The course of the gold premium from the first issues of the legal tender to March, 1865, was monthly as follows:

Sherman Prepares to Cross Georgia.-Composition of Army.-Marching Orders.-Combat at Griswoldville.-Appeal to the People of Georgia.-Milledgeville Reached.— Army at Louisville.-Combat with Wheeler.-March to Savannah.-Communicates with the Fleet.-Fort McAllister.-Evacuation of Savannah-Sherman's Dispatches. -Wilmington Expedition.-Fort Fisher.-Powder Ship.-Bombardment.-Failure.— Return to Hampton Roads.-Co-operation from Plymouth.

WHEN Sherman paused in his pursuit of Hood, he remained several days at Gaylesville, in Northern Alabama, and then with the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Corps, the Fourth and Twenty-third having been sent to Tennessee, returned to Atlanta, to commence preparations for a march through Georgia to the seacoast. Hood had made the mistake of going north into Tennessee, without any very definite object, and there was no force south of Atlanta to present any opposition to the proposed march of Sherman. Beauregard was indeed at Corinth, but with little prospect of being able to make head against the well-appointed army under the control of the Union leader. The army with which Sherman left Atlanta was composed of four corps of infantry, one division of cavalry, four brigades of artillery, and two horse-batteries. The infantry consisted of the Fourteenth Corps, General Jeff. C. Davis; the Fif teenth, General Osterhaus (Logan being absent); the Seventeenth, General Blair; and the Twentieth, General Slocum. The cavalry was commanded by Kilpatrick. Finally, there was a full brigade of artil lery for each corps, and one battery of horse artillery for the cavalry, numbering in all about sixty-five thousand men. The two divisions of the Sixteenth Corps were divided between the Fifteenth and Seventeenth. The corps were quite full, many had new regiments added, and the men, under the recent calls for troops, had come in to restore the old regiments to their maximum.. The artillery arm was

organized into an independent brigade for each corps, commanded by a field officer, with his own adjutant-general, quartermaster, commissary, ordnance officer, &c. Sherman, in his special field order No. 120,* announced the division of his forces, for the purpose of military operations, into two wings: "The right wing, Major-General O. Ó. Howard commanding, the Fifteenth, and Seventeenth Corps; the left wing, Major-General H. W. Slocum commanding, the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps." Each wing had its due proportion of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. The men on commencing the march had in haversacks two days' rations salt meat, two days' hard bread, ten days' coffee and salt, and five days' sugar. Each infantry soldier carried sixty rounds of ammunition on his person.

Thus prepared, between the 12th and 15th of November, the troops began to concentrate around Atlanta. From Rome and Kingston southward the railroad was thoroughly broken up, and no property or buildings that could aid the enemy were spared. A general conflagration in Atlanta consumed over two million dollars of property, and the

SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS-No. 120. HEAD-QUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISS., IN THE FIELD,

KINGSTON, GA., Nov. 9, 1864.

I. For the purpose of military operations this army is divided into two wings, viz.: the right wing, Major-General O. O. Howard commanding, the Fifteenth and Seventeenth Corps; the left wing, Major-General H. W. Slocum commanding, the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps.

II. The habitual order of march will be, whenever practicable, by four roads, as nearly parallel as possible, and converging at points hereafter to be indicated in orders. The cavalry, BrigadierGeneral Kilpatrick commanding, will receive special orders from the commander-in-chief.

III. There will be no general trains of supplies, but each corps will have its ammunition and provision train, distributed habitually as follows: Behind each regiment should follow one wagon and one ambulance; behind each brigade should follow a due proportion of ammunition wagons, provision wagons, and ambulances. In case of danger, each army corps should change this order of march by having his advance and rear brigade unencumbered by wheels. The separate columns will start habitually at seven A. M., and make about fifteen miles per day, unless otherwise fixed in orders.

