Camp 7^th Ill. Inf. Vet. Vols.

Savannah, Ga. Jan. 11^th/65.

 

My Dear Parents,

                        I promised to give you a description of our march through Ga. and take this opportunity for doing so. I shall not be able to give a history of the whole campaign, but merely note as near as possible the part we have taken in it.

 

            We started from Rome on the 10^th of Nov. 1864. it was almost like leaving home, we had become attached to the place, had good comfortable quarters, and surrounded with evry convenience necessary to make us enjoy life, and the thought of leaving them and starting out on a long and wearisome march, shut out from the rest of the world and deprived of all the enjoyments we had so long been acustomed to, caused a feeling of sadness to come over us. But it was soon overcome and when we camped on the night of the 10^th between Rome and Kingston, our spirits were revived and we enjoyed ourselves as only Soldiers can, around the cheerful campfire, commenting on the future and planing campaigns for Sherman Grant and Thomas. Sherman and Thomas / have both of them, so far, executed as nearly as possible the campaings as we planed them. We were sure Thomas would let Hood cross the Tenn. R. and then use him up, and we thought Sherman had better go to Savannah, capture that, and then proceed to Charleston S.C. and take and destroy that. We meant Grant should not move an inch until Charleston fell, for fear Lee would evacuate Richmond to save that place. Soldiers do a great deal of planning as well as fighting, and generally prefer the former to the latter. We proceeded on our march toward Atlanta without any thing worthy of note ocuring. The weather was for the most part pleasant, at times rather cool at night. We passed through the towns of Kingston, Cassville, Cartersville, and camped on saturday night the 12^th of Nov at Allatoona. All the villages through which we passed were either burned or burning, and the smoke from Rome was visible in heavy clouds over the city for on the eve of the 11^th. At Allatoona I visited the graves of my fallen Comrades and found them still unmolested. evrything here looks pretty much as it did when we left it after the Battle. the fort was battered, trees, houses and evrything else bore marks of shot and shell or of blood. The place / presented a wild and desolating appearance.

 

            We resumed our march again on Sunday morn the weather still pleasant, passed around Kenesaw Mountain, and camped in the suburbs of Marietta. The railroad stations, Aqworth & Big Shanty through which we passed were both reduced to ashes. Kenesaw is very high and steep, it is strongly fortified and cleared of trees or underbrush. the fields around it are filled with gopher holes as we called them, where our boys were camped. they dug holes in the ground and made them shell proof to sleep in. We marched through Marietta early the next morning with bands playing and colors flying. it was evacuated, except by Soldiers, and nearly destroyed. All public buildings, large stores and a great many fine dwelling houses were reduced to ashes. It seemed a pity to destroy such a beautiful place. I saw but one woman in the town, and she poor thing stood at the door with her bundle at her feet, awating her turn to be turned out of doors, and the match aplied to her house. I pittied her but I expect she is the wife of some rebel soldier and he ought to stay at home and take care of her. / old Billy thinks we have played with them long enough and now he is going to work in earnest. catch him guarding rebel property will you? He likes to warm his hands by the fire of their fine dwellings and smak his chops over their nice fat hogs and sheep, and if he cant eat them all he never leaves any behind alive for the rebels to subsist on.        On Tuesday the 15^th we passed the principal defences of Atlanta and halted within one mile of the town to load our suply train. The works around this city were stronger than any I ever saw before, and no force could have taken them by force storm, nothing but military Genius ever routed them from behind these formidable works. their line of works was builded so strong that powder and ball could never batter them down. They had a deep broad ditch dug just outside the works and drove full of spikes sharpened at the ends. Their forts were most of them shell proof, and no force that could be brought against them could ever drive them from this position by attacking their front. It was the skill and genius of Old Sherman that took this stronghold. Atlanta was burning, a thick dence smoke was arising from it, and from what I could learn almost evrything was destroyed. After loding our train we marched about five miles south and camped, weather cool but pleasant. The country over which we have traveled has been very rough and hilly and poor, scarcely a thing in the shape of produce can be seen growing. The inhabitants are very scarce. /

 

            On Wensday the 16^th we marched very hard and night found us ready to drop on the first inviting spot before a fire and sleep without any trouble. Our knapsacks seemed to weigh heavier than they had before. We marched through the station Rough and Ready. the Railroad had been destroyed rails torn up heated and burned bent, so as to render them useless. this road was destroyed nearly all the way to Macon.

