Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-04-14

gious and ridiculous blunder. Yet we
might, perhaps, find more excuse for the
awkwardness of his strategy could we
observe it from different standpoint
The rebel leaders had not calculated upon
this unexampled winter campaign. After
Sherman's splendid success in capturing G
Savannah they supposed that, q Ia Nc
Clellan, he would sit quietly down, enjoy
the glory he had won, and wait for fair
weather In the meantime they pro-
posed to collect thei-- scattered forces,
pare themselves generally for our spring
campaign. But they miscalculated their
man In trusting In the interminable
bogs and swamps of South Carolina and
in the watery atmosphere q a southern
winter, as obstacles agains the genius
and energy which carried our army from
Atlanta to Savannah, they were decided
ly the victims of misplaced confidence
The world was about to be taught a les
son in strategic at 44-az = had not re-
ceived since the day of Napoleon. Spite
of winter, mud, rain, swamps and bogs,
the two wings of the grand Army of
Georgia swept northward in resistless
flight, until their ominous twin shadows
rested over the doomed capital Of South
Carolina So sudden and unexpected
was the blow, that our enemies moved
hither and thither in confused haste, ap-
parently not knowing what to do. Spite
Of all their desperate threatening and
trueulent bravado, they abandoned one
after another of their strongholds, and
the old flag waved in triumph over the
proudest citadels of the rebellion.
The enemy had no sooner fed in dis
may from Columbia, than our great lead
er prepared to improve the opportunity
loI l. TO rfi
alarming mischief to the Confederacy.-
On the 18th of February, the left wing
moved to the Saluda river, and Immediately
began crossing that stream eight miles
above Columbia. inexperienced persons
have but little idea Of the tedium ac-
companying the crossing of so large a
force by single bridge. Here. for the
nonce, the whole command is concentra-
ted, and compelled to pass in slow pro-
cession by a given point. An immense
train of nearly two thousand wagons
drags its slow length along at a most
wearisome pace. All day and night the
sluggish wheels keep moving, save when
they are interrupted, as they are every
half hour or so, by some disarrangement
Of the bridge In addition to the trains
are the cavalry, and thousands of other
mounted men, all of whom must pass
over the single at-bridge, the safety Of
which requires that the animals move IN
single file. The cattle droves, too, must
have their turn when the water happens
to be too deep for fording. Thus the
motley procession of men, horses, wagons
mules and cattle moves in slow, irregular
current until all are over,
The passage of the Saluda was conclu-
ded on the 18th The column ther
shaped its course north westward, thus
~ H. La
the army larger scope for foraging pur.
poses, which had become by this time al
important item. One-fourth rations 0
bread, sugar, and coffee was all the sub
sistence the troops now received from
the trains-Tha deficiency had to bt
made up by foraging. For this purpose
each regiment mounted a party of mel
upon captured horses and mules. These
soon became notorious class IN the
army, and were enthusiastically styleC
''bummers, smoke-house cavalry" &c
Gen Sherman is said to have called then
his Subsistence department" But thu
truth is there is no term in the Englisl
language which does the subject justice
Even Falstatfs ragamufin files woulC
have been completely eclipsed by one o
these parties just returned from an "ex
pedition.' Even Don Quixote mounted
upon his fiery Rosinante. or illustriou
Ichabod Crane astride Van Ripper's re
doubtable "Gunpowder," might hav'
been eclipsed by one of these improviseC
cavaliers. Mounted upon all kinds o
steeds, from the broken down hybrid o
the train, the discarded jade Of the cor
raj, the whinnying colt from the stable
yard, and the long cared, discordant scioI
of ancient Balaam's monitor, up to th'
well-fed, prancing favorite of the stall
oil Aha = al
a soldiers Whims, aided by the content
of trunks and boxes exhumed from al
most every swamp and graveyard, coul(
devise equipped with gun and knapsack
! they soon become the terror of all pOul
| try and piggery, the plague of all house
wives, the scare-crows of all rebels, tn
| abused of all honest men, the ridicUle o
all proper men, the scape-goat of all meal
men, and the jest of everybody. Th
terrified citizens vainly endeavored t.
conceal their goods and provisions, bu
no ingenuity. of secretion could thwar
the ferreting instinct of these men. The
! became so adept in their art as to b
! looked upon as professional men of thei
kind. Thus the chivalry of South Caro-
lima were suddenly confronted with ne1
style of cavaliers, not so gallant and 70
mantle, it is true, as those of fctitiOu
fame, yet more dangerous and insidlou
foes than ever tilted lance or leaped
castles moat. No hen-roost was so oh
scure as to escape their notice no pig-st
so remote, or smoke house so unpreten
tious as to escape their scrutiny. Some
times trunks containing clothing and va
uables were carefully inferred in suppos
tious graves, and their place of sepultuI
marked with boards solemnly inscribe
with the names and years of pretende
; dead. 1t is needless to say that thes
"shrines' were almost universally 'sviC
lated" Neither was the sacredness
the cemetery always respected when
had been previously desecrated by til
concealment of plate, money, Jewels, an
firearms among the confined bones
family ancestry To this extent, at leas
our foragers were acknowledged ''vaI
dals"
The extent of country which was pc,
meated and stripped by these men W;
perfectly surprising. 1t was commo
thing for them to go twenty or thirt
miles in advance, or on the fanks of ii
column. They thus kept the rebel ca
airy at distance, and the enemy WI
very rarely permitted to get glimpse
the main body of the army Did he Il
tempt to resist them in their excursion
our 'bummers would Immediately COZ
ceutrate from all points, and help eac
e other out of a scrape Of which Jchnr
Reb almost invariably got the worst. !
,, affairs Of this kind, prisoners, horse
mules, and large quantities of plund,
were often captured by our men, On OF
occasion, twelve rebel cavalrymen leapC
from their horses and fed to swamp
/, order to escape being captured by fv