IV. The army will forage liberally on the country during the march. To this end, each brigade commander will organize a good and sufficient foraging party, under the command of one or more discreet officers, who will gather near the route travelled corn or forage of any kind, meat of any kind, vegetables, corn-meal, or whatever is needed by the command; aiming at all times to keep in the wagon trains at least ten days' provisions for the command, and three days forage. Soldiers must not enter the dwellings of the inhabitants, or commit any trespass during the halt or a camp, they may be permitted to gather turnips, potatoes, and other vegetables, and drive in stock in front of their camps. To regular foraging parties must be intrusted the gathering of provisions and forage at any distance from the road travelled.

V. To army corps commanders is intrusted the power to destroy mills, houses, cotton-gins, &c.,

and for them this general principle is laid dow
In districts and neighborhoods chere the army is
unmolested, no destruction of such property
should be permitted; but should guerrillas or
bushwhackers molest our march, or should the
inhabitants burn bridges, obstruct roads, or other-
wise manifest local hostility, then army s
commanders should order and enforce a deri
tation more or less relentless, according to the
measure of such hostility.

VI. As for horses, mules, wagons, &c., belonging to the inhabitants, the cavalry and artillery, may appropriate freely and without limit, discrim inating, however, between the rich, who are usually hostile, and the poor or industrions, usually neutral or friendly. Foraging parties may also take mules or horses to replace the jaded animals of their trains, or to serve as pack mules for the regiments or brigades. In all fireing, of whatever kind, the parties engaged wid refrain from abusive or threatening language, and may, when the officer in command thinks proper, give written certificates of the facts, but no receipts; and they will endeavor to leave with each family a reasonable portion for their mainte

nance.

VIL Negroes who are able bodied, and can be of service to the several columns, may be taken along; but each army commander will bear in mind that the question of supplies is a very important one, and that his first duty is to see to those who bear arms.

VIII. The organization at once of a good pioneer battalion for each corps, composed, if possible, để negroes, should be attended to. This battali a should follow the advance-guard, should repar roads, and double them if possible, so that tre columns will not be delayed after reaching is places. Also, army commanders should sty the habit of giving the artillery and wagons the road, and marching their troops on one site; ar i also instruct their troops to assist wagons at sterp hills or bad crossings of stresins

IX. Captain O. M. Poe, Chief Engineer, will assign to each wing of the army a pontoon train, fully equipped and organized, and the comman)ers thereof will see to its being properly protected at all times.

By order of Major-General W. T. Shermas.
L. M. DAYTON, Aide-de-Camp.

defensive works were levelled to the ground. On November 16th the great march commenced, and the army, thus cut loose from its base, moved in four columns on two general lines. The right wing, under Howard, marched through East Point, and, driving before it the enemy's mounted troops under Iverson, arrived at Jonesboro' on the 16th. Leaving Jonesboro', it moved west, through McDonough and Jackson, to Monticello and Hillsboro', after crossing the Ocmulgee River, at Planter's Factory, on the 19th ult. On the 21st and 22d, the column struck the Georgia Central, east of Macon and between Gordon and Griswoldville, and immediately began to destroy the track.

On the 20th, a body of Kilpatrick's Cavalry made a demonstration in the neighborhood of Macon, to deceive the enemy, and on the 23d Walcott's Brigade, on the extreme right of the column, had a sharp encounter at Griswoldville, with a body of Georgia troops, under General Phillips, whom they defeated with the loss of a thousand or upwards. On the 23d, the column reached the Oconee River, having destroyed the railroad to that point. The opposite bank was protected by Generals Wheeler and Wayne with a cavalry force, and Howard's Cavalry made several ineffectual attempts to cross. But by a march down the river, our forces flanked the enemy, crossed, and dispersed all opposition. On Friday, the 25th, a part of our cavalry entered Sandersville, a town twenty-two miles east of Milledgeville and of the Oconee, and five miles north of the Central Railroad. This flanking move forced the abandonment of the Oconee River, and compelled Wayne to retire to Davisboro'.

Meanwhile, the enemy had used the utmost exertions to rouse the people to the defence of the soil, and a series of appeals were made by different commanders and authorities. General Beauregard, at Corinth, issued the following:

"CORINTH, November 18,

"Vid SELMA, November 18.

