PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



735 



requiring the force which had beaten and nearly 

 destroyed the only army threatening it, I determined 

 to find other fields of operation for General Thomas's 

 surplus troops fields from which they would coop- 

 erate with other movements. General Thomas was 

 therefore directed to collect all troops, not essential 

 to hold his communications at Eastport, in readiness 

 for orders. On the 7th of January General Thomas 

 was directed, if he was assured of the departure of 

 Hood south from Corinth, to send General Schofield 

 with his corps east with as little delay as possible. 

 This direction was promptly complied with, and the 

 advance of the corps reached Washington on the 

 23d of the same month, whence it was sent to Fort 

 Fisher and Newbern. On the 26th he was directed 

 to send General A. J . Smith' s command and a division 

 of cavalry to report to General Canby. By the 7th 

 of February the whole force was en route for its des- 

 tination. 



The State of North Carolina was constituted into a 

 military department, and General Schofield assigned 

 to command, and placed under the orders of Major- 

 General Sherman. The following instructions were 

 given him : 



CITY POINT, VA., January 81, 1865. 



GENERAL : * * * Your movements are intended as 

 cooperative with Sherman through the States of South and 

 North Carolina. The first point to be attained is to secure 

 "Wilmington. Goldsboro' will then be your objective point, 

 moving either from Wilmington or Newbern, or both, as you 

 deem best. Should you not be able to reach Goldsboro', you 

 will advance on the line or lines of railway connecting that 

 place with the sea-coast as near to it as you can, building 

 the road behind you. The enterprise under you has two 

 objects : the first is to give General Sherman material aid, if 

 needed, in his march north; the second, to open a base of 

 supplies for him on his line of march. As soon, therefore, as 

 you can determine which of the two points, Wilmington or 

 Newbern, you can best use for throwing supplies from to the 

 interior, you will commence the accumulation of twenty days' 

 rations and forage for 60,000 men and 20,000 animals. You 

 will get of these as many as you can house and protect to 

 such point in the interior as you may be able to occupy. I 

 believe General Palmer has received some instructions direct 

 from General Sherman on the subject of securing supplies for 

 his army. You can learn what steps he has taken, and be 

 governed in your requisitions accordingly. A supply of 

 ordnance stores will also be necessary. 



Make all requisitions upon the chiefs of their respective 

 departments in the field with me at City Point. Commu- 

 nicate with me by every opportunity ; and should you deem 

 it necessary at any time, send a special boat to Fortress 

 Monroe, from which point you can communicate by telegraph. 



The supplies referred to in these instructions are exclusive 

 of those required for your own command. 



The movements of the enemy may justify, or even make 

 it your imperative duty, to cut loose from your base and 

 strike for the interior to aid Sherman. In such case you will 

 act on your own judgment, without waiting for instructions. 

 You will report, however, what you purpose doing. The 

 details for carrying out these instructions are necessarily left 

 to you. I would urge, however, if I did not know that you 

 are already fully alive to the importance of it, prompt action. 

 Sherman may be looked for in the neighborhood of Golds- 

 boro' any time from the 22d to the 28th of February ; this 

 limits your time very materially. 



If rolling stock is not secured in the capture of Wilmington, 

 it can be supplied from Washington. A large force of rail- 

 road men have already been sent to Beaufort, and other 

 mechanics will go to Fort Fisher in a day or two. On this 

 point I have informed you by telegraph. 



" U. S. GEANT. Lieutenant-General. 



" Major-General J. M. SCHOFIELD." 



Previous to giving these instructions I had visited 

 Fort Fisher, accompanied by General Schofield, for 

 the purpose of seeing for myself the condition of 

 things, and personally conferring with General Terry 

 and Admiral Porter as to what was best to be done. 



