away from Atlanta by a bold movement in our railroad junction--when I once plant this army rear, threatening not only our line of communi- at Goldsborough-Lee must leave Virginia, or cations but our base of supplies. He thought he will be defeated beyond hope of recovery. that he could retort upon Sherman his own tac- We can make this march, for General Grant tics, and force him, for want of supplies, to give assures me that Lee can not get away from up the bravely-won victories of the summer's Richmond without his knowledge, nor without campaign, and force us back upon Chattanooga. serious loss to his army.' "The battle at Allatoona was the decisive "To those who gazed upon the map, and point of the campaign in pursuit of Hood. The measured the great distance to be traversed, same night, Corse, though severely wounded from this quiet village away up in the mountand suffering, went to Rome with his remaining ains of Northern Alabama down to the sea, and troops. After the failure of the rash assault thence hundreds of miles through a strange and the rebel general passed by Rome, and threat- impassable country away to the north again, ened, but did not attack, Resaca-for Sherman and over wide rivers and treacherous bogs, the was now close in his track. Hood effected a whole scheme, in the hands of any man but he temporary lodgment at Dalton. Then, collect- who conceived it, seems weird, fatal, impossiing his hungry, barefooted men, and gathering ble. But it was at that moment in process of what little plunder he could find, he fled over execution. The army was at once set in mothe mountains and down the valley at the rate tion; the numerous threads spreading over a of twenty-five miles a day to Gaylesville, and wide field of operations were gathered up. Out thence to Gadsden, where he rejoined his trains, of confusion came exquisite order. Detachto make his fatal march toward Nashville. ments guarding various dépôts were sent to their commands, outposts were withdrawn, the cavalry were concentrated in one division under the lead of a gallant soldier. Compact, confident, and cheerful, this well-appointed host, guided by that master mind, moved grandly on to the fulfillment of its high mission. Those who have written of this campaign always date its commencement from Atlanta. Inasmuch as we trod upon hitherto unconquered soil when we went out from Atlanta, this statement is true; but the march really began at Rome and Kingston."

"Sherman waited some time at Gaylesville, until fully assured of the direction taken by his late antagonist. He then detached the Fourth Corps, and subsequently the Twenty-third, with orders to join General Thomas, who received full instructions as to the course he was to adopt. Sherman at once made preparations to abandon all the posts south of Dalton. From Gaylesville and Rome he issued his orders concerning the new movement. The sick and wounded, mon-combatants, the machinery, extra baggage, tents, wagons, artillery, ammunition stores, every person and every thing not needed in the future campaigns, were sent back to Chattanooga. The army was stripped for fighting and marching.

It is from this point that Major Nichols begins his diary. He writes:

"November 13.-Yesterday the last train of cars whirled rapidly past the troops moving "Let us for a moment look at General Sher- south, speeding over bridges and into the woods man as he appeared at Gaylesville, seated upon as if they feared they might be left helpless in a camp-stool in front of his tent, with a map of the deserted land. At Cartersville the last comthe United States spread upon his knees. Gen- munications with the North were severed with eral Easton and Colonel Beckwith, his chief the telegraph wire. It bore the message to quarter-master and commissary, are standing General Thomas, All is well.' And so we near. By his side are Generals Howard and have cut adrift from our base of operations, Slocum, the future commanders of the right from our line of communications, launching out and left wings. General Sherman's finger runs into uncertainty at the best, on a journey whose swiftly down the map until it reaches Atlanta; projected end only the general in command then, with unerring accuracy, it follows the knows. Its real fate and destination he does general direction to be taken by the right and not know, since that rests with the goodness of left wings, until a halt is made at Milledgeville. God and the brave hearts and strong limbs of 'From here,' the general says, 'we have several our soldiers. The history of war bears no simalternatives; I am sure we can go to Savannah, ilar example, except that of Cortéz burning his or open communication with the sea somewhere ships. It is a bold, hazardous undertaking. in that direction.' After studying the map a There is no backward step possible here. Thirwhile, tracing upon the tangled maze of streams ty days' rations and a new base: that time and and towns a line from Savannah north and east, those supplies will be exhausted in the most at Columbia, South Carolina, General Sherman rapid march ere we can arrive at the nearest looks up at General Howard with the remark, sea-coast; arrived there, what then? I never 'Howard, I believe we can go there without any heard that manna grew on the sand-beaches or serious difficulty. If we can cross the Salka- in the marshes, though we are sure that we can hatchie we can capture Columbia. From Co- obtain forage on our way; and I have reason lumbia'-passing his finger quickly over rivers, to know that General Sherman is in the highest swamps, and cities to Goldsborough, North Car- degree sanguine and cheerful-sure even of sucolina- that point is a few days' march through cess. As for the soldiers, they do not stop to a rich country. When we reach that important ask questions. Sherman says "Come," and

SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH.

dépôt buildings, and machine-shops. The heaven is one expanse of lurid fire; the air is filled with flying, burning cinders; buildings covering two hundred acres are in ruins or in flames; every instant there is the 'sharp detonation or the smothered booming sound of exploding shells and powder concealed in the buildings, and then the sparks and flame shoot away up into the black and red roof, scattering cinders far and wide. These are the machine-shops where have been forged and cast the rebel cannon, shot and shell that have carried death to many a brave defender of our nation's honor. These warehouses have been the receptacle of munitions of war, stored to be used for our destruction. The city, which, next to Richmond, has furnished more material for prosecuting the war than any other in the South, exists no more as a means for injury to be used by the enemies of the Union."

ard, of the right wing, and General Slocum, of
Each of these armies is composed of
the left.
two corps, which are subdivided into divisions
and brigades, with their proper commanding of-
In addition to these, there is a cavalry
ficers.
corps, under the command of General Kilpatrick,
who takes his orders directly from General Sher-
This corps is the curtain behind whose
man.
gleaming folds our chief, marching with one or
another column as circumstances dictate, gives
his orders.

"In the long marches, when the army has covered a vast extent of country, this organization proves to be of the highest practical use. Each column marches within supporting distance of the others. Yet exceptional instances have occurred where one wing may be forced to act in a measure independent of the others, as when the communication is cut off by a stream difficult to cross, or by a mountainous district which can be but slowly traversed. At such times there is a complete organization united in one command, ready to act as the emergency may require. But, as before said, these instances are exceptional. The conditions of our success are attended with such weighty respons

The General commanding ismoving mass of men and material is never fairly out of hand. sues his orders, directed toward or including certain objective points, to reach which requires several days' marching. It is the office of the subordinate commanders to put in motion that apparently unwieldy, but really manageable, orderly mass of humanity, wherein every man has his place, and duties which must be performed; and by this beautiful and practical system an army of sixty or seventy thousand men is shifted from place to place with a safety and celerity almost magical."

The command of a great army is the highest It is made achievement of the human mind. up of a hundred thousand men, each feeble in himself as a slender fibre of cotton which a breath will waft away; these countless fibres twisted and combined into companies, regiments, and brigades, are like the strong ca-ibilities and dangerous risks, that this great ble by which the mightiest vessel outrides the storm. Yet an army is not, like a cable, a dead thing. It is instinct with life as a whole and in each individual member. For one thing every man of the hundred thousand must be fed. This is no trifling matter even when in camp; on the march it is something wonderful. Twenty-four hours without supplies would reduce the best army to a helpless mass of disorganized humanity. Food for the men, forage for the animals must not only be provided, but must A great be at the precise spot where wanted. battle is a great thing; but a great march is a greater. Napoleon, the great master of war, had a score of Marshals any one of whom could fight and win a pitched battle where he had one who could lead an army on the march. An army on the march is something like a great serpent, whose slow and resistless progress is the most striking exemplar of absolute force. When unopposed it stretches its vast length for mile upon mile, yet always alert and watchful. When danger threatens, it recoils upon itself. The trains, its vital point, are enveloped, fold upon Out of these are fold, in its gigantic coils. darted its head, with the cavalry its keen eyes, and the artillery its fearful fangs, ready for of-northwestward a hundred miles, will touch Rafense and defense. The great beast, shrunk to a quarter of its former dimensions, is ready for attack or defense. The danger past or overcome, the great python unfolds its massy coils, and again stretches out its huge length for progress. All of these mighty operations must be under the control of one supreme mind-the brain which governs every movement.

