to avail
themselves Of it.
On the I'd of February the 18th Corps,
with which | was riding at the time,
marched for Duck Greek, corduroying the
roads all day long. The rain again be-
gan to fall, aud occasioned no little delay
in repairing the roads. Meantime the
18th Corps was forcing its way across the
Salkehachie at Rivers Bridge. The ad-
vance in this enterprise was taken by
Gen. Mowers Division, and they carried
the position with loss of less than a
hundred in killed and wounded. All
the wounded were sent back to Beaufort.