ARMY OPERATIONS. 



43 



and proceeded to Beaufort, and on the 24th 

 reached Pocotaligo, where the iTth corps 

 under Gen. Blair was encamped. The 15th 

 corps at this time was somewhat scattered : 

 the divisions of Gens. "Wood and Hazen were 

 at Beaufort; that of Gen. J. E. Smith was 

 marching from Savannah by the coast-road, 

 and that of Gen. Corse was still at Savannah, 

 cut off by the storms and freshet in the river. 

 The enemy supposed the object of Gen. Sher- 

 man was to reach Charleston, and had adopted 

 the Salkehatchio River as his line of defence. 

 On the 25th a demonstration was made against 

 the Combahee ferry and railroad bridge across 

 the Salkehatchie, for the purpose of occupying 

 the enemy. The heavy rams had swollen the 

 river so that water stood in the swamps for a 

 breadth of more than a mile at a depth of from 

 one to twenty feet. By making apparent 

 preparations to cross the river, he was able, 

 with a comparatively small force, to keep a con- 

 siderably body of the enemy in front disposed 

 to contest the advance on Charleston, although 

 not having the remotest intention to move on 

 that city. On the 27th Gen. Hatch's division 

 evacuated its position on the Tullafuiney and 

 Coosahatchie Rivers, and moved to Pocotaligo 

 to keep up the feints already begun, and until 

 the right wing should move higher up and cross 

 the Salkehatchie about River's or Broxton's 

 bridge. 



By the 29th the roads back of Savannah had 

 become sufficiently free of the flood to permit 

 Gen. Slocum to put his wing in motion ; and as 

 he approached Sister's ferry the gunboat Pon- 

 tiac was sent up by Admiral Dahlgren to cover 

 the crossing. Meanwhile the division of the 

 loth corps had reached Pocotaligo, and the 

 right wing had loaded its wagous and was 

 ready to start. Gen. Howard was thereupon 

 ordered to move the 17th corps along the 

 the Salkehatchie as high up as River's bridge, 

 and the 15th corps by Hickory Hill, Loper's 

 cross-roads, Anglesey post office, and Beau- 

 fort bridge, leaving Gen. Hatch's division at 

 Pacotaligo feigning to cross at the Salkhatchie 

 bridge and ferry until the movement turned 

 the enemy's position and forced him to fall 

 feack on the Edisto. 



The march began on the 1st of February. 

 All the roads northward had been held by the 

 Confederate cavalry under General Wheeler, 

 who had, with details of negro laborers, felled 

 trees, burned bridges, and made obstructions to 

 impede this march. The pioneer battalions, 

 however, were so well organized that \hese ob- 

 structions were quickly removed. The felled 

 trees were cleared away and bridges rebuilt by 

 the heads of columns before the rear could close 

 up. On February 2d the 15th corps reached 

 Loper's cross-roads, and the 17th was at 

 River's bridge. At this time Gen. Slocum 

 was struggling with the floods of the Savannah 

 at Sister's ferry. Two divisions of the 20th 

 corps, under Gen. Williams, were on the east 

 bank, and the cavalry of Gen. Kilpatrick had 



been able to cross over on the pontoon bridge. 

 Gen. Sherman ordered Gen. Williams to march 

 to Lawtonsville and Allandale, Gen. Kilpatrick 

 to Blackville, by way of Barnwell, and Gen. 

 Slocum to hurry the crossing at Sister's ferry 

 as much as possible, and overtake the right 

 wing on the South Carolina Railroad. At the 

 same time Gen. Howard, with the right wing, 

 was ordered to cross the Salkehatchie and push 

 rapidly for the same railroad at or near Mid- 

 way. The line of the Salkehatchie was held 

 by the enemy in force, having intrenchments 

 for infantry and artillery at River's and Beau- 

 fort bridges. The former position was carried 

 on February 3d by Gens. Mower's and Smith's 

 divisions of the 17th corps. The troops crossed 

 the swamp, which was nearly three miles wide, 

 and in which the water was from the knee to 

 the shoulder in depth. The weather was severe- 

 ly cold, and the generals on foot led their com- 

 mands and made a lodgment below the bridge, 

 and turned on the brigade of the enemy which 

 guarded it, and drove them in confusion toward 

 Branchville. In this affair one officer and seven- 

 teen men were killed, and seventy wounded, 

 who were sent to Pocotaligo. The 15th corps 

 had been ordered to carry the Beaufort bridge, 

 but this was evacuated by the enemy as soon 

 as the crossing was effected at River's bridge. 

 The position was strong both in its natural 

 works and the line of works which defended 

 the passage of the river. Gen. Sherman had 

 now gained the peninsula formed by the Salke- 

 hatchie and Edisto Rivers, and threatened alike 

 Augusta, Branchville, and Charleston. At 

 Augusta Gen. D. H. Hill was in command with a 

 considerable force, and Branchville was reen- 

 forced and works thrown up to render it more 

 secure. The country in which the army was 

 now moving was rich in forage and supplies. 

 Turkeys, geese, ducks, chickens, nicely-cured 

 hams, potatoes, honey, and an abundance of 

 other luxuries, were obtained by the soldiers, 

 and plenty of corn and fodder for the animals. 

 The houses generally were deserted, although 

 here and there women and children were found. 

 Wide-spreading columns of smoke rose where- 

 ever the army went. The following correspond- 

 ence relative to the destruction of dwellings 

 took place on the dates therein named : 



GRAHAMS, 8. C., February 7, 1865. 



GENERAL : I have the honor to propose that if the 

 troops of your army be required to discontinue burn- 

 ing the houses of our citizens I will discontinue burn- 

 ing cotton. 



As an earnest of the good faith in which my propo- 

 sition is tendered, I leave at this place about three 

 hundred bales of cotton unharmed, worth in New 

 York over a quarter million, and in our currency one 

 and a half millions. I trust my having commenced 

 will cause you to use your influence to insure the ac- 

 ceptance of the proposition by your whole army. 



I trust that you will not deem it improper for me 

 to ask that you will require the troops under your 

 command to discontinue the wanton destructio'n cf 

 property not necessary for their sustenance. 

 Respectfully, General, your obedient servant, 



J. WHEELER, Maj.-Gen. C. S. A. 

 Maj.-Gen. 0. 0. HOWARD, U. S. Army, Com' ding, Ac. 



