The Washington herald., 1915-02-28
GEN. SHERMAN CHECKED BY
RAINS ON MARCH.
February %, 1866.

man army, marching across South
Carolina toward the town of Cheraw.
on the Great Pedee River, where a
body of Confederates under Gen. w.
H. Hardee was stationed. WAS tempo
rariiy checked at the crossings of
Lynchs Creek. which had overlooked
its banks
Recent heavy rains had raised .h.
rivers and streams that cut I'D the
country through which the Federals
were moving. Bridges had been wa sbed
away, roads transformed to canals OF
deep and sticky mud, and the whole
lahdscape made swamp. Lynchs
Creek, which under ordinary condi-
tons was scarcely 200 yards wide.
now was one of the most formidable
barriers that the FederaIs had encoun-
tered in all Carolina.
In spite of tremendous exertfons on
the part of Sherman's engineers and
pioneers II was to require several
days for the army to effect a cross
ing. Corduroyed and trestled ap-
proaches had to be constructed for a
mile or so on either bank, and in
the main channel of the creek the cur
rent was SO strong as to preclude the
use OF the ordinary canvas pontoons
The men labored in pouring rains
to bridge the stream. often waist deep
In Shiny mud and up to their arm
pits IN water. 1t was most discourage
ing labor, for frequently carefully laid
corduroy sank deep into the mud when
the first few wagons had passed over
II. or a sudden freshet washed the
timbers from the roadbed and car
ried them down stream.
ouicksands Wreck Bridge.
Fifty years ago today the men OF
Cen William b. Hasen's division of
the Fifteenth Corps threw a well-built
plank bridge across the creek. 1t was
about half mile long, of ninety
trestles. with laboriously constructed
corduroying on either end. Word was
given for the wagons to cross. but
scarcely had the first one bridged the
rushing tide when the whole struc-
ture sagged of to ono side. Then il
was discovered that quicksands had
undermined it.
But the men were not DISCOURAGED
They propped up the trestles and re-
built large part of the bridge TWEEN
ty hours after the first support had
been set the structure was ready for
service again The division crossed in
the night and moved on. toward Che
raw.
Above and below Hazen's bridge
other units of Sherman's army were
equally busy. All met with the same
difficulties. Hundreds Of army WAGONS
ran off the roads into tho deep mud,
and had to be lifted bodily out of the
morass and replaced upon the more
solid ground.
North. upstream from Hazen, the
Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, con-
stftuting the left wing. under Gen. H
W. Slocum (the Fifteenth and Seven
teenth Corps Comprised the right wing
under Gen. o. o. Howard), effected
crossing In the early morning a de-
tail Of $50 men under Capt Henry
Duncan, Of the Fifty-third Indiana
Regiment. laid a stretch of corduroy.
crossed the creek, and pushed toward
Cheraw.
showed Gen Hardee that the bulk of
Sherman's army would be upon him
within few days, so, realizing that
he could not hope to hold his posi-
ton with so few men as he had on
hand. only 10000. he prepared to aban-
don Cheraw and to move across the
Pedee River. Gen. NJ. c. Butler. COM
handing the cavalry, was instructed
to hold the Federals OF as long as
possible.
"Bummers" Capture - Town.
As usual. the "bummers" of Sher-
mans army were to be well ahead of
the main body in the final dash upon
Cheraw. According to unofficial ac-
they were fully two days and
a half ahead at Chesterfield, which
is about twenty miles beyond Lynch's
Creek and twelve miles from Cheraw.
The whole corps of foragers con-
Eregated in front of that point about
March l. They rugged up two logs for
cannon, sent a flag ahead to the town.
which was occupied by a detachment
of Buffers cavalry. and demanded its
surrender. They made such a formid-
able showing that the cavalry beat
a retreat. and the ''bummers'' entered
the town in grand procession OF
broken ,down mules and Quaker
guns" The coat tails of the Confed-
crates disappeared at the end of the
town as the Dough Boys las the bum
mers' were sometimes called entered
At the other"
Sherman was to be in Chesterfield
on March 2. Learning of Hardee's re-
treat from Cheraw. which began
March 1. he ordered the left wing.
under Gen. Slocum to head for Sneeds-
boro. ten miles above Cheraw. there to
cross the Peedee. while the right wing
in Hardee's footsteps.
Sherman and his stan reached Che
raw on March 3. in a drizzling rain.
and while waiting for the headquar-
ters' wagon to como up stayed with
Gen. r. 2. Blair. of the Seventeenth
Corps. in a large house, the property
Of a blockade runner. whose family
had remained
Gen. Howard had already thrown q
pontoon bridge across the Peedee
River and Gen. Joseph A. Mowers
of the Seventeenth Corps was
across and skirmishfng with the rear
guard of Hardee's retreating force.
1t was found that, I'm the hurried
of Cheraw. the Confeder-
stes had left large amount of stores.
among them being twenty-four guns.
about 1000 muskets and $500 barrels
,f gunpowder. This last was ordered
destroyed by being thrown into the
liver, but, while this was in progress.
The powder was isnited and n tre-
explosion shook the town
rhe loss Of life was small.
The Federals were to remain IN
-heraw until March 8. when. with the
bulk of their army across the Great
Peedee they were to move northeast
oward Fayetteville. n. e.. sixty miles
IN the road to Raleigh. the State cap