, 1865-03-23
Details of his Grand March
from Savannah to
Fayetteville.
Ne Captsres IA Cttles--S5 Canuon.-4 900
Prlsoners---25,oo0 Anlnals---l5,0 900
Slayes-And Burns Thousands
Of Bales Of Cotton.


up tnG NepIE1a Danks W1tl00L nCldent, OuL
JEFF c. Davis reached TIC ferry. STEAMBOATS,
with supplies were sent up the river to that
point, 50 that after concentration the LEFT
wing might cut loose dom civilization again
With plenty Of provisions. There was plenty
tf water In the river, and vast piles OF stores
were soon accumulated at Sisters Ferry.
d!e1s waded about in mud up to their wais.s,
chopping, lifting and tread,ng on topped ocs
passed before the road which the troops
wee to march vas in condition. Gen. WI
l.ams. with his two divisions, had coms up to
Robertsvi1le mtanwhlle, and was waiting 10
open communication. .Kilpa'rick's com
mand crossed the pontoon into South Carolina
on the Sd Of February, and succeeded In
reaching dry South Carolina ground, aud
muved rapidly Off into South Carolina SPACE
in the direction Of Aiken. General Slncum,
who had labored day and night to ret his two
CORPS toEetber, i'd, drsw E long breath Of relief
day morning, Feb. 4.
BEAUFORT DISTRICT.
General Williams moved from Robcrtsyille,
through IaWtonvllle, two days before Geaty's
division Of bis corps had crossed, aud on the
Al was thirty-tlve niles IN the heart OF BeaI-
lot district, L. n. Keit-'s old stampin.
ground. Geary had the trains Of tue cnrps
mo, I'd with considerable difficulty over roads J
where the mud averaged two and half feet
in depth, where saw in several places an :
mails sstanding upright in the middle Of the
road, literally cmoedded to the ears in mud.
Many miles Of corduroy were built and sunk
river, swolitn by the heavy ra' ms, vera sue
cesstu1ly crossed, although thrce-quarters of
mile II waist deep Wad,ng was required to
do it,. The saltk etcher (Siltkatcher, 10 sonth
Carolina yernacular,l was crossed at Besufort
h'idge. and Williams corps finally coucent1n-
An.1 NA y.
ton and Augusta Railroad, on the 9th Of Feb
rnaty.
FIRST IMPRESSION.
Our fret impression In regard to the couu
tTy we had invaded gave US no very exalted
opinion OF the State Of South Carolina. Vast
swamps. or barrpne, where nothing but nine
will grow, houses lew and far between, no
fence rails to burn, no Living thing in the
Il. Ids to kill and eat, it was pretty generally
conceded TINT we hid not struck a very fne
lead. The eoi1 is t1eachcrous, like the peo-
pie who own 1t. 4 thin crust Of earth and
| line canes cover four or five feet Of quick
sand; and woe to the unlucky Aorseman or
| rnulctecr- who leaves the beaten path tor o
ths TT cnt through the fields or woods. Hcayy
bodies were only safe on the corduroy. More
than one thousand wagons Of the 10th corps
al. ne were brought over these roads to Black
y,ale hJ Gen. Gcary In four days ',
THE YIELD OF SUPPLIES
As,we entered Barrw.l dist1sct The country
/ was richer. Furagrrs rpamed ut Will twenty
| miles OIL either flank aud in front 0f the col
umn, and brought n large amounts OF new
!; Lefty for the sto1nach's cake. Two hundred
| bead Of cattle were brought In by Cap.ain
| Gillette. Genry's commissary. Thousands OF
bushels Of com we're lett By the roadsldc for
| want OF transportation. fitzpatrick having
| been through the country before LIZ, with d .
fEY ofs.a tair%
! staTci1y Of horses and mules uloDg the route.
| Ch:cktbs, turkeys and sorghum we're as abun.
| dant as ii Geotgia.
DEVASTATION AND DESTRUCTION.
| During the first part Of the march. houses
/ were burned as they were found. Whenever
!! columns Of smoke were seen rising here and
{ there within circuit oi twenty or thirty
! mlles. Sslid built chimneys were the only
! relics Of plantation honses after the fea: fill
! blast had swept By. The destruction Of houses,
/ barns, mills, etc, T.s almost universal. Fam.
; the roof over their heads. 6 Refugeeinc." IS
our soldiers termed fleeing from tic wrath 10
come, WAS taken as evidences that the retu.
gees were rebels, and the property they had
!, left was destroyed. Think OF This black
swa'h b extending from Barnwell 10 the coast,
and figure upon the value Of Southeastern
South Ca1olina at the present day.
