was now estimated by General Sherman at twenty thousand men. It was necessary to dislodge him, that the advancing army might have the use of the Goldsboro' road, as also to keep up the feint on Raleigh as long as possible. General Slocum was therefore ordered to press and carry the position, only difficult by reason of the nature of the ground, which was so soft that horses would sink everywhere, and even men could hardly make their way over the common pine-barren.

Williams' twentieth corps had the lead, and Ward's division the advance. This was deployed, and the skirmish line developed the position of Rhett's brigade of Confederate Heavy Artillery, armed as infantry, posted across the road behind a light parapet, with a battery of guns enfilading the approach across a cleared field. General Williams sent Case's brigade by a circuit to his left, turned this line, and by a quick charge broke Rhett's brigade, which rapidly retreated to a second line better constructed and more strongly held. Winnegar's battery of artillery, well posted, under the immediate direction of Major Reynolds, chief of artillery of Williams' corps, did good execution on the retreating brigade, and, on advancing Ward's division of the Twentieth Corps over this ground, General Williams captured three guns and two hundred and seventeen prisoners, of whom sixty-eight were wounded and left in a neighboring house with a rebel officer four men, and five days' rations. As Ward's division advanced, the enemy developed a second and stronger line, when Jackson's division was deployed forward on the right of Ward, and the two divisions of Jefferson C. Davis' fourteenth corps on the left, well towards the Cape Fear River. At the same time, Kilpatrick, who was acting in concert with General Williams, was ordered to draw back his cavalry, and mass it on the extreme right, and, in concert with Jackson's right, to feel forward for the Goldsboro' road. He got a brigade on the road, but it was furiously attacked by McLaws' rebel division, and though it fought well and hard, was compelled to return to the flank of the infantry. The whole line advanced late in the afternoon, drove the enemy well within his intrenched line, and pressed

him so hard, that next morning he was gone, having retreated in a very stormy night over the worst of roads.

The aggregate loss of the left wing, in the battle of Averysboro', was twelve officers and sixty-five men killed, and four hundred and seventy-seven wounded.

Ward's division followed to and through Averysboro', developing the fact that Hardee had retreated, not on Raleigh, but on Smithfield. Sherman had the night before directed Kilpatrick to cross South River at a mill-dam to the right rear, and move up on the east side towards Elevation.

Leaving Ward's division to keep up a show of pursuit, Slocum's column was turned to the right, built a bridge across the swollen South River, and took the Goldsboro' road, Kilpatrick crossing to the north in the direction of Elevation, with orders to move eastward, watching that flank. In the mean time, the wagon-trains and guards, as also Howard's column, were wallowing along the miry roads towards Bentonville and Goldsboro'. The enemy's infantry, as before stated, had retreated on Smithfield, and his cavalry retired across Sherman's front in the same direction, burning the bridges over Mill Creek.

Sherman continued with the head of Slocum's column, and encamped, on the night of the 18th, with him on the Goldsboro' road, twenty-seven miles from Goldsboro' and about five miles from Bentonville, at a point where the road from Clinton to Smithfield crosses the Goldsboro' road. Howard was at Lee's Store, only two miles south of that place, and both columns had pickets thrown three miles forward to the point where the two roads unite and become common to Goldsboro'.

Every indication conduced to the belief that the enemy would make no further opposition to Sherman's progress, and would not attempt to strike him in flank while in motion. Accordingly, directing Howard to move his right wing by the new Goldsboro' road, by way of Falling Creek Church, Sherman in person joined Howard's column, with a view to open communication with General Schofield, coming up from Newbern, and Terry from Wilmington. He found General Howard's

column well strung out, owing to the very bad roads, and did not overtake him in person until he had reached Falling Creek Church, with one regiment thrown forward to the cross-roads near Cox's Bridge across the Neuse. The general had reached a distance of about six miles from General Slocum when he heard artillery in that direction, but was soon made easy by one of his staff-officers overtaking him, explaining that Carlin's division of the Fourteenth Corps, leading, had encountered Dibbrell's division of rebel cavalry, which it was easily driving. But soon other staff-officers came up, reporting that Slocum had developed near Bentonville the whole of the rebel army under General Johnston himself. Sherman immediately sent orders to Slocum to call up the two divisions guarding his wagon-trains, and Hazen's division of the Fif teenth Corps, still back near Lee's Store; and to fight defensively until Blair's corps, then near Mount Olive Station, with the three remaining divisions of the Fifteenth Corps, came up on Johnston's left rear from the direction of Cox's Bridge.

In the mean time, while on the road, Sherman received a courier from General Schofield, who reported himself in possession of Kinston, somewhat delayed by want of provisions, but able to march so as to make Goldsboro' on the 21st. A dispatch also arrived from General Terry, who was at or near Faison's Depot.

Sherman at once sent orders to Schofield to push for Goldsboro', and to make dispositions to cross Little River in the direction of Smithfield as far as Millard; to General Terry to move to Cox's Bridge, lay a pontoon bridge, and establish a crossing; and to General Blair to make a night march to Falling Creek Church; and at daylight, the right wing, under General Howard, less the necessary wagon guards, was put in rapid motion on Bentonville. General Slocum's head of column had advanced from its camp of March 18th, and first encountered Dibbrell's cavalry, but soon found his progress impeded by infantry and artillery. The enemy attacked his advance guard, gaining a temporary advantage, and took