mained secure. The loss of Gen. Smyth was about three hundred, and that of the enemy who made the attack somewhat larger. During the night the 5th corps was brought into connection, on the left of the 2d corps, with the left of the 5th, covered by the cavalry of Gen. Gregg. The 6th and 9th corps were also so disposed as to render assistance to the 5th and 2d. In the morning the position of the troops was strengthened by constant work until noon. At this time Gen. Crawford's division of the 5th corps was sent toward Dabney's mills, in order to reach the Boydton plank road. The country through which the route lay was covered with woods, swamps, and ravines, cutting it up in all directions. At the same time the enemy, believing the Federal force had recrossed Hatcher's Run and abandoned the advance, had sent out Gen. Pegram with his division. About two miles above the Vaughan road his skirmishers met those of Gen. Crawford, and after a sharp contest were forced back toward his original position. The division of Gen. Evans came to the assistance of Pegram, and the advance of Gen. Crawford was checked. The division of Gen. Ayres was now sent to support Gen. Crawford, and a brigade of Griffin's to support Gen. Gregg, who was on the left, and had been engaged for some time with Lee's cavalry, which pressed his rear heavily. During a lull which happened, his force threw up breastworks. But toward evening they were attacked with great force by the enemy, and his pickets driven with his force into the works. The battle increased, and many of his officers were wounded. While this was taking place on the left of the Vaughan road, the infantry had again become furiously engaged on the right of the road by repeated attacks of the enemy along the line. Finally Gen. Gregg was driven out of his breast works, and his line forced back to Hatcher's Run, where he soon found that a similar misfortune had happened to the infantry. It was not until the intrenched lines on the Vaughan road and Hatcher's Run, thrown up on the previous day, were reached, that the routed troops could be rallied. The enemy dashed forward with great elation, but were met by such a sharp fire from the intrenchments as caused them to fall back rapidly to the woods. Night put an end to the conflict. The following is a report by Gen. Lee of the operations of the day: HEADQUARTERS ARMY NORTHERN VIRGINIA, Feb. 6, 1865. General S. Cooper: The enemy moved in strong force yesterday to Hatcher's Run. Part of his infantry, with Gregg's cavalry, crossed and proceeded on the Vaughan road, the infantry to Cattail Creek, the cavalry to Dinwiddie Court House, where the advance encountered a portion of our cavalry and retired. In the afternoon parts of Hill's and Gordon's troops demonstrated against the enemy on the left of Hatcher's Run, near Armstrong's Mill. Finding him intrenched, they withdrew after dark. During the night the force that had advanced beyond the creek returned to it, and were reported to be reorossing. This morning Pegram's division moved down to the right bank of the creek to reconnoitre, when it was vigorously attacked. The battle was obstinately contested several hours, but Gen. Pegram being killed while bravely encouraging his men, and Col Hoffman wounded, some confusion occurred, and the division was pressed back to its original position. Evans's division, ordered by Gen. Gordon to support Pegram's, charged the enemy and forced him back, but was in turn compelled to retire. Malone's division arriving, the enemy was driven rapidly to his defences on Hatcher's Run. The Union loss during the day was estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 men. The loss of the enemy was estimated as exceeding 1,000 men, includ ing Gen. J. Pegram and Col. Hoffman, as killed. During the night the works were strengthened, and early in the morning of the 7th the enemy made a demonstration on the skirmish lines of the cavalry and infantry on the right and left of the Vaughan road, but were repulsed. At noon the division of Gen. Crawford was sent out to make a reconnoissance, supported on the left by the division of Gen. Wheaton. The pickets of the enemy were encountered after an advance of about half a mile, and driven back to their works higher up the run between Armstrong's and Burgess's mills, and about two miles beyond the latter. A sharp fire of musketry ensued; but as Gen. Crawford was not prepared to force the lines, he drew his men back again to Hatcher's Run. The fighting by this column was kept up until night. During the day, the cannonading between the lines had been constant. The next day, the 8th, was devoted to throwing up intrenchments, and strong defensive works soon indicated the points at which the permanent lines were to be located. The enemy made no attempts to force the new positions, but appeared satisfied to give up the lower part of the run if no attempt