 

The next day we marched through the towns M^cDonough and Pleasant Grove. They are both pretty places, or had been. M^cDonough had the appearance of being quite healthy before the war. It was now almost deserted except by women and children, and they looked as sour as vinegar. I noticed hanging from a window of one house a picture representing two Soldiers with knapsacks on, dressed in blue. At the next window was a coffin with the picture of a skeleton on the lid. The whole was meant to represent Yanky Soldiers marching to their doom. This town was not burned yet when we marched through but I guess it was afterwards for we were among the first to pass through it, and / it would be a hard matter to get the whole army past without destroying it. The country here is level open and sandy. A very beautiful scenery is presented on either side of the road, large open fields as far as the eye can reach with here and there a grove of pine trees, and a planters mansion, surrounded by its negrow quarters well whitewashed, and looking like a small village. The weather is very mild and pleasant, the sun shining brightly, making it pleasant marching. we do not get half as tired on a day like this as we would on a dull cloudy day, and in a heavy timbered country. We foraged off the country and got pleanty of sweet potatoes and meat. They come in play as we only draw half rations, and nothing but sugar coffee and hard tack. Friday 18^th we rested, laid in camp and cooked a good dinner. I dined on fresh pork, mutton, chicken soup, hardtack molasses sweet potatoes and onions, besides a quart of strong coffee, and felt better after it. At seven oclock in the evening we marched again and camped at one, until morning. it rained hard nearly all night giving us a good drenching. We marched through the town of Jackson which was burning, about 11 oclock Friday night 

 

            We reached Ocmulgee Mills on the Ocmulgee river at 10 oclock the next day, and camped to let the train cross. here we burned a large factory and a large amount of cotton, and got a good suply of corn meal for our haversacks. On Sunday 20^th we crossed the river, rec^d orders to mount ourselves as soon as possible off the country. Co C was mounted on some wornout team mules and sore back horses and sent out to capture stock. The roads so far have been good, but here they begin to get very mudy, making it difficult getting the teams along. We marched through Monticelo and camped near there on Sunday night, found a large barn full of peanuts and ate ourselves almost sick. The country here is very rough, inhabitants scarce but very wealthy. We camped at Hillsborough on Monday night 21^st. Our Co was sent out on picket guard, it turned cold very suddenly and proved a very severe night. Our blankets were froze stiff in the morning. There was but little sleeping done that night, the wind blew so hard that a fire was not of much use to us. we resumed our march again early in the morning, and on the 23^rd Wensday we marched through Clinton. The weather has / moderated considerably. it has been quite pleasant to day. The roads are still bad and country hilly. On Thursday 24^th we marched through Gordon, a beautiful little town on the Macon and Miledgevile railroad. The first Div of our Corp had a slight brush here with Wheelers Cavelry and the state militia, drove them out and captured a number of small arms. we destroyed them with a greater portion of the town. We camped 1½ miles south. On Friday 25^th we marched through Covington. The weather was pleasant roads good again and we were enabled to make good progress. The country is hilly and open. The inhabitants are almost exclusively women and children and old men. There are no able bodied men in the country, almost every household is represented in the Army, some by boys of 14 and others by old grayheaded men. We crossed the Oconee River on pontoons on the 26^th. Our Co was advance guard for the Army of the Tennissee. country on east side of the river is open level rich and beautiful. we foraged pretty extencively, procured pleanty of sweet potatoes and meat. On Sunday 27^th our Div was sent to destroy the Ga central rail road. we acomplished our object without any trouble, destroyed it for several miles, and burned one station. Co E is getting pretty well mounted but are not making much progress in mounting the rest. One of our Co captured two good horses to day. /

 

We wer relieved at the railroad by another div and marched to join our Corp, which we did on the night of the 28^th. We camped in a swamp and are surrounded by heavy pine timber. For three days we marched through swamps and heavy pine timber, the mud so deep in places that we could hardly get along. Pioneers had to go forward with the advance guard and cordaroy the road over swamps. On the 30^th we passed through a dirty little place inhabited by greasy looking nigroes called Summerville. The nigroes said "dis whar de big white folks comd to spen de summer". Maby it is, but I think I should prefer most any other place.

 

Dec 2^nd we came again in open country, the roads though are still bad. The weather is pleasant. the 3^rd we were alowed to clean up and rest. Co I is mounted and two of our Co who went out mounted have brought in five horses. The boys all washed up and changed their clothes. We never wash clothes on the march but have two changes in our knapsacks and wear them until they get dirty then throw them away. Sunday we again resumed our march and kept it up until Tuesday 6^th when we again halted for a day. The mounted squad brought in horses enough to mount us all, but sadles were scarce / and some had to ride bare back. Our duty now is some different than it has been heretofore. We will be used for flanking and scouting the country, hunting stock, &c.