"TO THE PEOPLE OF GEORGIA. "Arise for the defence of your native soil! gallant soldiers. Obstruct and destroy all the and his army will soon starve in your midst. overruling Providence, and success will soon in the defence of your homes and firesides.

}

Rally around your patriotic governor and
roads in Sherman's front, flank, and rear,
Be confident. Be resolute. Trust in an
crown your efforts. I hasten to join you
(Signed)
G. T. BEAUREGARD."

This seems to have fallen upon indifferent ears, and the same fate attended the following from the Georgia delegation in the rebel Congress:

แ TO THE PEOPLE OF GEORGIA.

"RICHMOND, November 19.

"We have had a special conference with President Davis and the Secretary of War, and are able to assure you that they have done, and are still doing all that can be done to meet the emergency that presses upon you. Let every man fly to arms. Remove your negroes, horses, cattle, and provisions from Sherman's army, and burn what you cannot carry. Burn all bridges, and block up the roads in his route. Assail the invader in front, flank, and rear, by night and by day. Let him have no rest. "JULIAN HARTRIDGE, "MARK BLAIRFORD, "J. A. REYNOLDS, "GENERAL N. LESTER, "JOHN S. SHEWMAKER, "JAMES M. SMITH."

Still another appeal was made by Senator Hill, which was published in the Augusta papers :

"TO THE PEOPLE OF GEORGIA.

"RICHMOND, November 18.

"You have now the best opportunity ever yet presented to you to destroy the enemy. Put every thing at the disposal of our generals, remove all provisions from the path of the invaders, and put all the obstructions you can in his way.

"Every citizen with his gun, and every negro with his spade and axe, can do the work of a good soldier. You can destroy the enemy by retarding his march. Geor gians, be firm! Act promptly, and fear not! B. H. HILL”

"I most cordially approve of the above.

JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War."

These appeals came too late to produce any appreciable effect. Not an arm was raised to oppose the march of the Federal troops, except by the organized force under Wheeler and a few under Hartridge.

Meanwhile, Slocum's column, passing along the Augusta Railroad, and destroying it as far as Madison, moved thence in a southerly direc tion upon Milledgeville, the capital of the State, which place it reached on the 21st and 22d. The Georgia Legislature and Governor Brown decamped at its approach in unseemly haste. On the 26th, Slocum was at Sandersville, east of the Oconee, and on the 27th and 28th both wings of the expeditionary army were temporarily encamped between Sandersville and Irwin's Cross Roads, in the neighborhood of the Georgia Central Railroad. Four large rivers lay originally in the line of Sherman's march, all tending southeasterly-the Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, and Savannah. The former is the most westerly, and unites lower down with the Oconee, to form the Altamaha. Macon is on the Ocmulgee, Milledgeville on the Oconee, Millen on the Ogeechee, and Augusta on the Savannah. There were also many less considerable streams to cross, and much marshy country, especially between the Ogeechee and the Savannah. The Oconee had been passed by the right wing below the Oconee Bridge, and by the left at Milledgeville. The Ogeechee was passed by our troops at Fen's Bridge in the march from Sandersville, and the next main stopping place was Louisville, fifteen miles from Fen's Bridge, in the centre of Jefferson County, which was reached by the Fourteenth Corps on the 29th. Thence the cavalry pushed out northeasterly in force to Waynesboro', a station en the Augusta and Savannah road, thirty-two miles south of Augusta

The main army remained around Louisville until December 1st. The time was employed in foraging and capturing mules and horses, and thoroughly breaking up the railroad. On the 2d the Seventeenth Corps reached Millen, eighty miles from Savannah and fifty-three from Augusta. The route from Millen to Savannah was well defended by natural obstacles on both flanks. On the night of Saturday, the 3d. a combat occurred, near Waynesboro', between the cavalry of Kilpatrick and Wheeler, the latter being the attacking party, and being decidedly repulsed. The next morning, Sunday, our cavalry and a portion of the Fourteenth Corps attacked Wheeler in his breast works, and drove him out of his works, capturing them and forcing him to retreat.

From Millen the army pursued the direct route to Savannah, the