ARMY OPERATIONS. 



147 



and release the Federal prisoners confined there; 

 but nothing more than a demonstration in that 

 direction -was attempted, information reaching 

 (.Jen. Kilpatrick that the enemy had for v 

 previous been gradually removing the prisoners 

 to some less exposed point in Southern Georgia. 



On the 28th the 14th corps struck the Ogee- 

 chee River at Fenn's Bridge, 15 miles north- 

 east of Sandersville. crossed on pontoons after 

 some hours' delay, and marching down the left 

 bank of the river reached Louisville on the 

 20th. The 20th corps at the same time moved 

 along the railroad, which from Davisboro 

 station immediately south of Fenn's bridge. 

 follows for about 20 miles a course parallel 

 vrith the Ogeechee. The 17th and 15th corps 

 moved south of the railroad, the loth, with 

 which was Gen. Howard, covering the right 

 flank of the army. The cavalry under Gen. 

 "\Vheeler fell back steadily in the path of the 

 advancing columns, seeking to delay their 

 movements, and during the 28th and 29th had 

 much sharp skirmishing with the Federal 

 cavalry in the neigborhood of Louisville. Up 

 to this time the objective point of Gen. Sher- 

 man was as much an uncertainty to the rebel 

 leaders as at the commencement of the cam- 

 paign; but in the appearance of Gen. Kil- 

 patrick on the left flank of the Federal army, 

 and especially in the occupation of Louisville 

 by the 14th corps, Gen. "Wheeler fancied he 

 detected an intention to move in force upon 

 TTaynesboro, and thence to Augusta, 30 miles 

 further north. That he should be thus de- 

 ceived was part of the plan of Gen. Sherman, 

 who gladly witnessed the rebel cavalry moving 

 to the north to obstruct the supposed advance 

 upon Augusta, and thus leaving him at liberty 

 to cross the Ogeechee with his main body. On 

 the 30th, the 20th and 17th corps, which had 

 been actively engaged for several days in 

 destroying the railroad between Tennille sta- 

 tion and the river, succeeded in crossing with 

 little difficulty, the former at the railroad 

 bridge, and the latter near Barton station, a 

 few miles further east. The 15th corps pnr- 

 sued its march in a parallel line with the other 

 columns on the right bank of the river. The 

 Ogeechee was naturally a line of great strength 

 to the enemy, who might have made its passage 

 a costly effort to the Federal army. That three 

 of its four corps should have, under these cir- 

 cumstances, crossed without loss was esteemed 

 one of the most brilliant pieces of strategy wit- 

 nessed during the campaign. 



On the morning of Xov. 30th Gens. Baird's 

 and Morgan's divisions of the 14th corps moved 

 forward a short distance on the road toward 

 Warnesboro, which was the signal for Gen. 

 Kilpatrick to renew, in cooperation with these 

 troops, his demonstration against Augusta. 

 For the purpose also of expediting Gen. 

 Wheeler's movement to the north, the remain- 

 ing division of the 14th corps demonstrated on 

 the same day against his left flank. This had 

 the desired effect, and during Dec. 1st that 



general rapidly fell back befcre the Federal ad- 

 vance. During the 1st 2d and 3d constant 

 skirmishing took place between the Federal 

 and rebel cavalry, the latter being gradually 

 pushed beyond "\Vaynesboro. On the 3d they 

 were found strongly posted on the railroad, 

 two miles northeast of the town, with heavy 

 rail barricades in front, and a swamp and rail- 

 road embankment on either flank. Two or 

 three vigorous charges by the Federal cavalry 

 sufficed to drive them from their defences with 

 considerable loss. Up to this point Baird's 

 division of the 14th corps formed the infantry 

 support to the cavalry. The remaining divisions 

 of this corps upon reaching Buckhead Creek 

 had turned east to Lnmpkin's station on the 

 Augusta and Millen Railroad, 10 miles south 

 of TVaynesboro, where on the 3d and 4th they 

 destroyed a considerable portion of the track". 

 They then marched in a southeasterly direc- 

 tion for Jacksonboro, 20 miles east of Millen, 

 where, on the oth, they united with Gens. 

 Kilpatrick andBaird, who having finished their 

 demonstration against Augusta, moved rapidly 

 south from Waynesboro on the 4th. 



Meanwhile the 20th and 17th corps advanced 

 steadily along the railroad, and on Dec. 2d the 

 latter reached Millen. The 20th corps passed 

 somewhat north of Millen, through Birdsville, 

 and thence marched southeast, while the loth 

 corps moved in two columns to the west of 

 the Ogeechee River, a day's march in advance 

 of the main body. The whole army, pivoting, 

 it may be said, upon Millen, now swung slowly 

 around from its eastern course, and moved in 

 parallel columns directly southward, all, with 

 the exception of the loth corps, marching down 

 the peninsula formed by the Ogeechee and 

 Savannah Rivers. The 17th corps followed the 

 railroad, destroying it from Millen downward. 

 The success of the feint toward Augusta was 

 now demonstrated in the fact that Gen. Sher- 

 man was pursuing an uninterrupted march to 

 the coast, with his army well in hand, while a 

 large rebel force was concentrated in Augusta, 

 too far in the rear of the Federal army to check 

 its progress for a day. and utterly useless for 

 offensive purposes. Even when it was ascer- 

 tained that Gen. Sherman was moving south 

 from Millen, the enemy appear to have been 

 uncertain whether Savannah, Darien, Bruns- 

 wick, or even Port Royal harbor was to be his 

 objective point. After the deflection of the 

 Federal march southward from Millen, how- 

 ever, they admitted that Gen. Sherman might 

 possibly escape. 



As the Federal army continued its advance 

 down the peninsula between the Savannah 

 and Ogeechee Rivers, it became apparent to 

 Gen. Hardee, \vho held Savannah with fifteen 

 thousand men, a great part of whom were mil- 

 itia, that that city was to be the objective of 

 Gen. Sherman. A line of works, stretching 

 from river to river, had been erected to delay 

 the Federal advance ; and for the purpose of 

 preventing an attack upon the Savannah and 