On Wendsay the 7^th we were out capturing stock, found two in the swamps hid. we also found several chests filled with clothing and other articles hid by the citizens, who had an idea that we would destroy them if found in the house, a mistaken idea for if we destroyed any thing it would be house and all. The first Brig'^d of our Div had a schirmish with the rebs and drove them from the great Ogeeche river and affected a crossing by night. the next morning we crossed the great Ogeeche river and Savannah & Gulf R.R. at this point I was detached with a squad of ten good men to reconoiter a road on the left, with instructions from Gen Corse personally, who told me to be very cautious and not venture too far or atempt to drive the enimy if I found them. I had not gone but ¾ miles when I saw on turning a bend in the road a piece of artilery planted in the middle of the road and surrounded by a large body of rebels mounted some of them fired at us we returned the fire and beat a hasty retreat. I reported in person to Gen Rice comd^g 2^nd Brig'^d, also sent a man to report to Gen Corse, and tell him that I had reported to Gen / Rice. Rice requested me to show him the road and while doing so we were fired upon by the Rebs who had advanced close enough to the main road to fire into the column as it was passing. The Gen. ordered me to remain with him, with my men as an escort. he sent out schirmishers and followed himself. there was a pretty sharp schirmish for about ten or fifteen minutes, and the Rebs were driven from their position and soon were out of sight. I was then relieved by the Gen. and went to report to the regt. which was in the advance, overtook them just as they were about to going on the schirmish line, having ran on the enimy who showed a disposition to fight. we drove them across the Savannah and Gulf cannal, then dismounted and schirmished for about ½ hour and could drive them no farther, returned to the cannal to camp. The next morning our Co started early up the cannall found no enimy and returned about 10 oclock loaded with turkeys, sweet potatoes sugar and molasses. The column had started the remainder of our regt in the advance. we could hear the firing and knew they had come up with the enimy, so throwing our produce to the infantry we put spurs to our horses and were soon on the line, where we dismounted took trees and commenced schirmishing. we kept it up / all day, almost without cessation, killed several and captured some prisoners and one piece of artilery, drove them 8 miles across salt river and the little Ogeeche, where they were fortifyed on the oposit bank from us. Their position was very strong as we could only approach the river from our side at one or on dikes at one or two places which were strongly guarded by artilery, and we could not cross at any place but the bridge, which was burned and place well guarded, so we fell back to camp on Salt river.

 

The next morning Dec 10^th Capt Ahern with the Co was sent out with orders to go to the coast if possible and open communication with the fleet. This was a trip that pleased us all. We were highly elated at the prospect of sleeping that night aboard a man of war, and having the honor of bearing the first dispach, but we could not reach it as all bridges were burned, boats destroyed and we could not cross the canall and bayous. The weather was so foggy we would not even signal to them. We saw the pickets of Ft M^cAllester but did not disturb them, ate dinner at a rice plantation 5 miles from M^cAllester, and returned to camp reached there at 10 oclock. the Div had moved up to within ½ mile of the little Ogeeche river and were shelling the rebels continually Gen Sherman is camped with our Div. Here we had a soaking rain. it rained all night hard. it is just one month today since we left Rome and a considerable change has come over us. We are ragged dirty lantern jawed and rough, rations played out, and we live on what we can steal. /

 

            Sunday Dec 11^th Our Co was sent out to examine a road on the right. We discovered a new rebel batery in good position to shell our camp. Capt Ahern reported it to Gen Howard, who came up to see for himself, and rode with his escort all along in front of the lines in plain sight of the all the enimies batterys, came near getting shot by rebel sharpshooters. He then sent a squad from our Co to try and advance to the river on one of the dikes. I was one of them. we dismounted and crawled up to within a few yards of the river but could get no further on acount of their sharpshooters who were secreted on the opposite bank and the exposure of an inch of our body would draw a dozzen bullits. we crawled back through the watter on our hands and knees and reported. the Gen then ordered our Co out to establish a line of schirmishers on the line we had just left, so back we went crawling as before until we reached the line, where we laid very quiet behind the dike, not daring to move hardly, for fear of exposing ourselves to their unerring aim. being wet we suffered greatly from cold. I ventured with the squad I was with to build a fire from some dry sticks on the dike, but we had no sooner got it / started than the rebels commenced shelling us from their nearest battery. they threw the shells so close that we could feel the wind of them passing over our heads. they struck the ground just behind us. This was more than we could stand. as we laid behind the dike one shell, if it struck fair could kill the most of us. and we had been their all day and had become perfectly num with cold and besides we were doing no good there then, so as the Capt was absent had gone to Gen Corses head Qrs to report I took the responsibility and retreated, then mounted my horse went to head Qrs and reported, and rec^d credit for my prudence. The Gen then relieved us, and after procuring feed we went to camp. On the next day a detachment of five Companies including ours under Lt Col Perrin went to Dr Elliott Rice plantation on the Great Ogeeche R. five miles above McAllester after forage, remained all night witnessed some of the fighting at the fort, returned to camp again. The fort had fallen and a steamer came plowing up the river with Gen Foster and Admiral [blank] We were not to stay there though long enough to get rations and mail for we were ordered out again on the next day, Dec 14^th to reconoiter and procure forage. we camped near Station No 3 about 30 miles from Savannah on Savannah and Gulf railroad, found pleanty of forage. 

