Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-04-14
DELAWARE, OHIO, APRIL IA, 1856.


ed. In addition to this the same brigade
gathered one hundred and twenty FIVE
thousand pounds of corn, and seventy
seven thOusandJpounds of fodder. Be
sides all this, the brigade captured two
hundred horses and three hundred and
fifty mules, burned fifty cotton-gins and
presses, two saw mills, three Touring
mills, and eighteen hundred bales of cot
ton, and destroyed five miles Of railroad
track. Multiply these estimates by the
number of brigades in the army, and
some idea may be formed of the extent
to which the Confederacy has been pay
ing the expenses Of a war against itself
On the 10Th the left wing reached the
Broad river at Freshley's Ferry. Our
next objective point being Winnsboro, it
will be seen by glance at the map that
our army was now executing a grand
right wheel around Columbia. The enc
my interpreted this movement as an ad-
vance upon Charlotte, but how sorely he
was deceived in this is already known
His scattered forces were still unable to
concentrate. Hardee's army, now in
creased by the Charleston garrison, NOV
ed northward toward Cheraw, hoping,
probably, to intercept US during our
eastward march from Charlotte. But as
we did not go to Charlotte, Hardee soon
found it necessary to pick himself up
and get out of our way.
On the 21st of February the goth Corps
! marched into Winnsboro. This is a
handsome village situated on the railroad
from Columbia to Charlotte, and in the
midst of one of the most wealthy, arls-
tocratic and rebellious portions OF South
! Carolina. Our foragers were now in
clover, and right well did they improve
| their opportunities. / remember seeing
| the following equipage pass through the
principal street of WinnosborO 1t was
a splendid barouche, to which were at
| tached a fine span of matched horses,
with silver mounted harness, The top of
the vehicle had been summari1y torn off
/ for convenience sake, and the following
was an inventory of its freightage as
nearly as | can recollect: Six soldiers
with ''stove-pipe" hats, q la Uncle Abe. "
One barrel of sorghum mOlasses. Sew
eral bushels of sweet potatoes. Some
| fresh pork A big haul of nice hams.
Several punches Of chickens and geese
| hung out on the sides of the carriage by
way of ornament. | have mentioned
this pageant only as a specimen. L have
Ioften- witnessed others of the same sort.
Having curiosity to know something
| of the people of Winnsboro, we called on
one of the first families" The mansion
presented a rather ordinary appearance
on the outside, but we had no sooner en-
| tered than we bowed OlCrseiUeS rather
than rere uShered, into a gorgeOusly fur
nished parlor. The furniture and trap
| pings were of that high style of art which
suggests great wealth and very poor
| taste. In fact there was as much display
as might have been seen on country
muster day before the present war. Ev-
identity we've struck lie, we thought
as we glanced around the apartment. I,he
/ NJ ha
eyed old lady dressed in black, soon ap-
/ peared. She was accosted with, this is
a fine day, madam. well, don't know,
said she. Perhaps you may think it q
! fne.day but to US it don t seem very fine. .
/ t'EThese Northern blasts are not con-
sidered very wholesome down this way,
suggested some one, inquiringly. The
old lady replied by a sort of sarcastic
Ieer and a gentle upturning Of the nasal
organ She evidently considered herself
assailed by set of abolition mudsills
and made herself as unsociable as posi-
BILE It is needless to say that the inter
view did not last much longer, and that
we soon turned our backs upon Southern
hospitality in Winns boro.
There is another class of people per
vading this country of whom it may be
proper to speak word here. They usu-
ally constitute the great majority of the
population, and are generally styled by
the wealthy classes as common people
caste are recognized in South Carolina
almost as distinctly as in the aristocracies
of the Old World. The rich and the
moor have but little afiliation. The lat
ter in all political and social relations are
hardly more than servitOrs of the former
Being deprived in a great measure Of the
rights of freemen and of the amenities OF
a truly republican society, they are usu-
tally very ignorant. Some Of their eX-
pressions in regard to our army were
very amusing A widow woman told me
her husband had died at Hanover CON
junction, in Virginia. Another, IN de-
: scribing a skirmIsh near her house, said
that our folks had two strings of fight,
meaning two lines Of battle. These peo
pie commonly spoke of the cavalry as the
"critter company" and of the ARTILLERY
as the gun company" In conversation
they called themselves we 'uns, and US
you 'uns" A captured rebel soldier
when asked what he preferred to do, re
piled that if he had his rather" h
r would rather go home and stay there
These and many other drou expression
have become a part of the current brogu
, among our soldiers, who fully appreciate
good thing and never permit 1t t.
waste its sweetness.
The entire army concentrated a
Winnsboro. 1t then shaped its cours
| in a north-easterly direction and movet
to the Wataree. This stream was tn
Rubicon of the campaign. Upon 1t
a high and precipitous banks Gen. Sher
!man evidently expected the enemy t
make Il decided resistance. But IN thl
J he was agreeably disappointed, Nlthou
any difficulty the left wing secured
f crossing near Rocky Mount p. o., on th
t 22d of February. Thus the birthday, c
e Washington was signalized by anothe
/ strategic triumph. While our faro
f friends were celebrating this gala day
we were climbing the difficult banks c
= the Wataree.
The passage OF this stream was nc
fully accomplished until the 26th. Th
: army then moved slowly on tOwar
n Chesterfield G. III. Heavy rains had no
y set in. which, added to the treacherou
q nature of the soil, made our march yer
: difficult. Frequently the troops had
: work e,, 1,.asse in corduroying the road.-
f The whole surface of the country seem
ed to be Il bed of clay and sand. Some
Zines the sand SO far predomlnates as
> destroy all the hrmness of the soil.
h single horse cannot pass in such place
!, without getting mired In these local
y ties almost the entire road must be col
duroved. that is, imbedded with rails an
!, poles. Even then the trains and artl
@ lery are gotten along with great dlthcult
4 Thus we foundered along throug
n Lancaster and Chesterfield districts
Q On the l4th of March the army reache