CHAPTER XXI.

THE LOST ARMY.

DURING this march the commander-in-chief made his headquarters with the Twentieth Corps.

On the 24th of November, the right wing marched from Gordon in two columns, Osterhaus' fifteenth corps by way of Irwinton to Ball's Ferry, and Blair's seventeenth corps along the railway, with instructions to cross the Oconee at Jackson's Ferry, two and a half miles north of the railway bridge. General Giles A. Smith, who had preceded his column with the First Alabama Cavalry, drove quite a force of the enemy from two stockades and across the bridge, and found that Jackson's Ferry was an old abandoned route through the swamp, completely impracticable. General Howard therefore directed Blair's corps to move to Ball's Ferry, where the two heads of column arrived about the same time on the 25th inst. A detachment of the First Alabama had the day before reconnoitred the ferry, finding a small force of the enemy, made a raft, crossed the river, and drove the enemy back, but were, subsequently, themselves forced to recross the river with some loss. On arriving at the river the enemy was found intrenched behind barricades, with an extended line of skirmishers. Osterhaus and Blair confronted them with a line which extended beyond the enemy's flanks both up and down the river; the former placed artillery in position and made a demonstration on the front, along the road, while the latter sent a detachment some two miles up the river to cross in boats, but the current being too swift for rowing, the boats were finally swung over, after the fashion of a flying ferry.

After working through the bayous and swamps till near morning the detachment reached the road in the rear of the enemy's position; but the enemy had retreated. The Oconee at this place is narrow, but the current is very swift, and there are some two miles of swampy ground on the right bank. The immediate approach to the ferry on the left bank is, however, very good. The bridges were laid so that the troops commenced crossing in two columns about noon, and by night Corse's and Woods' divisions reach Irwin's Cross-roads, about ten miles east of the ferry, and the remainder of the Fifteenth Corps crossed on the 26th, during which day the Seventeenth Corps took up a position near the fork of the road leading to Station No. 14, and General Blair detached a division to destroy the railway from the Oconee to a point north of Irwin's Cross-roads, and General Osterhaus caused the destruction to be continued thence as far east as Station No. 13.

Slocum marched from Milledgeville on the 24th, the Fourteenth Corps taking the right, by Black Spring, Fair Play, and Long's Bridge, and the Twentieth Corps the more direct road by Hebron; and both corps entered Sandersville by parallel roads, almost simultaneously, on the morning of the 26th. The advanced guard of Wheeler's cavalry was encountered near the town, and skirmished with, but offered no serious opposition.

The two wings being now abreast of each other, General Slocum was ordered to tear up and destroy the Georgia Cen tral Railroad, from Tennille Station, No. 13, to Station No. 10, near the crossing of Ogeechee; one of his corps substantially following the railway, the other the more circuitous route to the left by Louisville, in support of Kilpatrick's cavalry.

Sherman himself now changed his headquarters to the right wing, and accompanied Blair's seventeenth corps on the south of the railway, till abreast of Barton Station, or No. 91; General Howard, in person, with the Fifteenth Corps, keeping further to the right, and about one day's march ahead, ready to turn against the flank of any enemy who should oppose his progress.

On the 27th, Osterhaus' corps was divided into two columns. The left, consisting of Woods' and Corse's divisions, marched from Irwin's Cross-roads, by the Louisville road, to its intersection with the road leading from Sandersville to Johnson, and thence to the latter place. The right, consisting of Hazen's and John E. Smith's divisions, was to follow the next morning, by plantation roads, to Johnson.

On the 28th the right column of the Fifteenth Corps encamped at Wrightsville, the left column at Riddleville. Blair marched with the Seventeenth Corps from Irwin's, on the Louisville road, and turning into cross-roads on the Sandersville and Savannah road, at the intersection, encamped abreast of Riddleville.

On the 29th the two lower columns nearly formed a junction; the advance, under General Woods, encamping near Summerville, and the rest along the lower Savannah road and near Sunderland's Mill, about Sebastopol, or seven miles to the rear of General Woods. The Seventeenth Corps encamped on the upper Savannah road, abreast of Station No. 10, on the Georgia Central railway. The country was covered with open pine woods and wire-grass. Numerous swamps were found along the Ohospee River and its tributaries, and there were very few clearings or plantations. Quite a number of mules and horses were captured in the swamps, the citizens having run them off in the hope of escaping the Union army and Wheeler's cavalry, both equally dreaded.

Let us now turn to the left wing. On the afternoon of the 26th of November, Jackson's and Geary's divisions of Williams' twentieth corps were moved down to Tennille Station, leaving Ward's division to cover the train. The First Michigan Engineers reported for duty with the corps.

On the 27th, 28th, and 29th, the Central railway, and all the wagon-bridges over Williamson's Swamp Creek, were destroyed from Tennille Station to the Ogeechee River, including the long railway bridge over that stream, by Jackson's and Geary's divisions, and the Michigan Engineers. Ward's division marched with the trains, by way of Davisboro', across the

Ogeechee and Rocky Comfort rivers, and encamped near Louisville.

On the 30th, Jackson and Geary moved up the Ogeechee to Coward's Bridge, which was found partly destroyed, but easily repaired, and the whole corps encamped about three miles south of Louisville.

Meanwhile, on the 27th of November, the trains of the Fourteenth Corps, under escort of Carlin's division, moved by the way of Davisboro' upon Louisville, while Baird's and Morgan's divisions, unencumbered, moved on the Finn's Bridge road; thus protecting the left flank from any demonstrations the enemy's cavalry might make from that direction upon the trains.

These two divisions, united under the command of Brigadier-General Baird, marching on a road between the Ogeechee River and Rocky Comfort Creek, reached Louisville early in the afternoon of the 28th, immediately laid a pontoon bridge across the creek, and commenced the passage of troops. Owing to the movements of Ward's division of the Twentieth Corps with the trains, occupying the main road from Davisboro' to Louisville, Carlin's division and the trains of the Fourteenth Corps moving on that road were only able to reach the Ogeechee about three o'clock, P. M. The Fifty-eighth Indiana Pontoniers, under Colonel G. P. Buell, under the personal supervision of General Slocum, immediately commenced laying their bridges, and repairing the roads destroyed by the enemy, and before night the troops and trains were passing both streams into their camps around Louisville.

The road, running as it does here through an immense cypress swamp, required considerable labor to put and keep it in condition for the passage of trains, and it was not until noon the next day that the entire column succeeded in getting into camp. Early on the morning of the 29th, a report was received from General Kilpatrick that he was about ten miles from Louisville, on the road leading direct to Buckhead Bridge, hard pressed by Wheeler.