Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-03-02
Charles City, Iowa, March 2, 1865.
From Gen. Sherman.

4
Charles City, Iowa, March 2, 1865
From Gen. Sherman.
Richmond papers of Tuesday say that Sher
man is pushing rapidly north for Charlotte
Salisbury, Greensboro, Danville, and thenc
join Grant in an attack on Richmond. I'm
less Sherman il coon checked he canuot b
stopped at all.
correspondent writes that the 18th corps
with which Gen. Sherman travels, was at Blu
ford's Bridge on the Coosawhatchie, Feb. 4th
and adds: Slocum is not yet across the Sa
vannah river. He is detained by the high wa
tiers, He reports the roads in a terrible cond
ten, and don't know when he can come up
Howard is on the left with the nth corps, trav
cling on the road leading to Rivers bridge
He had some heavy skirmishing yesterday
The rebels are reported to have received rein.
forcements. Lees corps is in Towards front.
Howard expected an attack this morning the
enemy hoping to dfecat the army in detail.
On our right the rebels dispute every inch Of
ground with desperation, and blockade the
roads through the swamps by telling large
trees. Thus far our losses do not exceed
twenty-five in killed, wounded and missing
The rebels arc burning forage in our front and
along the line of march. Sherman keeps The
fire blazing in the land by firing houses &c
barns along the line of march. The atmos
phere is dense with the smoke of burning
dwellings,. .-..
Gen. Sherman occupied Columbia the cap
ital of South Carolina, ON the 18th, without
resistance. The place fell as Bnnchvile had
fallen, because it was not defensible except by
battle and the enemy are not yet ready
for battle. Each place was envelopcd by
aanking columns, and the garrison of each
was withdrawn as those columns approached.
Up to this point, therefore, the campaign
through South Carolina scarcely differs from
the promenade through Georgia. The rebels
have no adequate army to oppose Gen. Shsr.
man.
Richmond papers Of the 18th reported Gen.
Sherman's cavalry at Florence, about 20 miles
Northeast of Columbia. At nearly the same
time, another force of cavalry was operating
in the neighborhood of Augusta. Whence 1,
may be understood that Gen. Sherman is GOV.
ering region of about a hundred and fifty
miles in breadth, and that he extends his right
wing comprising both cavalry and infantry
with the same cautious yet enterprising vigi.
lance which secured him an unmolested march
upon Savannah. The enemy may attack
where he pleases; he cannot reach the main
body of Sherman's army till its outlying de-
tachments have had time to withdraw, and
till his whole force has been concentrated
Such il the secure merit Of this seemingly ad-
vcnturous plan Of campaign.
Gen. Sherman's strength is so overwhelm
ing that the only probable chance of rebel sue.
cess is in surprising his columns in detail, blu,
that is precisely what Gen. Beauregard viii
find himself unable to do. The entire rebe
force that can he concentrated in Sherman
front has been plausibly estimated at 81, OO(
men consisting of the Wilmington garrison
1000 men (; Hardees forces, swelled by vari.
GUS detachments that have been called in since
Savannah fell, 16 900; and five divisions sent
down from Lees army. 5000; in all 81, 900
1t does not appear that this force can be In
creased from Hoods army, since the move
ment Of that army eastward began too late
The advance did not leave Meridian till Janu
ary 26 !; the rear not till Feb. 4: and afte
reaching Talladeg. by rail they have march
of nearly 500 miles before they can unite will
Beauregard. Long before that is ended, tn,
battle that is to decide the fate of the cam
paign will have been fought; or it will have
been decided that no battle can be found.
We are to consider therefore the campaign
as depending upon the movements of Beaure
gard, On the one side, with $4,000 men, piu,
so many as Lee shall venture to spare from
the trenches of Petersburg and Richmond.
On the other side is Gen. Sherman with a vic.
torious army, the number of which has been
stated in more than one Northern newspaper
at over 100, 900. Suppose it to be only IS, 900
who believes that Beaurcgard with less thar
half that number will fight battle' Tha
Branchville, one important railway center
that Columbia, the capital of the State anc
not less important for its railroad communities
tions; that Florence, also the junction o
three railways. have all been evacuated, anG
that Charleston is abandoned TO it's fate with
out struggle shows that the State is deem
ed by the rebels utterly indefensible
Beauregard will continue to retire befor,
Sherman's advance till Lee shall be able to re-
solve on evacuating Petersburg or Richmond
or both. The army which holds these cite,
has already been so much weakened as to b<
insecure--witness how near even the last effort
against the Southside Railroad came to being
successful. Lee is too good General to send
ono half his army to be swallowed up by Sher.
man, and leave the other half to be devoured
by Grant. He must decide, either to hold
against Sherman. If he means to fight the
battle beyond Raleigh, it will not be long be-
fore the army that has besieged Richmond will
occupy its defences.
1t is not to be supposed, however, that Gen.
Sherman contemplates an uninterrupted
march from Savannah to Richmond. He il
likely to touch the sea-coast in the course OF
it. or some point near enough to the sea to be
a convenient hating place. Were he to move
directly toward Richmond, he has choice Of
two lines after leaving Columbia either by
way of Charlotte, or by way of Fayetteville.
The nearness of the latter to the coast, and
the already ascertained presence of Sherman .
cavalry at Florence, indicate choice Of the
Fayetteville route. Even If Lee, therefore,
had resolved upon abandoning Richmond and
delivering battle with all his forces in North
Carolina. he might well enough wait till the
direction of Shermans march from Columbia
had been finally determined. If to Raleigh,
the battle will be south of it. If TO the sea,
It is impossible to fix the probable scene Of the
decisive struggle.
But lot these speculations pass for what
they are worth. We are content to know that
Gen. Sherman occupies the capital of South
Carolina, and its principal seaport, and that
neither for its capital nor for its chief CONNER.
cial city has the pestilent State which hatched