The excellently designed map of Major NichLet us glance at ols shows by distinct colors the line of march of every corps of this army. its main features: From Rome, in the extreme northwestern corner of Georgia, close by the border of Alabama, draw a straight line southeastAfter three hundred miles it will touch ward.

Then draw another line north one Savannah. hundred and fifty miles, and it will strike Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. Thence draw another line northeastward two hundred miles, and it will touch Goldsborough, in North Carolina; from thence another line, drawn

leigh and Chapel Hill, where the march really closed. In all there was a march of seven hundred and fifty miles in a straight line-but something more than a thousand measured along the roads actually traveled. A straight line drawn from Rome, the beginning of the march, a little north of east to Raleigh, its close, would measure about four hundred miles. For the thouSherman's force, when it had fairly cut loose sand miles of the march the columns swept an from Atlanta, was "divided into two armies, average breadth of fifty miles. It is curious to called the Right and Left Wings, each of which trace upon the map the complex lines which dehad a separate army commander-General How-note the routes of the different corps, and to dis

576

friends of the boys in blue, and any neglect is
quickly made known by the pawing of neighing
horses and the fearful braying of the mules.
Amidst all is the busy clatter of tongues and
tools-a Babel of sound; forming a contrast to
Then the animals are
the quiet of the previous hour as marked as that
between peace and war.
hitched into the traces, and the droves of cattle
relieved from the night's confinement in the
Knapsacks are strapped, men seize
corral.
their trusty weapons, and as again the bugles
sound the note of command, the soldiers fall into
line and file out upon the road.

cover the order that overrules the apparent dis- | of fodder are greedily devoured by these faithful order. Thus, the black, blue, yellow, and red lines, which denote the various infantry corps, keep almost the same relative positions. But the green line, which indicates the cavalry, shifts from side to side, and from sides to centre. From Atlanta to Macon it is on the extreme right. Then, by a sharp turn, it crosses the other lines and takes place on the left to Millen, whence to Savannah it appears in the centre. From Savannah, half-way through South Carolina, it is in the centre; thence to Fayetteville it is on the left; then to Goldsborough, in the centre, but with a sharp dash to the right; thence again on the left to Raleigh, until at Chapel Hill it forms the front. The explanation of these complicated movements is really simple. The cavalry is the eye of the army, always open to the side where the enemy is supposed to be. If he is on the left, it is on the left; if he is on the right, it is there; if he is on both sides, it is in the centre, ready to meet him on either hand.

Let us now catch some glimpses of a single army corps on the march :

"The order of march is issued by the army commanders the preceding night, from them to the corps commanders, and then passed along until every soldier, teamster, and camp-follower knows that an early start is to be made. At three o'clock the watch-fires are burning dimly, and, but for the occasional neighing of horses, all is so silent that it is difficult to imagine that twenty thousand men are within a radius of a few miles. The ripple of the brook can be distinctly heard as it breaks over the pebbles, or The winds petulantly about the gnarled roots. wind sweeping gently through the tall pines overhead only serves to lull to deeper repose the slumbering soldier, who in his tent is dreaming of his far-off Northern home.