TERROR or TIE PEOPLE.
+ Even the negroes were wary-afrald In
some instances to trust themselves among
the men who made this fearful work on thr
county. White table cloths were suspended
from windows with - Have mercy on me :" for
legeDd. and the fiery spirit Of South Carolina
was tanned cfftctualfy. Occasionally, In
Georgia, man could be found who had the
courage to fay that he voted for secession ;
but these atject men we,e afraid to oHn that
they lived IN seeded Stnte.
no FIGHTING.
General Williams scattered small force
Of rebel cavalry at Robertsvil1e, md hts for
ayers drove them on beyond Blackvillc. At
Robertsyille Que man was killed aud nine
wounded. Other than this no organized
body Of rebels bothered the Twentieth corps
column.
The little village Of B1aekTi1lc bad been
visited By Kilpatrick's cavalry before the In
fanuy column came up. E1e raal estate had
rot suffered much; personal pFopety .s: sat.
of the railroad tatidings and set Wards d.
vision, of Williams corps, ut work upon the
railroad. Ei9at OF ten males OF Track we're
desire, ed, til Ward Joined with the 14th
corps, whict had come up on tie lett Of the
eoth. 1has ne rebels q Ansasta were cut
were burned ut Blsckville.
HEAD WATERS OF TnEED1sTo.
Saturday, Feb. II, the o01t corps marched
to the Edisio River. Nine distinct streams,
flowing sluggishly through q swamp half
nile u width where the pad crosses, were
the obstacles to be surmoontcd here. Two
hundred rebel cavalrymer disputed the cross
plunging through tho swamp. dispersed
them or dove them away in body,
and the corps crossed. Gen. Williams
corps WIS now between the Two forks which
form the Edisto River. The balance Of Gen.
Slocum's command WAS well up on the
leit, with Kllpatrlcks further on that fauk.
The road across the point formed by the two
branches was fouri cen miles long. The corps
marched 10 the Nu;h Fork before night On
the 12th, and wcntinlo camp. The tT0 hun
dted rebels who lad been driven away from
the lower Edisto had concentrated he:e;
their force was augmented somewhat, aud
with the assistance Of -four pieces OF cannun
they made considerable NOISE. Skirm:shiag
was Kept up all t1at Sunday night, the pio-
ncsI6 working upon the bridge MEAN 1hile.
Monday muthlng lhe enemy were gone. Gen.
elai Wards division beng in advance, that
General mounted his kicking stallion, took
two companies tor skifmlshe.s, and advanced
pace. So.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY IA.
All day Tuesday tho regiment Of rebels
sAilmished with our advance, but they we're
easily brushed away. Once theY m!de dash
behind the advance md captured Captain
brigade, and chased Captain Ward four miles
OF more. The eDemy appeared In blue
clothes, aud we're frequently hailed as Union
6oluie1e.
CAPTURE Or LEXINGTON COURT HOUSE.
At fire o'clock In the afternoon Of Wednes-
day, February 15sh, Gen. Barnu@'s brigade
TWO miics from Lexington and twelve from
Columbia. Gen. s!ocum had calculated upon
DAVIS corps beng In town at that hour; but
the rains and vic roads had prevented even
that swift travelling corps from coming up.
but arrived there just too late to strike
blow at the rear OF the reocl cayflry column,
which had been pouring through all day TO-
wards Columbia. Only dozen shots we're
fired. Barnum's brigade was Withdrawn,
and the Fourteenth corps n4arched up on
Of The grand army Of invasion was
night, ten miles from Columbia,
facing towards that town, and he
issued the order for an advance on
the capital early next morning., with
of The 10th corps, closely followed by Jack
sons. moved down the rond Parallel with
JEFF. G. Davis troops, who bad "gone
thr1 ugh" Lexington, and struck the 17ih.
Corps on the banks Of The Congaree, op2o-
site c. lumbia, shortly after noon. By having
the shortest line Of march, the right wing
had reached Columbia first. De Grass bat
tery Of twcnty-poundcr PARROTS WAS firing
shots at the g.eat white marble front of, tha
new Capitol building sharpshootces chatfed
each other across The Congaree; Sherman,
Slocum, Howard. Frank Blair aud other gen
cra1 officers gossippea on the banks during
the balance Of the day, waiting for the pom
toon Train to come up.
COLUMBIA.
On our entrance into this city the women