Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-04-19
EourtI. Paper.

| struction .-EDs.]
| FOurth Paper.
Sherman's march to the sea bears
with . its title flavor of romance
and of chivalry which has made it on at.
tractive theme among the writers oi
song and story and the builders oI
historical literature. The boldness OF
its conception and the success attending
Its execution attracted the worlds at.
tentlon while the movement was in
progress and subsequent accounts
OF the events of the tramp have all con.
| splred to clothe it with enduring
interest which does not seem to flag as
time grows old.
In writing of the march to the sea il
10 more convenient to treat the move
ment as separate campaign, independ.
ent entirely of it's effect upon the other
military demonstrations of that period
Though it was part Of the great drama
then being enacted through the opera.
tions of the army Of the west, il pos
sesssd distiactivsness more marked
than sny of the campaigns which had
preceded it. From the day when the
rear of General Sherman's column
marched over the hills and left Atlanta
behind until that later day when his
advance plunged through the iron hail
of armed opposition at Fort McAllister
flung the stars and stripes to the breeze
from the hlackened ramparts of the
conquered fortress and opened com
munication with the union fleet await.
ing our arrival in Ossabaw sound, thii
historic movement was essentially one
of its own. The hopes apd sympathies
and doubts and fears Of the great loya
north were with US, but aside from the
moral support of the nation we had only
ourselves to rely upon. So the march
to the sea takes to itself the position o
an isolated fragment of the great
struggle, though as part of the whole
| it was as fruitful of results as any of th.
| campaigns OF Gn6 war.
In preparing for his change of base
General Sherman had stripped his arm.
of all superfuities. The sick, the lam,
and the lazy were sent to the rear. The
wagon train was reduced 20 1imensionl
sufficient only to transport the ammu
milton which might be needed during
the march and 8 small supply Of pro-
visions. Three out of every four bat
teries of artillery were dispensed with
leaving to each division of infantry only
one battery -four guns) IN place Of it
usual complement of four batteries
(sixteen guns). The luxury of ten
life Sherman's army had already Learned
to look upon as an unnecessary extrava
gance and every soldier was conten
with his little piece Of shelter cloth
which he carried in his blanket roll
The men were instructed to take will
them one change of underwear, an over
coat, ono wooden blanket, one rubbe
blanket, hayersaok, canteen, bayonet
musket and forty rounds OF ammu
milton. This was their outfit of persona
effects.
| The army was down to its fghtin
weight and its walking weight, and / al
certain there never was an army in BET
ter condition for work, under bette
discipline or more sanguine of its abillt
to 60 wherever it was told to 60 tina
was Sherman's army as i
bivouacked in the suburb
of Atlanta ready to move upon the orde
of its commander. We knew only ths
another campaign was to be entered uI
on. Where we were gong ami wha
was expected Of US were matters of tt
most supreme indifference. We wer
certain we would accomplish all th
plans called for, whatever they migt
be. We felt ourselves invincible. Sue
was Sherman's army stripped for I'll
march 80 the sea, in the heart of a no
tile country, with its bridges burned b.
hind it and only it's commander and i
guns to rely upon-its inspiration IL
battle rent banners of the country it hs
borne 80 far and SO weil.
The command consisted of four arm
corps of infantry and a-tillery. the fou
teenth, fifteenth. seventeenth ar
twentieth, and division Of 90
lalry. General jeff @. Day
commanded the fourteenth corr
General P. J. Osterhaus the fifteent
General Frank P. Blair the seventeen
and General A. 8. Williams Z