was made by the Union forces on the Boydton plank road. The result of the entire movement had been to gain an advanced position on the enemy's right, which was held firmly, by completing the lines to Hatcher's Run, and extending the City Point railroad thither. Affairs now continued quiet for some time. Artillery duels were frequent along the lines before Petersburg, but no important movement was made. Large numbers of deserters from the enemy were constantly coming into the lines of Gen. Grant, often exceeding seventy a day for many days succes sively, and increasing to two hundred. In the Shenandoah valley, small expeditions by one or the other party served to prevent a quiet state of affairs. Further west, the enemy captured Beverly on Jan. 11th. This was done by Gen. Rosser, who crossed the mountains, and early on the morning of Jan. 11th entered the place, making prisoners of four hundred of the garrison, consisting of seven hundred men, and dispersing the rest. They were asleep in their winter quarters, with no pickets out further than three hundred yards from their camp. A large amount of commissary and quartermasters' stores, with a great number of horses, were also taken. Again, on the 21st of February, a body of the enemy's cavalry, under Lieut. McNeil, dashed into Cumberland before daylight, surprised and captured the pickets, and carried off Maj.-Gens. Kelly and Crook. They were quietly seized in their beds with their staff officers, and taken to Richmond, and subsequently exchanged. The success which attended the march of Gen. Sherman through Georgia, both in disheartening the Southern people and in destroying the communications between different parts of the Confederacy, determined the nature of the approaching campaign. The field of decisive operations was now reduced to three States, and if South and North Carolina were overrun it would not only cut off the resources of Gen. Lee's army at Richmond, but also result in concentrating an overwhelming force against him. Both combatants therefore prepared to put forth their final efforts. At Richmond, Gen. Lee was appointed as General-in-Chief; Gen. Johnston was ordered to the command in South Carolina; Gen. Hood was supplanted by Gen. Taylor in Alabama and Mississippi; Gen. Breckinridge was brought into the Cabinet as Secretary of War, which had already undergone a change by the displacement of Mr. Memminger as Secretary of the Treasury, and the appointment of Mr. Trenholm of South Carolina. On the Federal side Gen. Schofield, with a strong force, was placed in command in North Carolina, to prepare the way for the approach of Gen. Sherman, and Gen. Gillmore relieved Gen. Foster in the Department of South Carolina. Immediately after taking possession of Savannah, Gen. Sherman began his preparations for a march through the Carolinas to Richmond; meanwhile Gen. Hardee with his command occupied Charleston. The first movement of Gen. Sherman was to send a part of Gen. Logan's 15th corps and Gen. Blair's 17th corps, both belonging to Gen. Howard's wing of his army, by transports to Beaufort, near Hilton Head. The important bridge where the railroad from Savannah to Charleston crossed the Pocotaligo, was the object of this movement. This bridge, 49 miles from Savannah and 55 miles from Charleston, being with the trestle work in the swamp a mile in length, was so necessary to the communication between the two cities, that frequent attempts had been made by the Union commanders of the department to destroy it. The force of the enemy had always proved strong enough to defeat these efforts. On Jan. 13th the advance from Beaufort began. The division of Gen. Hatch had taken a position near the bridge, with their guns turned on the railroad, when the 17th corps crossing the ferry at Port Royal on a pontoon bridge moved rapidly but cautiously to the railroad. The pickets of the enemy were driven away without difficulty. On the 15th an advance was made, the 17th corps being on the left, and Gen. Hatch on the right, and the railroad gained a little south of the bridge. The skirmishers pushed forward, encountering those of the enemy, who were supported by light artillery, and quickly drove them off, thus gaining the bridge. A brigade of the 17th followed, and carried it and the earth works at the further end. The enemy seeing they would lose possession of the bridge, attempted to burn it, but were defeated in their efforts by the rapid movements of the troops. The Federal loss was about fifty. The force of the enemy consisted of a detachment from Gen. Hardee's command, under Gen. McLaws. They were driven out, and the 17th corps occupied the railroad from Coosawatchie to the the Tallahatchie. A depot of supplies was established near the mouth of the creek, with easy water communication back to Hilton Head. At the same time the left wing, under Maj.Gen. Slocum, and the cavalry, under Maj.