Anticipating the arrival of General Sherman at 

 Savannah his army entirely foot-loose, Hood being 

 then before Nashville, Tennessee, Ihe Southern rail- 

 roads destroyed, so that it would take several months 

 to reestablish a through line from west to east, and 

 regarding the capture of Lee's army as the most im- 

 portant operation toward closing the rebellion I 

 sent orders to General Sherman on the 6th of Decem- 



ber, that after establishing a base on the sea-coast, 

 with necessary .garrison, to include all his artillery 

 and cavalry, to come by water to City Point with the 

 balance of his command. 



On the 18th of December, having received informa- 

 tion of the defeat and utter rout of Hood's army by 

 General Thomas, and that, owing to the great diffi- 

 culty of procuring ocean transportation, it would 

 take over two months to transport Sherman's army, 

 and doubting whether he might not contribute as 

 much toward the desired result by operating from 

 where he was, I wrote to him to that effect, and asked 

 him for his views as to what would be best to do. A 

 few days after this I received a communication from 

 General Sherman, of date 16th December, acknowl- 

 edging the receipt of my order of the 6th, and inform- 

 ing me of his preparations to carry it into effect as 

 soon as he could get transportation. Also that he 

 had expected, upon reducing Savannah, instantly to 

 march to Columbia, South Carolina, thence to Ra- 

 leigh, and thence io report to me ; but that this would 

 consume about six weeks' time after the fall of Sa- 

 vannah, whereas by sea he could probably reach me 

 by the middle of January. The confidence he mani- 

 fested in this letter of being able to march up and 

 join me pleased me, and, without waiting for a reply 

 to my letter of the 18th, I directed him, on the 28tn 

 of December, to make preparations to start, as he 

 proposed, without delay, to break up the railroads in 

 North and South Carolina and join the armies oper- 

 ating against Richmond as soon as he could. 



On the 21st of January I informed General Sher- 

 man that I had ordered the Twenty-third Corps, 

 Major-General Schofield commanding, east; that it 

 numbered about 21,000 men ; that we had at Fort 

 Fisher about 8,000 men; at Newbern about 4,000; 

 that if Wilmington was captured, General Schofield 

 would go there ; if not, he would be sent to Newbern ; 

 that, in either event, all the surplus force at both 

 points would move to the interior toward Goldsboro', 

 in cooperation with his movement; that from either 

 point railroad communication could be run put ; and 

 that all these troops would be subject to his orders 

 as he came into communication with them. 



In obedience to his instructions, General Schofield 

 proceeded to reduce Wilmington, North Carolina, in 

 cooperation with the navy under Admiral Porter, 

 moving his forces up both sides of the Cape Fear 

 River. Fort Anderson, the enemy's main defence on 

 the west bank of the river, was occupied on the morn- 

 ing of the 19th, the enemy having evacuated it after 

 our appearance before it. 



After fighting on the 20tb and 21st, our troops en- 

 tered Wilmington on the morning of the 22d, the 

 enemy having retreated toward Goldsboro' during 

 the night. Preparations were at once made for a 

 movement on Goldsboro' in two columns one from 

 Wilmington, and the other from Newbern and to 

 repair the railroad leading there from each place, as 

 well as to supply General Sherman by Cape Fear 

 River, toward Fayetteville, if it became necessary. 

 The column from Newbern was attacked on the 8th 

 of March at Wise's Forks, and driven back with the 

 loss of several hundred prisoners. On the llth the 

 enemy renewed his attack upon our intrenched posi- 

 tion, but was repulsed with severe loss, and fell back 

 during the night. On the 14th the Neuse River was 

 crossed and Kinston occupied, and on the 21st Golds- 

 boro' was entered. The column from Wilmington 

 reached Cox's bridge, on the Neuse River, ten miles 

 above Goldsboro', on the 22d. 



By the 1st of February General Sherman's whoK, 

 army was in motion from Savannah. He captured 

 Columbia, South Carolina, on the 17th ; thence 

 moved on Goldsboro', North Carolina, via Favette- 

 ville, reaching the latter place on the 12th of liarch, 

 opening up communication with General Schofield 

 by way of Cape Fear River. On the 15th he resumed 

 his march on Goldsboro'. He met a force of the 

 enemy at Averysboro', and after a severe fight de- 