"But in an instant all is changed. From some commanding elevation the clear-toned bugle sounds out the reveillé, and another and another responds, until the startled echoes douIntermingled ble and treble the clarion calls. with this comes the beating of drums, often ratIn a few tling and jarring on unwilling ears. moments the peaceful quiet is replaced by noise and tumult, arising from hill and dale, from field and forest. Camp-fires, hitherto extinct or smouldering in dull gray ashes, awaken to new life and brilliancy, and send forth their sparks high into the morning air. Although no gleam of sunrise blushes in the east, the harmless flames on every side light up the scene, so that there is no disorder or confusion. "The aesthetic aspects of this sudden change do not, however, occupy much of the soldier's time. He is more practically engaged in get ting his breakfast ready. The potatoes are frying nicely in the well-larded pan; the chicken is roasting delicately on the red-hot coals, and grateful fumes from steaming coffee-pots delight the nostrils. The animals are not less busy. An ample supply of corn and huge piles

"There is a halt in the column. The officer in charge of the pioneer corps, which follows the advance-guard, has discovered an ugly place in The pioneers the road, which must be 'corduroyed' at once, before the wagons can pass. quickly tear down the fence near by and bridge over the treacherous place, perhaps at the rate of a quarter of a mile in fifteen minutes. If rails are not near, pine saplings and split logs supply their place. Meanwhile the bugles have sounded, and the column has halted. The soldiers, during the temporary halt, drop out of line on the road-side, lying upon their backs, supported by their still unstrapped knapsacks. If the halt is a long one, the different regiments march by file right, one behind the other, into the fields, stacking their muskets, and taking their rest at ease, released from their knapsack.

"A great many of the mounted officers ride through the fields, on either side of the line of march, so as not to interfere with the troops. General Sherman always takes to the fields, dashing through thickets or plunging into the swamps, and, when forced to take the road, never breaks into a regiment or brigade, but waits until it passes, and then falls in. He says that they, and not he, have the right to the road.

"But the sun has long since passed the zenith, the droves of cattle which have been driven through the swamps and fields are lowing and wandering in search of a corral, the soldiers are beginning to lag a little, the teamsters are obliged to apply the whip oftener, ten or fifteen miles The column have been traversed, and the designated haltOfficers ride on ing-place for the night is near. must now be got into camp. in advance to select the ground for each brigade, Soon the troops file out giving the preference to slopes in the vicinity of wood and water. into the woods and fields, the leading division pitching tents first, those in the rear marching on yet farther, ready to take their turn in the advance the next day.

"As soon as the arms are stacked, the boys attack the fences and rail-piles, and with incredible swiftness their little shelter-tents spring up all over the ground. The fires are kindled with equal celerity, and the luxurious repast prepared, while 'good digestion waits on appetite, and health on both.' After this is heard the music of dancing or singing, the pleasant

SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH.

CORDUROYING.

buzz of conversation, and the measured sound
of reading. The wagons are meanwhile parked
By-and-by the tattoo
and the animals fed.
Its familiar sound
rings out on the night air.
is understood. 'Go to rest, go to rest,' it says,
as plainly as organs of human speech.

66

One

soldiers gather and keep around them.
company will have a cat, another a donkey, an-
other a kid, another a dog. But a fighting-cock
is the pet and pride. They ride upon cannon
Breed is of little account,
or mules, or are affectionately borne in the arms
of their protectors.
If he will not fight
so that the animal is game.
he is sure to be eaten. A victor gets a pet-name.
He is "Bill Sherman" or "Johnny Logan,"
while his worsted opponent is dubbed "Jeff
Davis" or "Pete Beauregard."

'Shortly after follows the peremptory command of Taps.' Out lights, out lights, out lights! The soldier gradually disappears from the camp-fire. Rolled snugly in his blanket, the soldier dreams again of home, or revisits in Among the duties of the army was that of "The method of deimagination the battle-fields he has trod. animals, with dull instinct, lie down to rest. destroying the railroads. struction is simple, but very effective. Two inThe fires go out. One of them is a clasp, which locks around the slumbering host the picket-guards genious instruments have been made for this keep quiet watch."

The

purpose.

It is curious to note the dumb pets which the under the rail. It has a ring in the top, into VOL. XXXI.-No. 185.-QQ