-Gen. Kilpatrick, were ordered to rendezvous near Robertsville and Coosawatchie, with a depot of supplies at Pureysburg on Sister's ferry on the Savannah River. Gen. Slocum caused a good pontoon bridge to be constructed opposite Savannah, and the "Union causeway" leading through the low rice fields opposite the city was repaired and "corduroyed." But before the time appointed for him to march, the heavy rains of January had swelled the river, broken the pontoon bridge, and overflowed the whole bottom, so that the causeway was four feet under water, and Gen. Slocum was compelled to look higher up for a passage over the river. He moved up to Sister's ferry, but even there the river with its overflowed bottoms was nearly three miles wide. He did not succeed in getting his whole wing across until during the first week in February. Meanwhile the division of Gen. Grover of the 19th corps had been sent by Gen. Grant to garrison Savannah, and on Jan. 18th Gen. Sherman transferred the forts and city of Savannah to Gen. Foster, still commanding the Department of the South, and instructed him to follow on the coast the movements of the army under Sherman inland, by occupying Charleston and such other points as would be of any military value. The plan of Gen. Sherman was to strike direct for Goldsboro' in North Carolina, and open communication with the sea by the Newbern Railroad. For this purpose he ordered Col. W. W. Wright, Superintendent of Military Railroads, to proceed in advance to Newbern and to be prepared to extend the railroad out from that city to Goldsboro by March 15th. At the same time Gen. Sherman ordered his chief quartermaster and commissary, Gens. Easton and Beckwith, to complete the supplies at Sister's ferry and Pocotaligo, and follow the movement coastwise, and be prepared to open communication with him from Morehead City about the same time. Having completed his preparations, Gen. Sherman issued the order to march on January 19th. He left Savannah on the 22d and proceeded to Beaufort, and on the 24th reached Pocotaligo, where the 17th 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. Sherman was to reach Charleston, and had adopted the Salkehatchie 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 rains 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 considerably 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 Pontiac was sent up by Admiral Dahlgren to cover the crossing. Meanwhile the division of the 15th corps had reached Pocotaligo, and the right wing had loaded its wagons 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 Beaufort 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 back 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 these obstructions 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 inuch 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 Midway. The line of the Salkehatchie was held by the enemy in force, having intrenchments for infantry and artillery at River's and Beaufort 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 severely cold, and the generals on foot led their commands 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 seventeen 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 reënforced 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 whereever the army went. The following correspondence relative to the destruction of dwellings took place on the dates therein named : GRAHAMS, S. C., February 7, 1865. GENERAL: I have the honor to propose that if the troops of your army be required to discontinue burning the houses of our citizens I will discontinue burning cotton. As an earnest of the good faith in which my proposition 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 acceptance of the proposition by your whole army. 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 destruction of property not necessary for their sustenance. Respectfully, General, your obedient servant, J. WHEELER, Maj.-Gen. C. S. A. Maj.-Gen. O. O. HOWARD, U. S. Army, Com'ding, &c. ANSWERED BY GENERAL SHERMAN. GENERAL: Yours, addressed to General Howard, is received by me. I hope you will burn all cotton, and save us the trouble. We don't want it; and it has proven a curse to our country. All you don't burn I will. As to private houses occupied by peaceful families my orders are not to molest or disturb them, and I think my orders are obeyed. Vacant houses, being of no use to anybody, I care little about, as the owners have thought them of no use to themselves. I don't want them destroyed, but do not take much care to preserve them. I am, with respect, yours truly, W. T. SHERMAN, Maj.