Category: War Was Here

150 Years Ago Today: Dec. 1st – Dec. 5th, 1864

Dec. 1st, 1864:
     The Right Wing, who Sherman is now traveling with, is making its way towards Millen and passes through the area of Herndon and Birdsville, west of Millen. 

Dec. 2nd, 1864:
     Sherman and the Right Wing move into Millen.  Sherman stays here for a day so that he can communicate with all parts of his army.  Soldiers give reports of the deplorable conditions found at the abandoned Camp Lawton just north of town.  Nearly the entire town is burned to the ground over the next day or so. 

Dec. 3rd, 1864: 
     The Left Wing passes through the area of Buckhead Church where on the 28th the Federal Cavalry under Kilpatrick clashed with Wheeler’s Confederate Cavalry.  The Left Wing then marches into Millen.  Parts of the Right wing have started moving out of Millen and are moving past Scarboro.

Dec. 4th, 1864:     The Battle of Waynesboro
     On the morning of the 4th, Kilpatrick’s Cavalry supported by two Brigades of Infantry marched on Waynesboro.  Their objective was to capture the town and burn all the bridges over Brier Creek.  As they approached the town they encountered General Wheeler’s skirmishers and drove them in toward the main line of works.  Being out numbered by the Federals who were advancing rapidly on their position and were about to over run them, the Confederates fell back to another line of prepared work in the streets of Waynesboro.  As Wheeler was again about to be overrun by a larger force, he ordered his Texans and Tennesseans to charge, thus delaying the Federals long enough for Wheeler to move his forces to block the Augusta road should Kilpatrick turn that way.  After quickly taking control of the town, the Federals burned the bridges over Brier Creek and set fire to the town.  The towns people were able to suppress many of the fires saving a great deal of the town. 

Dec. 5th, 1864:
     General Hardee is now well aware of the Sherman’s intent to move on Savannah and has placed his command between Sherman and Savannah.  The Right and Left Wings are both moving in a south easterly direction using the main roads into Savannah.  On the 5th, Sherman, traveling with the 17th Corps reaches the Ogeechee Church in what is now Oliver.  He took possession of a private home for his headquarters and remained here for several days to coordinate the movements of his command.  They were now within 50 miles of Savannah. 

150 Years Ago Today: Nov. 28th, 1864

Nov. 28th, 1864:
     The Left Wing of Sherman’s army moves from the Ogeechee River at Fenn’s Bridge to Louisville and Bartow.  The Right Wing Occupies Riddleville and Wrightsville.  Both of the wings are getting closer to each other and will eventually merge as they close on Savannah. 

150 Years Ago Today: Nov. 23 – Nov. 27, 1864

Nov. 23rd, 1864: 
     The Left Wing of Sherman’s army moves into and occupies the Georgia State Capitol of Milledgeville.  At one point, soldiers occupy the state house building and hold a mock session of the legislature.  They have speeches and vote to repeal secession.  General Sherman takes the Governor’s Mansion as his headquarters.  The Governor had taken all the furnishings with him to Macon leaving the mansion empty.  Sherman slept in his bedroll on the floor. 
     The Right Wing reaches the Oconee River north east of Macon.  After passing through McIntyre and Toombsboro they are delayed at Ball’s Ferry by stiff Confederate resistance. 

Nov. 24th, 1864:
     General Kilpatrick takes his cavalry column and leaves the Right Wing and feints toward Augusta with elements of the Left Wing.  General Hardee arrives at Ball’s Ferry to assess the situation.  He decides that their lines must be abandoned and they withdraw during the night. 
     They Left Wing begins to leave Milledgeville and moves through Hebron.

Nov. 25th, 1864:
     The Left Wing begins to move towards Sandersville and begin to meet active Confederate resistance and begin to skirmish almost constantly as they advance.

Nov. 26th, 1864:
     The Right Wing occupies Oconee and have taken the abandoned lines of the Confederates at Ball’s Ferry.  The Left Wing enters Sandersville where they clash with cavalry as the enter town and fight a running skirmish through the town square.  Elements of the Left Wing move out from Sandersville and move toward Tennille and Davisboro. 

