46 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



bridge, and up in the direction of Winns- 

 boro." 



The following will show what troops trst 

 entered Columbia : 



HEADQUARTERS FOURTH DIVISION, j 

 SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS, 



Near COLCMBIA, S. C., Feb. 17, 1865. t 

 Srig.-Gen. Wm. W. Eelknap, Commanding ZdBngade: 

 SIR, Allow me to congratulate you, and through 

 you, Lieut.-Col. J. C. Kennedy, 13th Iowa Veteran 

 Volunteers, and the men under his command, for 

 first entering the city of Columbia, on the morning 

 of Friday, February 17th, and being the first to plant 

 his colors on the capitol of South Carolina. While 

 the army was laying pontoon bridges across the Saluda 

 and Broad Rivers, three miles above the city, Lieut.- 

 Col. Kennedy, under your direction, fitted up an old 

 worn-out flat boat, capable of carrying about twenty 

 men, and accompanied by Lieuts. H. C. McArthur 

 and Wm. H. Goodell, of your staff, crossed the river 

 in front of the city, and boldly advanced through its 

 streets, sending back the boat with another procured 

 on the opposite shore, for more troops, and on their 

 arrival, with seventy-five men in all, drove a portion 

 of Wheeler's cavalry from the town, and at eleven 

 and a half o'clock A. M. planted his two stands of 

 colors, one upon the old and the other upon the new 

 capitol. 



The swift current of the Congaree Kiver and its 

 rocky channel rendered his crossing both difficult 

 and dangerous, and the presence of the enemy, but 

 in what force unknown, rendered the undertaking 

 still more hazardous. Lieut.-Col. Kennedy and his 

 regiment are entitled to great credit for its successful 

 accomplishment. 



I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 



Your obedient servant, 

 (Signed) GILES A. SMITH, 



Brevet Major-General Commanding. 



The consequences of the movements of Gen. 

 Sherman thus far were a division of the forces 

 of the enemy and the evacuation of Charleston. 

 Gen. Hardee was in Charleston with about 

 14,000 men, expecting the approach of Gen. 

 Sherman on his appearance in the neighborhood 

 of Branchville. At Augusta, which was equally 

 threatened, was Gens. D. H. Hill and G. W. 

 Smith, who were so certain of the approach of 

 Gen. Sherman that the public property was 

 almost entirely removed from the city. A 

 considerable cavalry force was at different points 

 in South Carolina under Hampton, Wheeler, 

 McLaws, and others. Gen. Beauregard, who 

 had been in command at Charleston, was near 

 the North Carolina line collecting forces and 

 ready to take the command of troops from 

 Hood's army with those under Hill. Gen. Lee, 

 it is supposed, also sent some men into North 

 Carolina. Gen. Sherman marched at once to 

 Columbia, knowing that when once there Au- 

 gusta could be easily taken. But if Augusta 

 had been first captured, a concentration of the 

 enemy might have been made at Columbia, 

 which would have rendered its capture more 

 difficult. Augusta was also of less importance 

 after its railroad communication had been cut 

 off. In the neighborhood of Charleston some 

 skirmishing had taken place at intervals with- 

 out any important results. 



After Gen. Sherman destroyed the railroad 

 in the neighborhood of Branchville, only one 

 line remained open from Charleston. This was 



the road running north to Florence and Che- 

 raw. It was the only line of retreat for Gen. 

 Hardee, and as Gen. Sherman moved north it 

 was necessary for the latter to secure it at 

 once, as it was threatened. On Feb. 10th, Gen. 

 Schemmelfennig, with a body of troops of Gen. 

 Gillmore's command, laid a bridge across the 

 creek separating Folly and Cole Islands from 

 James Island, and effected a lodgment on the 

 latter, about three miles southwest of Charles- 

 ton. Skirmishers advanced and met the enemy 

 about a mile distant on the Stono River. A 

 gunboat and mortar schooner, and the iron- 

 clads Augusta and Savannah, were now moved 

 up the Stono, and, covering the flank of Gen. 

 Schemmelfennig's troops, shelled the enemy. 

 About 4J P. M., Gen. Hartwell moved his whole 

 brigade forward and carried the rifle-pits for 

 the first time. The enemy retreated rapidly to 

 his main works, leaving his dead and wound- 

 ed, and losing about twenty prisoners. The 

 Union loss was between seventy and eighty. 

 Cooperating movements were made at the 

 same time by the column under Gen. Hatch, 

 which crossed the Cornbahee with slight loss 

 and marched toward the South Edisto. No 

 serious resistance was made to the advance in 

 that region, which was accessible to the gun- 

 boats and defended only by small batteries on 

 the river banks. The movement of Gen. 

 Schemmelfennig being only a feint, his troops 

 were withdrawn to Cole Island. A column 

 under Gen. Potter, however, moved to Bull's 

 Bay, as if designed to cut the northern railroad. 

 On the night of the 17th the last of Gen. Har- 

 dee's troops left Charleston. The subsequent 

 occupation of the city is thus described by 

 official documents : 



CHARLESTON, S. C., February 18, ) 



via NEW YORK. Feb. 21, 1S65. f 

 Major- General Halleck, Chief of Staff ; 



GENEKAL : The city of Charleston and all its de- 

 fences came into our possession this morning, with 

 about two hundred pieces of good artillery and a 

 supply of fine ammunition. The enemy commenced 

 evacuating all the works last night, and Mayor Mao- 

 beth surrendered" the city to the troops of Gen. 

 Schemmelfennig at 9 o'clock this morning, at which 

 time it was occupied by our forces. Our advance on 

 the Edisto from Bull's Bay hastened the retreat. 



The cotton warehouses, arsenals, <iuartermaster's 

 stores, railroad bridges, and two iron-clads were 

 burned by the enemy. Some vessels in the ship-yard 

 were also burned. Nearly all the inhabitants re- 

 maining behind belong to the poorer class. 



Very respectfully, 

 Q. A. GILLMORE, General Commanding. 



IlBADQUARTKRS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, \ 



CHARLESTON, 8. C., Feb. 26, 1S65. J 



Lievt.-Gen. V. 8. Grant, and Maj.-Gen. W. //. Hal* 



leek, Chief of Staff, Washington; 

 An inspection of the Rebel defences of Charleston 

 show that we have taken over four hundred and 

 fifty pieces of ordnance, being more than double 

 what I first reported. The lot includes 8 and 10-inch 

 columbine!*, a great many 82 and 42-pounder rifles, 

 some 7-inch Brooks rifles, and many pieces of foreign 

 make. We also captured eight locomotives and a 

 great number of passenger and platform cars, nil in 

 good condition. Deserters report that the last of 

 Hardee' a army was to have crossed the Sautee River 



