wing of the army.

March of the right ough, where he met with Confederate cavalry, but Kilpatrick dispersed it. Thence he moved eastward through McDonough and Jackson to the Ocmulgee, crossing at Planter's Factory, thence through Monticello and Hillsborough, and between Milledgeville and Clinton. On the 22d his left struck the Georgia Central Railroad at Gordon, his right extending west to Griswold. Kilpatrick, who was with him, made a feint with the cavalry through Griffin and Forsyth toward Macon, deceiving the Confederates into the belief that that was Sherman's objective. That accomplished, the cavalry returned toward Griswold, after destroying several miles of the railroad east of Walnut Creek.

Howard's two corps, as soon as they struck the Georgia Central on the 22d, commenced destroying it. While they were occupied with this, the extreme right of the 15th Corps was attacked by a Confederate force about 5000 strong, coming from the direction of Macon. The attack, though delivered in not less than six successive assaults, was at length repelled, the Confederates leaving 300 dead upon the field.

March of the

Slocum, with the left wing of the army, was meantime marching along the Augusta Road in two left wing. parallel columns, the 20th Corps being the left, the 14th the right. The latter destroyed the road to Covington, and turned thence on the 19th to Milledgeville, the other corps continuing the destruction to Madison, 69 miles east of Atlanta. This northward movement was in tended as a feint on Augusta, the deception being in creased by the cavalry moving out many miles in advance toward that city. From Madison the 20th Corps marched through Eatonton to Milledgeville, where it arrived on the 21st; the 14th Corps, having passed through Shady Dale and Eatonton, joined it the next day.

The Legislature of Georgia, which was in session at Milledgeville, supposing that Augusta or Macon was Sher

Capture of Milledgeville.

man's objective, took suddenly to flight when they found that the two great columns of Slocum and Howard were converging toward Milledgeville. On the 20th Milledgeville was surrendered by its mayor. A panic had fallen on the citizens. Every one who could escape had fled; the most extravagant prices were given for vehicles. Those who remained found, however, that no pillage, no insult occurred. Private dwellings were respected, but the arsenals, magazines, dépôts, etc., belonging to the Confederate government were destroyed. Both soldiers and citizens were infinitely amused at the fright and flight of the legislators, which were declared to have been "comical in the extreme."

Destruction of the
Georgia Central
Railroad.

Meantime Howard, with the right wing, was steadily advancing along the Georgia Central, destroy. ing it to the Oconee. On reaching the bridge across that river, he found his passage disputed, but the 15th Corps crossed at a ford eight miles below, whereupon the Confederates at the bridge retreated, and now the whole wing passed the river, destroying the railroad as it advanced.

Slocum, with the left wing, crossed the Oconee near Milledgeville on the 24th, moving toward Sandersville. The 14th Corps now took position on the left of this column, which position it held during the remainder of the march. On the 26th, Slocum's two corps, marching on parallel roads, entered Sandersville simultaneously, and on the 27th and 28th both wings were temporarily encamped between Sandersville and Irwin's Cross Roads, a few miles south of the railroad.

After the demonstration toward Macon, ending with the action at Griswold, Kilpatrick shifted his cavalry to the left wing. On the 25th he left Milledgeville, taking the direction of Waynesborough, partly for the purpose of cov ering the passage of the main body of the army across the Ogeechee, and partly for conducting a feint toward Au

gusta. A detachment of his force burned the railroad bridge over Brier Creek, and then fell back to the main body in the neighborhood of Louisville. One of his main objects was to release the prisoners at Millen, but they had been already removed.

Passage of the

Slocum, with the 14th Corps, reached the Ogeechee at Fenn's Bridge, crossed on pontoons, marching Ogeechee. on the left bank of the river, and reached Louisville on the 29th. His 20th Corps moved at the same time along the railroad, which, from Davisborough for about 20 miles, is parallel to the Ogeechee. The 17th and 15th Corps moved south of the railroad, the latter cov ering the right flank of the army. On Kilpatrick's movement to the left flank of the whole army and the occupation of Louisville by the 14th Corps, the Confederates concluded that Augusta was the point aimed at, and their cavalry, under Wheeler, at once moved north to obstruct the supposed advance. Hereupon Sherman was able to cross the Ogeechee with his main body, the 20th Corps near the railroad bridge, the 17th near Barton's Station. They had been engaged in destroying the railroad between Tenille Station and the river. The 15th Corps marched in a parallel line with the other columns, but on the right bank of the river. This passage of the Ogeechee without loss is regarded by military critics as "one of the most brilliant pieces of strategy witnessed during the campaign.”

Demonstrations against Augusta were again renewed for the purpose of expediting Wheeler's movement to the north. During the 1st, 2d, and 3d of December skirmishing took place with his cavalry, which was gradually forced beyond Waynesborough. Baird's division of the 14th Corps formed the infantry support. The remaining divisions of that corps, on reaching Buckhead Creek, turned east to Lumpkin's Station, on the Augusta and Millen Railroad, 10 miles south of Waynesborough, where, on the 3d and 4th, they destroyed a considerable portion of the track.

They then marched for Jacksonborough, where Kilpatrick and Baird rejoined them.

Destruction of the

The 20th and 17th Corps meanwhile advanced along the railroad, and on December 2d the latter railroads continued. reached Millen. The 20th Corps had marched to the north of Millen through Bairdsville, and thence southeast, the 15th Corps moving in two columns to the west of the Ogeechee River, a day's march in advance of the main body. The whole army, now pivoting on Millen, deflected from its eastern to a southward course, all, with the exception of the 15th, marching down the peninsula between the Ogeechee and the Savannah Rivers. The 17th Corps followed the railroad, destroying it from Millen downward. So complete a success was the feint on Augusta, that Sherman could now pursue an unobstructed march to the sea.

Hardee discovers that Sherman is marching on Savannah.

As Sherman came down the peninsula, between the Savannah and the Ogeechee, Hardee, who held Savannah with 15,000 men, recognized that that city was the true objective. A line of works from river to river had been constructed to delay the advance, and to prevent an attack on the Savannah and Gulf Railroad, which was employed to its utmost ca pacity in bringing supplies and re-enforcements to the city. A force was sent across the Ogeechee to check the progress of the 15th Corps. The greater part of that corps had, however, crossed to the east bank, near Eden, on the 7th; and on the succeeding day Corse's division was pushed forward between the Little and Great Ogeechee, thirteen miles in advance of the main column, to the canal connecting the Ogeechee with the Savannah. The canal was quickly bridged, and the Confederates retired into the fortifications of Savannah. On the 9th the Savannah and Gulf Railroad was destroyed for several miles around Miller's Station, a train of cars and many prisoners captured, and communication between Savannah and the South cut off.