Nov. 27th, 1864:
     The Left Wing has reached the Ogeechee River and begins to cross at Fenn’s Bridge.  A series of sharp cavalry battles ensue in the area of Waynesboro when Sherman feints toward Augusta.  The Left Wing also provides support for Kilpatrick as he operates and clashes with Wheeler between Millen and Waynesboro. 
     

150 Years Ago Today: November 21, 1864

November 21, 1864:
    Parts of the Right Wing of Sherman’s army pass through Gordon and move on east to Irwinton.  Their column stretches out for miles as they choke the roads.  The Left Wing continues to move closer to Milledgeville.  Sherman remarks in his memoirs that they on made 8 miles on this day in a hard, cold, windy day.  That night an uncommon early season snow storm blanketed the army with snow.  The southern civilians accuse the yankees of bringing the cold weather with them.
    General Hardee, in command of the Confederate forces in Georgia, is in Macon where he has been preparing to defend the city.  His scouts have reported that the Federal columns have turned away from Macon and have started on a move eastward.  Hardee now realizes that the Federal objective is most likely Augusta or Savannah.  General Hardee begins to shift his troops as well as Wheelers cavalry to the east in an effort to slow down the Federal Advance. 

150 Years Ago Today: November 19th, 1864

November 19th, 1864:
     The 20th Corps, part of the Left Wing, made their way through Social Circle and Rutledge to Madison along the way they destroyed the Railroad and any thing that could be used to support the Confederate war effort.  From Madison, General Geary took a Division to Buckhead, near the Oconee River.  In Buckhead, Geary’s Division burn the Railroad Depot, 500 bales of cotton, 5000 bushels of corn.  They also burned the Ferry and boats on the river as well as the railroad bridge that was over 400 yards in length.  General Sherman, who was traveling with the 14th Corps of the Left Wing, moved through Shady Dale and Newborn, destroying both as they were working their way towards Milledgeville.  Sherman and the 14th Corps also crossed the Alcovy River during the day. The Right Wing continued to make progress on their move south toward Clinton.

150 Years Ago Today November 18th, 1864

November 18th, 1864:
     The Left Wing continues to move towards Milledgeville.  General Sherman is still traveling with the 14th Corps and they turn south from the area of Covington and move towards Milledgeville via Shady Dale.  The 20th Corps moved on Madison where they destroyed the railroad and Geary’s Division was sent to the Oconee River to destroy the bridges crossing.  After the completed their assignments, the 20th Corps was to move south through Eatonton to link up with the 14th Corps near Milledgeville.  The Right Wing crosses the Ocmulgee River and begin moving south east.  They are working their way toward Monticello and toward Clinton, which is just north east of Macon. 
     The Federals process of foraging was in full swing.  The “Bummers” as they were often called, would leave the camps in the morning ahead of the main column and move out to the flanks.  Along the flanks they would visit every home and plantation and take their food and livestock.  There are many accounts of the”Bummers” also taking personal items and random keepsakes.  There are even accounts of the soldiers stealing and wearing ladies dresses.  For the most part, if there was more food than the soldiers could carry or use, they would destroy it so it would be of no use to an Confederates that may come around. 

150 Years Ago Today: November 16th, 1864

November 16th, 1864:
     With the City of Atlanta a still smoldering ruin, General Sherman and his staff, along with the 14th Corps, moved east out of the city towards Decatur.  The right wing’s rear guard moved out towards Jonesboro to catchup with the rest of their wing.  General Sherman and his staff left their headquarters at the Lyon’s house around 7:00am.  The Lyon’s house was located where the current Atlanta City Hall now sits.  As they moved east the day was bright, clear and crisp.  The roads to the east were crowded with the soldiers and wagons of the 14th Corps.  Sherman and his staff made their way to Lithonia, near the Yellow River, where they camped for the night.  Along the way, Sherman’s Soldiers, destroyed the railroad by burning the cross ties and bending the rails around trees and telegraph poles. 
     The right wing of the army continues to make their way south.  They pass through Jonesboro where they had fought a serious engagement in September, and then passed through Love Joy’s Station and Stockbridge.  They Stop near McDonough for the night.

