Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1865-02-01
.sssrmon, 81 : ii larch through Georgia. /

.anereiaz, writing from nesIs Savannah, give
an interesting account Of sberman's marcl
Through the Empire State. We make tn
following extract:
/ Newspapers occasionally picked up disclos
| ed an intense commotion. Governor Brown
had ordered a levy O., n,esse Of the whole able
bodied militia, and g large force was alread,
concentrated at Macon. Proclamations, des
patches, and notices to assemble were in eve
Try column, and the sole order Of the day
Although Kilpatricks cavalry went.into tht
suburbs, they did not attack Macon, as indeed
there were many reasons why we should not
but turned East instead, destroying the rail
road. Theron wassheaHy partly Of: the I
and partly of the I, pattern, laid on stringert
of.pitch-pine, aupported-by cross-ties Of the
same material. The divisions, working il
turn, where there wasa rail fence at hand
piled that on the track and burned it. The
iron, kept down by the spikes, and having, nc
room to expand lengthways, kinked sideways
to;such an e. tent asssefectually TO destroysit
Where there was no fence, the ties were piled
up and burned, and the rails SO heated as tc
bend of their: own weight. &llsau-mills near
enough to the road to. be used in rebuilding
it, were DESTROYED. Depots and swater-tanks
shared the same fate. Making easily an
average of about twelve miles day, on the
2Sth the whole army was together, beyond
the Ocenee. General Sherman now came
from the left wing, and travelled with the
lFth CORES. He seemed in excellent spirits.
g Splendid country to loaf in,a be calledit.
And it was. The first day Quit country
was sterilesor annihilated, and welookcd with
apprehension to our supply wagons. The
second showed little corn, an occasional
beef, and few sweet potatoes. The third
day brought MS to plenty. We turned out
our foragers, and from that time until we
reached the coast, there was not day when
corn, fodder, beef, pork, and great luscious;
swee. potatoes, were NOT abundantly within
reach, with occasional lots of salt, and bar
rels ofmolasses.-. The commissary supplied
three-f ffhs rations of bread, coffee, salt, SUI
gsr,and soap. and our ayoiTdupois steadily
increased. 80 -
Not that all-these things were to be had
for asking. Not only what wc we're in quest
Of, but every thing that could be, was hidden
with all imaginable artifce. No use. If
stock or hogs were -driven to the swamp, or
corn hid undera pile of shncks, or potatoes
under barn floor; was. pointed out by, the
inevitable nigger. Carefully buried, and
strewn with leaves, some horses. foot was
sure to sink in the new earth, and diggers
were atwork in minute. Whatever was
found in this5way, if notseatable, was apt, to
be destroyed, andsbooks, clothes, beddilsl
and much else that, in itsproper place. would
not have been disturbed, WINS every day lostin
ibis manner Itswas both sad and comicsl.
The march was as peacestle asa picnic:
The militia were hurry ing BY way of Thorn.
asyiile and Albuny,sto be before. us at .Ssvan-
nah ITO which We had no particular objection:
In our front was some e4tempore cavalry,
which nobodysever saw except the advance
guard. The weather was about such as we
hayein September, and3the li;tle7tents which
the men carry were hardly ever Set up.
As far as Gordon. we used the country
pretty roughly. The Provost Marshsl burn
ed all the mills, cotton gins and presses, and
shot The hounds. Tue 5stagglers burned all
TIE unoccupied houses, ,ana made free with
the rest. 1t t.touched me sadly that our pro-
eress could be traced for miles by smoke ris-
Ing above the trees, and, that We could trace
in the same way tie column; on either hand.
But at Gordon, orders Issued. denourcing the
death penalty for firing any building or en-
,tcring an inhabited house, to-'the grstiiIca
ton Of the army aud with excellent effect.
From Milledgeyille, November q, Gen.
kilpatrick was semitic cut the railroad be-
tween liillen and Augusta, and, it possible,
rescue our, prisoners confined near Miller.
At Waynesboro, heshada smart fght With
Wheeler's cavalry, but cut the railroad as
that point, aud captured train. The pris-
oners, poor fellows, had bean Thished OIL to
Savannah and out on the Florida Railroad,
The close of the first week in December
brought US near the coast. A sandy loan,
VARYING to the extremes ofsberrsnaess and
fertility. and propQrtionately settled, extends
from Atlanta 10 tho coast. The woods are
almost altogether pine, with an occasional
growth of large trees, bltnoThereapproach-
ing thegreat Gear wood piseries en- cur
Northern lakes. The wbele couuIry is in
tersperscd with swamps, which, as We near
ed the sea, increased in number and extent,
But little cotton was f-undon;- osch planta--
tion, the law forbiddiEg to raisc mere. East
of the Oconee there was "a sensible change
in the vegetation. In the swamrs cypress
often appeared, and We hailed ON all. sides
emtryos palm-lesf fars," half dozen leaves,
sometimes three or four feet high, growing
independently fromone root. In the door
wards we're immenseliye oaks, which,T thought
finer shade trees than the best ams of New
England, to which they are not unlike. The
leaf, however, is very email. The sorghum,
whichshad entertained u.s. hitherto, was row
replaced by Louisiana cane, though ne no.
where passed suger plantation-for instance,
one with sugar house.
As we neared Savannah, Wet the first
time, found trees felled in the swamps totcb.
,struct our progress. "A few houses were furn-
ed by way Of retaliation.
a PlcrURrron Hlsros1-A letter from
Washington, North Carolina, gives an account
Of hesdesolation of that town.. and the fol-