bridge across the Salkehatchie, to amuse the enemy, who had evidently adopted that river as his defensive line against Sherman's supposed objective, the city of Charleston. The general reconnoitred the line in person, and saw that 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. As he had no intention of approaching Charleston, a comparatively small force was able, by making a semblance of preparations to cross, to keep in their front a considerable force of the enemy disposed to contest the advance on Charleston. On the 27th, Sherman rode to the camp of General Hatch's division of Foster's command, on the Tulifinny and Coosawhatchie rivers, and directed those places to be evacuated. Hatch's division was then moved to Pocotaligo, to keep up the feints already begun, until the right wing should move higher up and cross the Salkehatchie about River's or Broxton's Bridge. By the 29th of January, three divisions of the Fifteenth Corps-Woods', Hazen's, and John E. Smith's had closed up at Pocotaligo, and the right wing had loaded its wagons and was ready to start. Sherman therefore directed General Howard to move the Seventeenth Corps along the Salkehatchie to River's Bridge, and the Fifteenth Corps by Hickory Hill, Loper's Cross-roads, Anglesey Post-office, and Beaufort's Bridge, while Hatch's division was ordered to remain at Pocotaligo, feigning on the Salkehatchie railway bridge and ferry, until the movement should have turned the enemy's position, and forced him to fall back behind the Edisto.

Blair's seventeenth and Logan's fifteenth corps drew out of camp on the 31st of January, but the real march began on the 1st of February. All the roads northward had for weeks been held by Wheeler's cavalry, who had, by details of negro laborers, felled trees, burned bridges, and made obstructions to impede our march. But so well organized were the pioneer battalions, and so strong and intelligent our men, that felled trees were removed and bridges rebuilt by the heads of columns before the rear could close up. On the 2d of February,

Logan's fifteenth corps reached Loper's Cross-roads, and Blair's seventeenth corps was at River's Bridge. From Loper's Cross-roads Sherman communicated with General Slocum, who was then still struggling with the floods of the Savannah River at Sister's Ferry, and instructed him to overtake the right wing on the South Carolina railway. General Howard, with the right wing, was directed to cross the Salkehatchie, and push rapidly for the South Carolina railway at or near Midway. The enemy held the line of the Salkehatchie in force, having infantry and artillery intrenched at River's and Beaufort's bridges. Blair, with the Seventeenth Corps, was ordered to carry River's bridge, and Logan, with the Fifteenth Corps, Beaufort's bridge. The former position was carried promptly and skilfully by Mower's and Corse's divisions of the Seventeenth Corps; the latter under Giles A. Smith, on the 3d of February, by crossing the swamp, nearly three miles wide, with water varying from knee to shoulder deep. The weather was bitter cold. Generals Mower and Smith led their divisions in person, on foot, waded the swamp, made a lodgment below the bridge, and turned on the rebel brigade which guarded it, driving it in confusion and disorder towards Branchville. Our casualties were one officer and seventeen men killed, and seventy men wounded, who were sent to Pocotaligo. The line of the Salkehatchie being thus broken, the enemy retreated at once behind the Edisto at Branchville, and the whole army was pushed rapidly to the South Carolina railway. Blair's corps and General Howard in person, at Midway, seven miles west of Branchville; Logan's corps at Bamberg, three miles further west; and at Graham's Station, Blair's seventeenth corps, by threatening Branchville, forced the enemy to burn the railway bridge and Walker's bridge below, across the Edisto. The whole army was at once set to work to destroy railway track. From the 7th to the 10th of February this work was thoroughly prosecuted by the Seventeenth Corps from the Edisto up to Bamberg, and by the Fifteenth Corps from Bamberg up to Blackville. In the mean time, General Kilpatrick had brought his cavalry rapidly by Barnwell to

Blackville, and had turned towards Aiken, with orders to threaten Augusta, but not to draw needlessly into a serious battle. This he skilfully accomplished, skirmishing heavily with Wheeler's cavalry, first at Blackville and afterwards at Williston and Aiken. The left wing being now up, the Twentieth Corps at Graham's Station and the Fourteenth at Blackville, the destruction of the railway was continued by that wing from Blackville up to Windsor. All the army was thus on the railway from Midway to Johnson's Station, thereby dividing the enemy's forces, which still remained at Branchville and Charleston, on the one hand, and Aiken and Augusta, on the other.

