The National tribune., 1885-07-30


into Gen. Terry's hands, and was most val
uable acquisition, as it was the chief port Of
blockade runners during the war.
An incident showing the enterprise of
some of the men in the Twentieth Corps was
the following: Some three or four miles from
Fayetteville the Fourteenth Corps was met by
q small party of men of the Twentieth Corps,
who had a fine article of tobacco for sale.
They had procured it in or near Fayetteville
i think they had got ahead of the Four
gteenth Corps and found the tobacco and took
sall they could back on the road to meet the
Fourteenth Corps, to whom they sold it.
tOn arriving in the town an immense guam
fity of very fine tobacco was found in ware
houses, and was seized by proper authority
and distributed to the troops free gratis.
The shrewd foragers had
FoREsEEN THIS FREE DISTRIBUTION,
and hence had frustrated it by taking to-
bacco out on the road before the corps had
reached town. This was my first aequaint-
Ance with the famous Durham smoking
tobacco of North Carolina. 1t was put up
in blue papers 1t was far superior to any
now sold under the same name.
While at Fayetteville the arsenal was
wrecked by order of Gen. Sherman. We
were now in the Old North State" famous
for tar, pitch, turpentine and naval stores,
according to our old school Biographies 1t
should be remarked that immense quantities
of gunpowder and munitions of war were
found and destroyed at Cheraw, as well as
at Fayetteville Arsenal. The Confederacy
was no longer able to protect their manu-
factories of war material or the stores OF
powder, guns, etc, In reserve. AT Columbia
their money factories had been destroyed.
1t is no exaggeration to say that the very
vitals of the huge insurrection were de-
stroyed by the march of Sherman's army.
Their railroads that transported their troops
and supplies to their armies and their cities,
their printing establishment for treasury
notes and bonds, their arsenals, surplus arms,
cannon, cotton, naval stores, subsistence-all
perished under the sword of Sherman
Many refugees were sent down from Fay
etteyille TO Wilmington on the boat that
Gen. Terry had sent up to meet Sherman's
army. Gen. Sherman also sent requests to
Grant to have Stoneman make a raid across
from East Tennessee towards Danville, Va,
and other operations of similar nature to
finish the destruction of the entire system of
railways.
Ron the 18th of March the army left Fay
etteville, having crossed the river on pontOon
bridges, the left wing moving northward
along Cape Fear River. We encountered
Hardees forces soon after leaving Fayette-
Vile Before reaching Averysboro n. c.,
there was considerable skirmishing. Hardee
was trying to delay u.s. He was falling back
northward with Cape Fear River on his right
flank and North, River on his left. Near
Averysboro Col. Alfred Rhett, commanding
brigade in Hardee's force, was captured by
Of nh 10 n
ing the rear-guard of Hardee's force when
captured and marched to the rear as pris-
oner. On the 10th there was
SHARP LITTLE FIGHT
between Hardee's command and parts of
Jacksan's and Wards Divisions of the
Twentieth Corps and Kilpatrick's cavalry.
A part of the First Division, Fourteenth
Corps, also took part in this fight, known as
the battle of Averysboro Hardee retreated
after loss of over 100 killed and several
hunGxsd wounded and captured. Our loss
was Considerable, too-quite equal to that of
theshemy. From Averysboro we marched
eastward toward Goldsboro. 1t was, l be-
lieve, the day after the battle of Averysboro
that we came to an impossible stream-I
believe it was called Black River. At all
events it was difficult to bridge. Gen.
Sherman became very impatient. Buell., the
commander of the Engineer Brigade of my
division, worked hard, and finally, at an
opportune moment, finished it. / say oppor-
tune, for believe Sherman would have said
or done something disagreeable if the bridge
had net@been completed as soon as it was.
The 18th of March, 1865, has always been a
memorable one to me, but less SO than the
18th The rains had been almost constant.
The roads were miry, and required constant
repairing in the usual way-corduroying
with fence rails But in many parts there
were no fence rails, and suitable timber had
to be procured and split and laid on the
road. The troops and the wagons were
stretched out many miles on the road this
day, as they were on the next. There were
many farmhouses along the road, or, rather,
near If. The people all seemed to watch our
troops and trains with lively interest Men
on horseback, too, hovered on the ridges, and
skulked behind hills and bushes when we
came in full view. Even the underbrush
and fence corners seemed alive with persons
OF all ages and both sexes, apparently striv
ing to1 look upon our army, whether with
friendly or unfriendly eyes we knew not !;
but we certainly had no reason to believe
We had friends In that region among the
wh3Ae people Finally, about noon, we OBJ
served eannonading at the head of our col
urAn Gen. Baird's Division was in the lead
nthat day, mine was second, and Morgan's
last. / believe both corps-Fourteenth and
Twentieth-were on the same road that day,
and that the Twentieth was behind the
Fourteenth. 1t was a rule that the several
divisions of each corps should alternately
take the lead on the march. 1t was reported
that the rebels had a battery and some cav
airy on our road, with which they were try
ing to delay us. Gems. Sherman, Slocum and
Davis had all stopped about noon at farm
house belonging to Mr. Cox. !, too, stopped
there by order of Gen. Davis The house
had a wide veranda on the side next the
road Mr.. Cox was seated there. As Gems
Sherman, Slocum and Davis seemed to be
discussing questions Of some importance
did pot approach them, but endeavored to
scrape up an acquaintance with MI. Cox, his
wife and children. What seemed an unusual
circumstance was the profound depression in
which Mr. Cox and his entire family seemed
to be plunged. The children were all cry
ing, as if fearing some great calamity. Mr.
Cox was cut down in spirits. / endeavored
to cheer him up by assuring him that we
would not injure his property or his family
In any respect. l had supposed that he
feared that his house might be burned. But
he intimated that he had no fears Of that
kind. j then remarked that he need not
fear starvation, as / should leave some sub
sistence stores for his family, which would
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