 

            The next day our Co was sent out alone to hunt stock. We started for Hindsville but met a negroe who told us where there was stock hid out on another, and went with him to find it leaving hindsvill on the right. We had not gone but about 2 miles when we ran on some ten or 12 rebels. As soon as they saw us they ran turned and ran. we started in pursuit, all was excitement the man with the fastest horse went ahead took the lead. four of us who had faster horses than the rest soon gained on them leaving the rest out of sight we ran them for over three miles got several good shot, killed one man and I think wounding some. some of them jumped from their horses and took to the brush and escaped the rest eluded us at a turn in the road. nothing could have been easier than for them to have either captured or killed every one of us if they had only had presence of mind enough to turn out in the brush and stop until we came up. They out numbered us two to one and more, and we were beyond suporting distance of the Company. After we lost track of them we returned slowly our horses almost ready to drop from exaustion we found the Co halted at a plantation near where the reb was killed. They had a splendid dinner prepared and we partoock of it then filled our haversacks and started again to hunt the stock. / found two blooded horses besides one or two good common horses and some mules. We then returned to camp where we did the night before. the next morning the division train arrived to haul in the forage. We went with whole command to Hindsville and was on the point of leaving again when a negroe came and reported to Capt Ahern that there were a small squad of rebs just outside of town. The Capt got permission to take the Co out and try to capture them, so starting out in the direction indicated we soon met a squad of about six, who turned and ran as soon as they saw us. we gave chase as before but this time the Capt with the fine blooded horse he got the day before kept in the lead. we were gaining on them nicely when the rebs slackened up and turned off into some thick brush. This excited the Capts suspicions and he ordered us to halt and sent out two or three men on the flanks and a small squad advanced on the road. Thinking all was right we on the road galloped up ahead of the flankers and got close enough to see not fifty yards from us a long line of battle, part of Wheelers command, sitting on their horses as cool and composed as if they were on parade. They did not fire on us imediately for they meant to capture the whole Co. just then one of the flankers saw them and and yelled as hard as he could for the Co to retreat. it was very imprudent in him, for it brought their fire immediately and soon we were flying back in a disordered mass toward the town. luckily for us the rebels did not follow us, for our stock was jaded and we could not make a very good retreat. They would likely have captured or killed a number of us, but not knowing our strength, they were afraid I supose to put on too bold a front for fear of a heavy reserve in ambush. I was left in charge of the advan rear guard composed of a detail from our company, expected an attack but was not disturbed. we went into camp near station no 3 at 10 oclock for the night and started early next morning for camp, arived in camp again near little Ogeeche R. at 5 oclock, got our mail. I recd 6 letters, read them all before supper.

 

The next day was Sunday, we rested all day. Drew rations and ate a good dinner. On Monday morning early we started out again under Maj Johnson, crossed Great Ogeeche at Kings Bridge and proceeded to crossroads church and camped at 9 oclock at night. The next morning we visited St Catharines Sound, got some fresh oysters and saw a blockading steamer in the distance, returned to within 1½ miles of Rice Borrough and camped. /

 

[apparent leaf from another letter]

 

My sheet is full and I have not written near what I wanted to. Tell your mother that she is perfectly welcome to keep that photograph until I call for it. I meant nothing by what I wrote to our folks.

 

You wished to know what I thought of Father going to Pana. I think that if he cant protect himself and family from copperheads where he is he had better not go to Pana.

 

I have received papers several times for which I was allways thankful. I suposed though they came from home. I recd the Independent last night. About three months ago I recd a sermon of Henry Ward Beecher from a little girl do you know who she is? Your Mother wants to go East again does she? well if she will wait until I get home I will take / care of the farm as I did before but on one condition only, and that is that you remain behind. if she wont alow that why I am going too for fear some of them Eastern chaps will steal you away from me. I shall have to stop now for we have marching orders we are just going out on a little scout after geurrillas.

                                   

I remain as ever your true lover,

Henry

 

P.S. If your album is not full perhaps the Photograph of my friend Corp Robbins might find a place in it as you are partial to Soldiers. he gave it to me but dont know that I am going send it off

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