-Gen. Commanding. Maj. Gen. J. WHEELER, Commanding Cavalry Corps Confederate Army. Upon the breaking of the line of the Salkehatchie the enemy retreated at once behind the Edisto at Branchville, and the whole army pushed at once to the South Carolina Railroad at Midway, Bamberg, and Graham's station. The troops immediately set to work to destroy the road, which had been of great importance to the enemy, both as a means of communication and for forwarding supplies from Augusta and northern Georgia to Richmond. From the 7th to the 10th of February the work was thoroughly done by the 17th corps, from the Edisto up to Bamberg, and from Bamberg up to Blackville by the 15th corps. As the 17th corps threatened Branchville, the enemy burned the railroad bridge and Walker's bridge below across the Edisto. Meanwhile Gen. Kilpatrick had brought his cavalry rapidly by Barnwell to Blackville, and turned toward Aiken, for the purpose of threatening Augusta without being drawn into any serious battle. Blackville is eighteen miles west of Midway, and forty-seven miles east of Augusta; Aiken is seventeen miles east of Augusta. In his progress he had serious skirmishes with Wheeler's cavalry, first at Blackville and afterwards at Williston and Aiken. On February 8th Gen. Williams, with two divisions of the 20th corps, reached the railroad at Graham's station, and Gen. Slocum reached Blackville on the 10th. This wing continued the destruction of the railroad from Blackville up to Windsor. By February 11th Gen. Sherman's force was along the railroad from Midway to Johnson's station. The effect was to divide the enemy's forces, which still remained at Branchville and Charleston on the one hand, and Aiken and Augusta on the other. The movement on Orangeburg now commenced. The railroad from Augusta running nearly east to Branchville, there intersects with the railroad from Columbia to Branchville, running nearly south, and thence southeast to Charleston. Gen. Sherman at this time was operating west of Branchville on the railroad from that place to Augusta. He now strikes north to Orangeburg, the first important station on the road from Branchville to Columbia, and distant from Branchville seventeen miles. The next important station north is Kingville, where the road from Wilmington to Charleston intersects the Columbia and Charleston road, the latter portion of which is common to both. Orangeburg had a population of about three thousand, and was prettily situated on the north bank of the Edisto. From its position upon the ridge of high lands on which the railroad runs, it was really of more importance than Branchville, which the enemy had carefully fortified. Edisto at Binnaker's bridge, and moved directly The 17th corps crossed the south fork of the for Orangeburg, while the 15th corps crossed at Holmon's bridge, and moved to Poplar Springs to act as a support. The left wing, which was still at work on the railroad, was ordered to cross the South Edisto at New and Guignard's bridges, and move to the Orangeburg and Edgefield road, and there await the result of the attack on Orangeburg. On the 12th the corps was before the north fork of the Edisto, and at an early hour engaged in skirmishing with the enemy at different points. A force was found intrenched in front of the Orangeburg bridge, but was swept away at a dash, and driven across the bridge, which was partially burned. Behind the bridge was a battery in position, covered by a cotton and earth parapet with extensive wings. While the division of Gen. Giles A. Smith was held close up to the Edisto, the other two were moved by Gen. Blair to a point about two miles below, where Gen. Force's division crossed by a pontoon bridge, and Gen. Mowers was held to act as a support. As soon as Force's division made their appearance coming up from the swamp, the enemy began to give ground, and Gen. Smith's division succeeded in gaining the bridge, and crossed over and occupied the enemy's position. The bridge was soon repaired, and by the middle of the afternoon the whole corps was in Orangeburg, and had begun to destroy the railroad. This work was done effectually by the corps to Lewisville, a distance of twelve miles. Gen. Blair was then ordered to push the enemy across the Congaree, and force him to burn the bridge. This was accomplished on the 14th. The Congaree River is formed by the Broad and Saluda Rivers, which unite at Columbia. After a southeast course of about fifty miles, it unites with the Wateree to form the Santee. Steamboats ascend to Columbia. Gen. Sherman now directed his march straight for Columbia, distant fifty-one miles from Orangeburg. The advance of the 17th corps was along the State road, while the 15th corps crossed the north branch of the Edisto from Poplar Springs at Schilling's bridge, and took a country road which came into the State road at Zeigler's. The 20th corps moved north on a line west of the 15th, diverging toward Columbia; the 14th corps advanced in a line further west, and the cavalry on their left flank. On the 15th, the 15th corps discovered the enemy in a strong position at Little Congaree bridge, across Congaree Creek, with |