Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1904-12-30
Sherman Soup at Savannah
4 roRTlETh ANNIVERSARY WAR STORY
December Is. 1864

the work. Near the battery was rice
mill, which stood close to the river
bank and commanded a view Of tho
fort, the river and the sound. Howard
used the mill for signal station. and
while Hazen was marching forward to
the attack he and Sherman looked on
and communicated by signal.
General Hazen's advance guard cap
tured picket about a mile from the
fort and got from him the particulars
about the torpedoes buried in the road
leading to the fort. These We're re-
moved, and a brigade of troops moved
forward to within half mile of the
work. The commander of the brigade
wished to dash ahead at once, but Gen
eral Hazen decided to wait until por-
tions Of three brigades could be
brought into position. The reserves
and supports found difficulty in get
ting forward without drawing the enc
my's fire, and it was S o'clock before
the signal for attack could be given.
Luck favored Hazen's enterprise
from the very start. The discovery Of
the torpedoes saved his line from
heavy casualties and possibly from
panic, for hidden foes are terror to
the bravest men. 1t happened also that
Just before the attack the garrison had
added an abatis to the defenses on the
land side of the fort by telling large
trees and cutting the limbs, which
when sharpened formed hedge Of
wooden bayonets in the pathway Of
the assailants. But the attack came
before they had time to remove the
large trunks Of the trees, and these
gave good cover to Hazen's skirmish-
ers, enabling them to get close to the
fort and pick OF the Confederate gun
ners. In this way the guns Of the fort
were rendered useless.
While Sherman and Howard impa-
tiently watched the proceedings on Ha-
GEMS line from their perch upon the
rice mill a tugboat from the feet
sneaked along under shelter Of the
river bank to communicate with the
Federal commander. As the sun was
going down Sherman signaled Hazen
to hurry the charge, and just then the
captain of the tug hailed Sherman to
ask if the fort had been taken. Sher-
man answered, mot vet, but it will be
in minute" "a
The gallant dash Of Hazen's men
quickly fulfilled Sherman's promise.
There was short, sharp struggle on
the parapet, and then detachments
from all sides poured into the fort. So
swiftly did the line move that no halt
was apparent either at the abatis, the
palisades or the ditch. The ground on
the outer edge Of the ditch had been
planted with Confederate torpedoes,
and there the assailants lost heavily,
about 200 men killed and wounded.
This method of defense, barbaric as 1t
seemed, is permissible by the usages Of
war. A further stroke Of luck favored
the attacking party at the right time.
The extreme fanks Of the works ex-
tended to the water, and the palisade
had been constructed with view to
high tide. At the moment Of attack
the tide was out, and Hazen's soldiers
passed safely around the obstructions
on dry beach. In fifteen minutes aft
er the charge was sounded the Con-
federate flag came down. The garrison
made no formal surrender. but indi-
dividuals ceased to struggle when they
found themselves overpowered. The
Confederate loss In killed and wounded
was forty eight in all. Sherman sent
dispatches by the tug to Admiral Dahl
gren, whose fleet lay of the coast, and
went himself by steamer next day to
confer with the navy about removing
distractions to the channel Of the
Ogeechee to enable transports to bring
supplies to camp. A dispatch steamer
which was with the feet brought in
structions from Grant to Sherman d.
recting him to move his army by water
to the James river and aid in the at
tack on Richmond.
H