150 Years Ago Today: November 15th, 1864

November 15th, 1864:
     The March to the Sea began this morning.  The right wing and Kilpatirck’s cavalry move southeast along the railroad towards Jonesboro.  Slocum’s 20th Corps, part of the left wing, moved east toward Decatur and Stone Mountain.  Sherman, along with the remainder of the left wing and the rear guard of the right wing, stayed in Atlanta.  Sherman supervised the last details of loading the wagon trains and the final destruction of Atlanta.  In the late afternoon of the 15th the orders were given and the torch was put to Atlanta.  An enormous fire soon erupted and began to consume the city.  Artillery shells and other explosives had been placed in some structures and as the fire raged, they began to explode, sending debris and shell fragments through the air in all directions.  Some soldiers remarked that they could not sleep because the light from the fire was too bright.  Sherman remarked to a staffer that he thought the fire could possibly be seen as far away as Griffin, nearly 40 miles away. 

150 Years Ago Today: November 14th, 1864

November 14th, 1864
     General Sherman and his staff moved south from Marietta, towards Atlanta.  Along the way the roads were nearly impassable due to the numbers of soldiers marching south to the city.  The railroad had been completely destroyed.  They pulled up the rails and then made fires with the cross ties.  The rails were placed onto of the fires and the rails were heated red hot and then bent or twisted into an unusable shape.  Sherman and his staff crossed the Chattahoochee River on a wagon bridge near the railroad bridge that had been destroyed earlier in the day.  When General Sherman reached Atlanta, he established his headquarters at the Lyons House.
     By the end of the day, nearly all of Sherman’s army was in or on the outskirts of Atlanta.  They had been organized into two different wings.  The Left Wing and the Right Wing.  The Right Wing was commanded by Major General O.O. Howard and was composed of the 15th Corps, commanded by Major General P.J. Osterhaus, and the 17th Corps, commanded by Major General F. P. Blair.  The left wing was under the command of Major General H. W. Slocum and was composed of the 14th Corps, commanded by Major General Jefferson C. Davis (not to be confused with Confederate President Jefferson Davis) and the 20th Corps under the command of Brigadier General A. S. Williams.  Brigadier General Judson Kilpatrick was in command of a Cavalry Division that was to operate as a separate unit operating independently and in support of the two wings.
     Having sent all the sick and injured, as well as nearly all the non combatants. Sherman fielded and army that consisted of 55,329 infantry, 5,063 Cavalry, 1,812 Artillery.  A total of 62,204 soldiers.  They carried all they needed with them and were to forage off the surrounding country side.  This is such an impressive number of men and material to move in coordination with each other, on foot, horseback and by wagon.  Many accounts exist of how well fed everyone was during most of the march due to the region being fairly untouched by the war until now.  Some accounts report that by the end of the march in December, that their livestock was in better condition than when they started out from Atlanta. 

150 Years Ago Today: November 13th, 1864

November 13th, 1864
     Sherman and his staff continue on toward Atlanta.  They move south from Allatoona and pass through Acworth.  All but a few home in Acworth were destroyed.  Major Connolly described it as “a heap or ruins”.  Many officers were unable to or perhaps unwilling to stop the destructive and plundering nature of the soldiers under their command.  As Sherman and his staff approached Marietta, they passed through some of the earthworks that had been abandoned during the summer.  As they traveled they were able to see large, black columns of smoke coming form Marietta.  General Kilpatrick and his cavalry were in the town.  Guards had been posted to prevent Arson and looting, but were not able to do so.  Some officers were greatly disturbed by the unauthorized burning of the town.  While in Marietta, Sherman reviewed General Kilpatricks command.  He rode past and reviewed 5000 cavalry and at the end he took up a position to watch as they all road past cheering their General.  The business district of the town around the square had been burned and destroyed.