Head Quarters 30^th Ills Infty Vols

Before Savannah Ga

Dec 18^th 1864

 

Dear Sister

                        I received three letters from you yesterday written on the 6^th 13 & 21^st of November. They were the first for over a month so you may suppose I was glad to receive them. Well you will discover from the heading of my letter that we have changed our position somewhat since my last writing, and that instead of racing round after Hood or lying idly around Atlanta we are now besieging Savannah. I will give you a short description of our march from Atlanta to our present position. We left the former place on the 15^th day of Nov. each Corps moving on a different road. The 15^th Corps occupied the right, the 17^th Corps came next then the 20^th Corps, with the 14^th on the extreme left. This position was maintained by the 15^th & 17^th Corps / throughout the entire march, and was I believe by the other Corps, although I cannot speak positively concerning them.

The 15^th Corps moved in the direction of Macon, the 14^th & 20 in the direction of Milledyeville, while our Corps moved between and struck the Georgia Central R.R. at Golden, the point where the a branch leaves this road the and runs to Milledyeville. The 15^th Corps arrived before Macon about the 21^st Nov. but fnding the place strongly fortified, did not attempt to take it but passed around it. The Rebels thinking I presume that we had but a small force they came out of their works and charged a portion of the 15^th Corps several times but were repulsed each time with heavy loss. The 14^th & 20^th Corps occupied Milledyeville without opposition, as also did our Corps Golden. From this place we moved along the G.C.R.R. destroying it thoroughly as we went. This appeared to be our principal business as the whole army was engaged in it. The army moved along the Road destroying it, until we arrived within about 25 miles of this place, thus rendering entirely useless over 100 miles of Rail Road. We met with no opposition except from squads of / cavalry which hovered round us. We several times came up to breast works they had thrown up, but they had always found it convenient to leave before we arrived

 

We brought up in front of this place on the 10^th inst and have been lying loose around here since. We would have taken (or tried to take) the place by assault the next day after we arrived here but they have water let in in their rice fields between us and their works so that we cannot get at them. An order has just come in to send off letters at once and as I suppose you will be anxious to hear from me I will close in order to send it this mail

 

Communication is now open

 

I have been well during the trip

 

We had fine weather, but some very hard marching. There is said to be about 12,000 Rebs in Savannah. We expect to gobble them in a few days

 

Write soon & often dont stop because you expect me home for if I dont get there soon I will be glad to get them / and if I do get home, it will do no harm

 

Your Brother

DWPouk

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