The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-07
CIVIL WAR DAY BY DAY. FIFTY YEARS AGO
Graphically Confederate

/ INA which had left 4 trail of ruin
and desolation behind l.. the FederaIS
: mad crossed the Great reedee River
near Cheraw and now We're swinging
northeast toward FI;etteVilie, on Ia"
I Cape Fear River
/ From thence Gen sherman proposed
10 move north TO Goldsboro. on the
Neusc River, there TO open communi-
cations with Federal army under
Gen. John VI. Schofield. which already
was marching inland from New bern
on the Atlantic Coast. II Gen. john
stons army was not by that time
crushed Sherman planned to turn
upon IL and deliver a final smashing
blow.
Although the FcdcraIs wcr" daily
expecting to meet with determined
opposition on the part of the Con-
fcderates. Gen Johnston had Iitt'c
hope of being able TO strike at Sher-
man for many days yet. In spite OF
tremendous eXertiOns. he had been an
able TO concentrate any material part
of his troops across Sherman's line Of
march. Cen. ". II. Hardee's corps
which fell back from Cheraw before
Shcrman's advance. had reiterated north
ward and unwittinEly laid open the more
castcrly routes toward Fayetteville
Gen. Johnston had done his best to
, corr"c this error, without success
lie was in Fayetteville fifty years ago
today. and in a telegram from that
place expressed his conviction that h..
would be unable 10 effect a Conccn-
tration there.
ordering his cavalry. comprising
Gen. Joe Wheeler's corps and the di-
vision of Gen. Matthew G. Butler. both
in command of Gen. Wade Hampton.
10 harass the enemy and impede their
progress as much as possible. he took
steps to gather his infantry between
the Cape Fear and Neuse Rivers for
the decisive contest.
Fitzpatrick and Wheeler Clash.
The task assigned Gen. Hampton
Federal cavalry under Gen. JudsOu
fitzpatrick were out on the flank of
Sherman's marching columns Being
superior to the Confederates in both
numbers and equipment, Kilpatrick
was TO ward off all of the attacks
made against him. although by bril-
liant work the Southern CavaIrymen
were to strike some telling blows
Early in the morning of March a
party of foragers from the Fourteenth
and Twentieth Corps. comprising
Sherman's left wing. dashed into the
town of Rockingham. far out on the
Federal left. These foragers. or bum
mers." in plying their vocations had
ridden so far from the regular track
or the. army as to get beyond even
the cavalry screen. Riding into the.
streets, they boldly attacked Il detail
of Buffers cavalry which was hOIdin-
the village.
The fight was going briskIv when
the advance OF Kilkpatrick's cavalry
men came up and joined in it, forciug,
the Confederates to retreat north upon .
the main body. When news that the
Federals were in Rockingham was
brought into the Confederate camp
Gen. Joe Wheeler with twenty men Of
Shannon's scouts set out to invest
gate. lie thought it possible that th.
Federal infantry had detected from its
previous line of march and was
swinging nOrthward to take the Con-
federatcs in flank.
In the afternoon Wheeler and his
small band fell upon the outlying. de-
tails of the Federal cavalry. In
sharp fight along Rockingham Creek,
few miles outside the town, wheeler
rounded up number of prisoners and
made off with them in safety. leaving
behind him several Federal dead
The Federal foraGers or ''bummers."
who had made an unenviablc name for
themselves by their depreda tions IN
the march from Atlanta TO Savannah
and in the subsequent movement
across South Carolina. continued their
activities after crossing the peedec
River from Cheraw.
Ruthless pillaCinE. burning and ra-
pine marked the track of these men.
Houses We're put to torch before the
eyes of the frightened women and
children to whom they were an ONLY
shelter from the winter weather, the
last bits of food were stolen from the
poorly stocked cupboards, money and
jewels were seized. and il was no uu-
common occurrence for soldiers to
wrench a wedding ring from a wom-
ans hand.
Sometimes if a house escaped being
burned its contents were maIiCiousIv
ruined. Pianos We're cut to pieces
with axes. sofas broken and the fras-
ments scattered about the grounds.
paintings and engraviugs pierced with
bayonets or slashed with swords. rose
wood ccnter-tables. chairs. etc. brok-u
to pieces and burned for fuel in cook
ing the food taken from the cellar or
meat house.
These acts had become so outrage
Gus that even Gen. Sherman--w ho
was not particularly set against them
-endeavored TO call halt. When he
gave the word that set his army ~
motion from Cheraw into North Caro-
line he ordered his generals to
that their men used "a little modara-
ton in dealing with the people Of
that State. This. he thought may he
of political consequence to us"
This endeavor was certainly a we'll
directed one, for on March Gen =
+. Blair. of the Seventeenth Corps rc-
ported that every house on his limo
of march that day had been piIlarsd
by the soldiers. that trunks had been
broken open and Jewelry and all sorts
Of valuablcs taken. He suggested that
il would be better if this thing should
come to an end and proposed to do
Looting Slightly Checked.
Cen. o. O. Howard. commander Of
the Federal left wing. which embraced
the Seventeenth Corps, had previous
ly given orders to put n stop 10 nil
Laying. and now, in response to Gen.
Blair's note. again issued Instructions
to that end.
But in spite of Howard and Sher-
man and all the other generals. tho
RUNNERS continued their activities
Their work had been countenanced so
long that they were not inclined to
give il up altogether at this late day.
However they did make some i'm
provement. for their hatred was d.
rected chiefly against the people of
South Carolina, who they held had be-
gun the war, while IL was known as
a result of proclamation by Gen
Slocum and the orders of other of
Sherman's generals, that North Caro-