The National tribune., 1897-07-15
itself. He said that the price of every


danger of National bankruptcy, and he
appealed to me, as soldier and patriot,
to hurry up matters so as to bring the
war to close.
He left for Port Royal about The 18th
of January, and promised to go North
without delay, so as to hurry back to
me the supplies had called for, as in
dispensable for the prosecution of the
next stage of the campaign. was
quite impatient to get off myself, for a
city life had become dull and tame, and
we were all anxious to get into the pine.
woods again, free from the opportunities
of rebel women asking for protection,
and of the civilians from the North who
were coming to Savannah for cotton
and all sorts of profit.
On the 18th Of January Gen. Slocum
was ordered to turn over the city OF
Savannah to Gen. j. G.. Foster, com.
manding the Department of the South,
who proposed to retain his own Head.
quarters at Hilton Head, and TO occupy
Savannah by Gen. Growers Division, Of
the Nineteenth Corps, just arrived from
James River, and on the next day, viz,
Jan. IS, made the first general orders
for the move.
These were, substantially, to group the
right wing of the army at Pocotaligo,
already held by the Seventeenth Corps,
and the left wing and cavalry at or near
Robertsville, in South Carolina. Ths
army remained substantially the sans
as during the march from Atlanta, with
the exception of few changes in the
commanders of brigades and divisions,
the addition of some men who had Joined
from furlougb, and the loss of othe1
from the expiration of their term Of
service.
My own personal staff remained the
same, with the exception that Gen. W.
+. Barry had rejoined us at Savannah,
perfectly recovered from his attack Of
erysipelas, and continued with US TO the
end of the war. Gems Easton and Beck.
with remained at Savannah, in charge Of
their respective depots, with orders to
follow and meet US by sea with supplies
when we should reach the coast at VIII
mington or Newbern, N. c.
Of course, / gave out with some ostenta.
ton, especially among the rebels, that We
were going to Charleston or Augusta;
but l had long before made up my mind
to waste no time on either, further than
to play off on their fears, thus to retain
for their protection force of the enemy
which would otherwise concentrate ia
our front, and make the passage of soms
of the great rivers that crossed our route
more difficult and bloody.
Having accomplished all that seemed
necessary, on the 21st of January, with
my entire Headquarters, officers, clerks,
orderlies, ETC., with wagons and horses,
L embarked In steamer for Beaufort,
S. c., touching at Hilton Head, to see
Gen. Foster. The weather was rainy
and bad, but we reached Beaufort safely
on the 23d, and found some of Gen.
Blair's troops there. The bulk of his
corps (Seventeenth) was, however, up
ON the railroad about Pocotaligo,
near the head of Broad River, 10
which their supplies were carried from
Hilton Head by steamboats,. Gem
Hatch's Division (of Gen. Fosters com.
manO was still at Coosawhatchie OF
Tullafnny, where the Charleston g.
Savannah Railroad crosses the river Of
that name. All the country between
Beaufort and Pocotaligo was low alluvial
land, cut up by an infinite number Of
saltwater sloughs and fresh water creeks
easily susceptible of defense by small
force, and why the enemy had allowed
US to make lodgment at Pocotaligo so
easily did not understand, unless it re-
suited from fear or ignorance.
1t seemed to me then that the terrible
energy they had displayed in the earlier
stages of the war was beginning to yield
% the slower but more certain industry
md discipline of our Northern men. u
vas to me manifest that the soldiers and
,eople of the South entertained an un-
lue fear of our Western men, and, like
they had invented such ghost
ike stories of our prowess in Georgia
hat they were scared by their own In
7entions. Still, this was power, and I
Intended to utilize it.
Somehow, our men had got the idea
hat South Carolina was the cause of all
'ur troubles; her people were the first to
ire on Fort Sumter, had been In great
lurry to preeipitate the country into
ivil war and, therefore, on them should
all the scourge of war in its worst form.
Taunting messages had also come to US,
ghen in Georgia, to the effect that when
Te should reach South Carolina we would
md a people less passive. who would fight
s 20 the bitter end, daring US to come over.
tc.; 30 that saw and felt that we would
lot be able longer to restrain our men as
re had done in Georgia.
Personally i had many friends in
to whom / would gladly have
xtended protection and mercy, but they
gere beyond my personal reach, and /
vould not restrain the army lest its vigor
nd energy should be impaired: and I