The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-05-25


easiles from the city Of Columbia. :. G.
The 10th Of February. 1865. SlocuE
st.'s confronted by the SalHda river.
which was bridgele's at that point
Sherman's right wing. under General
o. o. Howard, was also close u TO
lumbia, ard a portion OF HowaYJ'&
troops marched through the town ana
encamped outside.
ghe movement through the Cardinals.
which if carried ont. would bring
Sherman up in the rear OF the army Of
General Robert L. Lee then Defending
Richmond and Petersburg against the
Federal forces commanded Ly Grant
had begun the LIST of February. an3
after sixteen days marcEiI~ working
and sbirmifhing the columns that had
taken separate routes on leaving So
vannah were at last united.
The failure of the Conrcdcratcs in
the Carolnas and Georgia to fall up0l
Shermans divided forces and beat
them in detail during this march Wa:
a subject Of controversy at the tin.
and has since attracted the attcnUoa
of military men. simultaneously with
Sherman's departure from Savannah
conference Of Confederate officers wa
held near Augusta, Ga. to arrange TIC
details of plans for Shernan's Gcfc.t
General F. 7. BcaUregard. who h.
held command i'll South Carolina III
1863, came IN from the west t. 10 fo'-
lowed by Confederate troops that Ind
fought at Franklin ANA Nashville L.
the closing western cam""i.u OF 1854
General W. j. Hard2c. the commaii-
dant who cleverly slipped ont of Savau-
nah with all his army upon the %t-
proach of Sherman from western Geo
gia and represented about 20,000 avail
able troops. was there. General D. Il
Hill, one of Robert Z. Lees abIest OF
GERS, was also present. ANA Gen"..i
Gustayus W Smith. another capable
leader, was there at the head of 1.-Ga
Georgia militia.
General Hardec's troops available
for immediate use against Shcgm"a
numbered 1900 men. leaving gam
sons to hold Charleston ana other i'm
portant posts on the sedcOlSt. Ggnora.
Beauregard promised that 1900 tr1oo4
from the former army defending Nj
lanta against Sherman would soon Iv
in the Caroinas. In fact, half Of them
were already near Augusta. The c%va}-
~ corps Of General Joe Whealp".
Which had slilmished ahead Of %ho'-
man through all the march to the Sc.
T1I1CtnpaI oh
already confrQfting Shcrman's Oh,
l,Sts.
- South Carolina had about 1900 mill
tia, and General NJ T. Buffers division
of cavalry which had been li@Atin@
under Lee in Virginia. was included j..
the force, making total of aboas
$4,000 troops which could be concCu-
trated, it was thought. upon Sherman'H
route OF march by the middle of Feb
ruary. The southern militia could not
be expected to serve outside Of thci..
states, and the conScripti0u had OK
hausted the fighting men of the region
Although the outlook was discoUra-.
ing, General Beauregard. sick in mind
and body, assumed command as the
ranking officer present and determined
to make last effort to hold I'D She;.
mans march. But when the scattered
detachments We're ready to set out for
the point of concentration the game
had changed. Sherman was in motion
and close to Columbia. General But
ler's cavalry division managed to carry
through to Wheeler, who all the time
skirmished along Sherman's front. 4
couple of batteries of light artillery
and some small detachments of infan-
try from Hardee's command ut Charles.
ton.
Wheeler and Butler together dill
what they could to burn bridges ANA
hold against the FederalS the long
causeways through the innumerablc
swamps which Sherman had to pass in
going from the Savannah to the Con.
garee river However, the leading Ii.
vision of Shermans column was al
ways strong enough to outfiank the
Confederate troopers and drive them
off with but little loss, and the laying
of pontoons. and corduroy went for
ward, and Shermans $500 wagons
rolled on toward the goal
Beauregard left General Smith with
his militia to guard Augusta and per
sonally led the sad remnant of the
once proud Confederate Army of the
Tennessee by a long detour over couIr
try roads through South Carolina with
out getting a glimpse of Sherman nor
Sherman Of him, much to his delight.
bringing up finally at Charlotte, y. G.
General Hardee chung to Charleston.
Knowing that the day was near when
he must abandon old Fort Sumter and
the cradle OF the southern uprising.
His route to the point for concentra-
ton would he through Florence to che.
raw by rail and thence to the rcndcz-
vous in North Carolina
"A Confederate leader who was not
fsthe Augusta conference, but who
saWJ to play an important part in the
effort to head off Sherman, General
Wade Hampton, reached Columbia. his
native place, about the time that Shcr-
mans plans became surmised by the
southerners. Hampton was a dislin-
guished cavalry, leader with Lee in
UirniY1fo 10