The National tribune., 1902-04-03
The Whole of Sherman's Army Moving
Against the Line of the salkehatchie-The
Boys Find Luxurious Quarters.

| DTdNe, enlerllElSlnS young lhcll WHICH ttii.
Sherman moved into South Carolina in
| February, 1864.
| A General of less fiery zeal to end the
war would have waited in Georgia until
the Winter rains were over. before lauch-
| ing his army into the South Cardinals
overtlowing swamps. But the war was
costing the Nation S3,000,000 n day, and
Gen. Sherman reflected the intense desire
of his high-spirited young volunteers Of
his army to finish up the long job and get
home. They wanted to be doing some>
thing to close up the rebellion, and Sher-
man flung them straight at difficulties
which only such men as they could over
come.
The world never saw an army essay Il
march of such supreme difficulty, nor ac-
cOmplish it without single severe check.
The whole State seemed ailoat. Every
where rivers and creeks flowed directly
across the line of march. Each one of
these was running full to Oycrfi0wing, and
the water spread out far on each side to
bar all progress. Every crossing was dis
puted, both by Nature and by men. The
rebels destroyed every bridge and filled up
every ford with brush and Instructions,
and concealed tOrpedOeS among the obsta>
cles to blow up, MAIN, kill or drown the
yCntureSome Yankees who attempted TO
make 4 way across. There was Il bitter
musketFy fire, and sometimes artillery, to
encounter in addition to these Instructions,
and this went on every day, almost every
hour, along front of 40 miles as the
army approached the Salkchatchie River
the crossing of which was the second
epoch of the campaign through the Caro-
linas. 1t covered the railroad leading
from Augusta to Charleston with the
branch to Columbia, and would be de-
Tended by all the power at the command
Nf n,l h. L,I II
to defend the State on whose soil he had
inaugurated the bloody rebellion against
the integrity of the Nation. If he could
hold the line of the Salkehatchie, with
its mileS-wide border of swamps on either
side, Sherman's army would be penned up
in the peninsula between that river and
the Savannah, and the campaign come to
an ingloriOus conclusion. 1t would be
hundred times worse than Burnside S
lamentable ''stuck-in-themud' before
Fredericksburg, for the moral effect would
more than offset that gained by the march
through Georgia. If sufficient force of
men could be gathered up, operating from
Georgia, on Sherman's rear, he might be
coOped in the tangled peninsula and cap
tured. No doubt that Jeff Davis and
Beauregard dreamed of such a possibility,
and if there had been a man like Sheridan
at Augusta, with all the men in Georgia
at his command, it might have been rea-
lized.
Probably Sherman would have done diff
ferently, however, if there had been man
of Sheridan's mold in command at Au-
gusta instead of Bragg.
1t was vitally necessary for the rebels
to hold the line of the Salkehatchie, to
prevent the Southern Confederacy from
being cnt in two again. Behind the Sal |
kehatchie ran the railroads connecting |
Charleston and Columbia with Augusta,
and these were the only lines Of communi- |
cation between Richmond and all the |
Southern COnfederacy beyond the Savan- |
nah River. To cut them would be to cut |
off Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Alissis- |
sippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and |
Texas from all connection with Richmond. |
The only other route to the Southwest had |
been closed more than year before, when |
Chattanooga and East Tennessee finally |
passed into our possession.
Through all the pickering and fighting /
Of each day Sherman was moving his /
army with faUltless strategy. His right !
wing, under Gen. Howard, was moving |
mp the Salkehatchie, as if seeking for !
crossing, where it would turn |
and come in upon the rear of Charleston.
His left wing, under Gen. SlOcum, was
moving almost due north, as il to strike
Augusta, the city OF great armories. ar
senals, factories and railroad connections.
The Southern Confederacy could not af-
ford to lose Augusta, and to lose Charles
ton would be blow to its pride second
)nly to the loss of Richmond. Beaure-
gard was striving to save both, while
Sherman was not aiming at either, but
1t Columbia, the Capital of South Caro-
ina, the possession Of which would make
he other places Of 10 value.
I'VE are to push almost straight north
ward, for place called Barnwell," ex-
Dlained Shad Graham, who had ridden
'orward to find the boys. "Barnwell is
he COuntyseat of Barnwell County, one
If the biggest and richest of the middle
country Counties. 1t is like the same
iectiGn in Georgia, through which we
anne, only the people put on a whole lot
# aristocratic frills."
Bad time for frills Of any kind" re-
marked Shorty, looking up from his work
Il beating the dried mud out OF his
lOthes.
You'll see by this map" continued
Shad, that Barnwell lies just beyond the
and is about 20 miles from
he railroad between Charleston and Au-
;usta. Everybody is to hunt for cross
ng Of the Salkchatchie that we may be
rying it at so many places that the rebels
will be puzzled which ones to defend. The
any regiment or company gets
cross anywhere it is to turn toward Barn
we'll. Wen concentrate there to jump the .
|
possibly pitched battle-for Beaure-
ard must certainly by this time see for
where we are heading, and be rushing
verybody he can rake up to meet us. He
ught to have 4 big force, somewhere, for
eS got all that were III Savannah, as
veil as the troops in South Carolina and ,
What he could gather up in Georgia, and
ring across the river by way Of Angus
A."
Il heard that some of the Twentieth
;Orps fellows had captured prisoners from
roOps sent from Lees army remarked j
i.
II don't think that Grant is going to
It Lee send away any great number of
men," answered Shad. Grant is giving !
zee all that he can attend to every min !
te Of the day. All the same, Beaure- ,
ard ought by this time to have in front :
( MS more men than we have. But we &,
an trust Uncle Billy TO keep them guess
lg wrong, so that there won't be any
Tbere more than we can comfortably ]
andle." c
We'll, l amt bothering myself about I;
That the whole army's going to do" said |
i. Let Sherman worry over it: that's
That he's a Major-General for. Wen 5
arm our SIG month il we take care of 1
that's in our own front. | understand L
-Ou that Sherman wants all of us to break
or the Salkehatchie River and get across /
when and where we can, and rally on il
iarnwell for big fight for the Augusty
railroad. You can tell the Old Man wen a
Ne there as soon as anybody" v
Needn't tell me that" answered Shad;
i know you will" l
ays before, and his cough more distress /
nV Ha had tO frpuunnttv ctn,, ,,,I:I. |