The enemy was all this time uncertain as to Sherman's destination or immediate objective. He might turn on Charleston, Augusta, or Columbia, and at neither, nor at all combined, had the Confederates an army able to oppose him. Hardee was at Charleston, with a force estimated at fifteen thousand men, compelled to hold the place until it should be untenable, or the object of maintaining it should have passed. Wheeler, with that portion of his cavalry so frequently met and defeated by Kilpatrick during the Georgia campaign, was at and near Columbia, strengthened by Wade Hampton's division from Lee's army. Augusta was occupied by the Georgia militia. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Confederate Army of the Tennessee were being hurried East; but the road from Mississippi was a long one, stripped of food for a great portion of the route, the railways generally useless, and the bridges destroyed. To use the figurative expression of the soldiers, "A crow could not fly from Atlanta to Savannah without a haversack."

CHAPTER XXVII.

THROUGH SOUTH CAROLINA.

LEAVING the left wing to complete the work of destroying the Charleston and Savannah railway west of Branchville, Sherman himself, with the right wing, moved on Orangeburg, situated thirteen miles north of Branchville, on the State road, between Charleston and Columbia, near its intersection with the railway connecting the latter with Branchville. Until this point should be reached and passed, the direction of Sherman's movement would not be fully developed, for he still continued to menace Charleston, Augusta, and Columbia ; and the position of the left wing might equally satisfy the conditions of either theory, as well as the supposition that he might move by his right by Florence or Cheraw directly on Wilmington or Fayetteville.

Blair's seventeenth corps crossed the South Fork of the Edisto River at Binnaker's Bridge, and moved straight on Orangeburg; while Logan, with the Fifteenth Corps, crossed at Holman's Bridge, and moved to Poplar Springs in support.

On the 12th of February, the Seventeenth Corps found the enemy intrenched in front of the Orangeburg Bridge, but swept him away by a dash, and followed him, forcing him across the bridge, which was partially burned. Behind the bridge was a battery in position, covered by a cotton and earth parapet, with wings as far as could be seen. General Blair held Giles A. Smith's division close up to the Edisto, and moved the other two to a point about two miles below, where he crossed Force's division by a pontoon bridge, holding Mower's in support. As soon as Force emerged from the swamp the

enemy gave ground, and Giles A. Smith's division gained the bridge, crossed over, and occupied the enemy's parapet. He soon repaired the bridge, and by four P. M. the whole corps was in Orangeburg, and had begun the work of destruction on the railway. Blair was ordered to destroy this railway effectually up to Lewisville, and to push the enemy across the Congaree, and force him to burn the bridges, which he did on the 14th.

Hardee now perceiving Sherman's immediate objective, evacuated Charleston, retreating on Florence, parallel to the line of march just passed over by Sherman's army, and General Gillmore's troops entered and occupied the city on the 18th.

Blair's seventeenth corps followed the State road, and Logan's fifteenth corps crossed the North Edisto from Poplar Springs at Schilling's Bridge, above the mouth of Cawcaw Swamp Creek, and took a country road which entered the State road at Zeigler's.

On the 15th, the Fifteenth Corps found the enemy in a strong position at the bridge across Congaree Creek, with a tête-du-pont on the south side, and a well-constructed fort on the north side, commanding the bridge with artillery. The ground in front was very bad, level and clear, with a fresh deposit of mud from a recent overflow. General Charles R. Woods, who commanded the landing division, succeeded, however, in turning the flank of the tête-du-pont by sending Stone's brigade through a cypress swamp to the left; and following up the retreating enemy promptly, got possession of the bridge and the fort beyond. The bridge had been partially damaged by fire, and had to be repaired for the passage of artillery, so that night closed in before the head of the column could reach the bridge across Congaree River in front of Columbia. That night the enemy shelled the camps of the right wing from a battery on the east side of the Congaree above Granby.

Early on the morning of the 16th the head of the column reached the bank of the Congaree, opposite Columbia, but too late to save the fine bridge which spanned the river at that point, and which was burned by the enemy. While waiting