The National tribune., 1903-04-23
FIRST STAGE OF THE GREAT MARCH.
The Battle of observation-disclosures Into
Mil]edgeville-Flight of the State Govern
ment-Mock Session of the Legislature
as I'D of Secession

Miledgeville. the Capital of Georgia,
was now, on the afternoon OF Nov. ~
completely cut off from railroad and tele-
rrapbic communication with Augusta and
Macon.
On the morning of tie Dist it being re-
ported that there was considerable force
of the enemy at and near Griswo.dviiie.
Gen. Osterhaus deemed 1t advisable TO
move against the railroad east of that sta
ton with Gems Woods and Hazen's Divi-
siorls, unencumbered with their wagon
trains. except ammunition wagons; SO
their trains were turned over to Gen.
Smith and our division moved on an inte-
rior line toward the railroad at Gordon,
some distance east of Griswoldvllle, thus
placing us with the trains between the
Seventeenth Corps to the eastand Woods S
Hazer.s and Kilpatrick's Divisions to the
south and west.
Early on the morning of this day Gen.
Osterhaus pushed the 18th Mo. Mounted
Inf, commanded by Col. Joseph $. Gage,
to the railroad east of Griswoldville. Col.
Gage struck and broke the road about
10 o'clock a. NJ, thus preventing its use
by the enemy.
On this day the brigade of Col. Theo-
dore Jones. of Hazen's Division, was left
at Clinton to hold that place until Corse
should arrive. During the day and night
Col. Jones was constantly annoyed by
rebel cavalry.
Gen, Woods having the advance of Gen.
HaZen, pushed his division to the rail-
road ii miles east of Macon on the
night of the 21st, while Gen. Hazen went
into camp within an easy march OF the
railroad.
Is has been shown. Gen. Smith was
moving our division on an interior line;
we were able to make more distance east
ward. and went into camp but short
march from Gordon. The Seventeenth
Corps, in front of us, also went into
camp near the railroad. The discomforts
of this days march will never be forgot
ten by the men who made it.
= 1t would seem that even the mules and
horses should retain doleful recoliec-
ton of the rain, the cold, the mud and
mire through which they passed. Heavy,
cold, drenching rains fell all night of the
Doth, and all day the list. There was
no way TO avoid the storm; both men and
animals suffered from the exposure. The
soldiers marched on, not with that buoy
ant spirit and elastic step that character
ized them with sunny skies, but with that
determination and stOiciSm which inspired
these seasoned veterans to meet calmly
every hardship and every danger. The
night was cold and cheerless, but by
morning the storm had ceased.
MOVING ON MILLEDGEvILLE.
The Left Wing of the Army was now
approaching Milledgeville.
The First and Third Divisions Of the
Twentisth Corps, commanded by. Gen.
Williams, under the direction of Gen.
.Sloeum, was moving; on the road from
Madison, while the Twentieth Corps, led
by Gen. Davis, under the personal direc-
tion of Gen. Sherman, WIS marching on
the State Capital on an interior line on
The direct road from Coyington. Thus in
Eeven days the entire Right Wing of Sher-
mans army, with the Cavalry Division,
about 10000 strong. lad been success
fully placed between Macon and Mill
edgeville, with the great railroad system
of Georgia completely at its mercy, while
the Left Wing of the army had been
thrown between Augusta and Miledge-
vile, the railroad and the Oconee River
bridge destroyed, and the State Capital
absolutely subject to its grasp.
The orders of Gen. Howard to the
Right Wing for Nov. %. were for gen.
+erai movement upon and destruction of
the railroad, the pushing on toward Cor
don with all possible dispatch the wagon
trains, and strong demonstration upon
,Griswoldyille by Gen. Osterhaus
road at Griswoldville and worked east
We struck the road at the same town
and worked west from the point broken
by the Seventeenth Corps.
GEN. RAUM SUPERINTESDs DESTRUCTION
OF CENTRAL RAILROAD.
Gems. Hazen and Woods were each
west of us. They made heavy details for
destroying the road. The Central Rail-
road of Georgia was well built and in fine
condition; the iron rails, instead of being
spiked TO the cross ties as was the system
of construction in the North, were spiked
TO heavy sawed stringers, which were
let into and securely pinned to the ties.
In destroying this road / made no at
tempt to remove the iron rails from the
stringers; this was too tedious job; the
plan adopted was to string out two or
three regiments on one side of the track,
and by word of command have every man
seize hold of a cross tie OR the stringer,
and when all were ready the word was
given: Now. lift together"' and in a few
seconds the track rose from its bed; the
stringers were knocked loose from the
lies, and the work of piling the ties across
the srringers and building fires was soon
accomplished, the heat expanded the rails
while spiked fast to the stringers. so that
they bent and kinked so they could not be
used again.
1 superintended this work in person
with my brigade. We destroyed four
miles of track, burning every cross tie
and stringer and running every rail.
BATTLE OF GRIswoLDvILLE
The brigade of Gen. c. C. Walcutt
of Gen. Woods's Division, was desgnat-
ed to make the demonstration against
Griswoldville. The movement began early
on the morning of Nov. 90 with the fol-
lowing named regiments:
103d ILL.,, Maj. A. Wilson; 46th OHIO
Iieut.-Col. /. n. Alexander: 97th Ind.
Col. Robert +. Catterson; Tooth Ind,
Maj. Ruel NJ. Johnson: 9th Iowa, Mai.
William III. Ciune; 10th ILL.,, Lieut. Col.
Hiram w. Hall.
The march was westward, on the south
side Of the railroad. Gen. Osterhaus COM
manding the Fifteenth Corps accompa-
hied the brigade, leaving Gen. Woods and
Gen. Hazen to take a defensive position
TO meet any emergency that might arise
When Gen. Waicutt moved some dis
lance forward. lie found Gen. Kilpatrick's
Cavalry in his front. engaging the enemy
Gen. 6. w. Smith, commanding the
Georgia Militia, had moved out from Ma
con with four brigades of infantry and
battery of four pieces of artillery to
support Gen. Wheeler in an attack upon
the Union forces. No movement had been
made against Macon sinca. tho ontl, o,d