the other two cities, and he feels certain that Charleston is ours in any event. General Sherman also knew that, while he might capture Augusta, he could not be certain of reaching Columbia afterward, while with Columbia gained, Augusta was almost as easily won as in the commencement of the campaign." splendid horse, which he has somehow "raised;" | a brave man turned his indignant eyes toward more frequently he bestrides a broken-down nag; Sumter and the sea, yet our General knew that oftener still a mule. "Sometimes," ," writes this Holy of Holies to the Southern mind was Nichols, "we see the Bummer' approaching of infinitely more importance than either of the camp from a piece of woods with a wagon which he has overloaded with good things. The scene is frequently exhilarating. The Bummer,' coming in on horseback, holding the bridle in his teeth, clasps under one arm a basket of fresh eggs, and under the other a pailful of delicious honey, while a brace of fat sheep, hams, chickens, or geese lie across the saddle in front and rear, and the carcass of a hog, firmly tied to the mule's tail, is dragged along the road. The Bummer' himself is probably clothed in an irregular sack-coat of linen, with a ridiculous-chandise were cast pell-mell in every direction. ly unmilitary hat perched on one side of his head, and, as he approaches, his face beams with smiles of recognition, tempered by a halfsuppressed apprehension lest his bounteous supplies should not be accepted as a peace-offering for his delinquencies." Sherman and Howard, with their staffs, were the first to enter the city. On every side were evidences of disorder. Bales of cotton were scattered here and there; furniture and mer In the main street Sherman was met by some of our prisoners who had escaped in the confusion, and had been secreted by the negroes. The material belonging to the Confederate Treasury Department had been brought here, as to a place of perfect security. Much of this had been removed, but much remained behind. The arsenal was found stocked with arms and munitions, the work-shops full of machinery for the manufacture of arms, the storehouses crowded with supplies. The capitol when finished would have been the finest public building in the United States. This was ordered to be spared; but other public buildings and property were destroyed. In the evening the disastrous confla "Aside from the freedom from control which gives bad men opportunities to commit wanton deeds of violence, these wanderers from the ranks are often of great benefit to the army. Better flankers can not be found. Spreading out from the marching column, they are the first to scent danger, and the last to leave the field, unless actually forced back. They understand the art of squad-fighting to perfection. Parties of them, without officers, will join to-gration began which laid the city in ruins. The gether to resist an onset of rebel cavalry, or to make an attack upon the enemy, and they are almost always the victors in a skirmish." A Bummer, sharply reprimanded by an officer, made this reply: "See hyar, cap'n; we ain't so bad after all. We keep ahead of the skirmish line allers. We let's 'em know when an enemy's a-comin'; and then we ain't allers away from the regiment. We turns over all we don't want ourselves, and we can lick five times as many rebs as we are, any day." The Bummers are the nearest modern representatives of the motley crowd whom Walter the Penniless, in the first Crusade, led from Burgundy through Hungary and Bulgaria to the Holy Land. On the 17th of February, Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, was occupied, not without some fighting. Major Nichols, under that date writes: "It is with a feeling of proud exultation that I write the date of Columbia. We have conquered and occupy the capital of the haughty State that instigated and forced forward the treason which has brought on this desolating war. The city which was to have been the capital of the Confederacy if Lee and the rebel hosts had been driven from Richmond is now overrun by Northern soldiers. The beautiful capitol building bears the marks of Yankee shot and shell, and the old flag which the rebels insulted at Sumter now floats freely in the air from the house-tops of the central city of South Carolina. On our march hither we had the choice of Augusta or Columbia; and while many cause of this is still enveloped in doubt. Nichols believes that the main fire originated in sparks flying from the hundreds of bales of cotton which the Confederates had placed along the streets, and fired when they left. Other fires, he thinks, are to be ascribed to the desire for revenge from some two hundred of our prisoners who had escaped from the cars as they were being conveyed from this city to Charlotte, who sought this means of retaliation for their sufferings in the miserable prison - pen close by. But, he adds: "Whatever may have been the cause of the disaster, the direful result is deprecated by General Sherman most emphatically; for however heinous the crimes of this people against our common country, we do not war against women and children and helpless persons." In the morning the fires were all subdued, and the houseless people were provided with shelter in the residences deserted by their former refugee owners. "So far as it went, the fire made clean work; but there were fewer dwelling-houses destroyed than was at first supposed; as the devastation was confined chiefly to the business parts of the city." On the 21st the army was again fairly on its march toward Goldsborough. Among the significant features of the journey were the bands of refugees seeking to make their escape northward under protection of the army. For a while it was impossible to comply with their requests on account of the lack of transportation. But in time many of the wagons of the train were empty; vehicles and animals were captured from the enemy; and besides, many of the refu- | dren, comfortably seated upon such articles of gees were able to furnish their own transporta- household furniture as they are allowed to cartion. A refugee train was organized and placed under guard of escaped prisoners. Of this train Major Nichols writes: "The refugees are getting along famously. Ladies who have been always accustomed to the refinements of life seem to enjoy the journey as much as if it were a picnic. In truth, it is better than that; for, while they are not exposed to the dangers of war, they participate in its excitements. The column has a singularly outre appearance. First there will be a huge family coach containing ladies, with their personal baggage crowded about them; then an army wagon loaded with men, women, and chil ry. Following this, will be a country cart filled with negro women-for the negroes come along also-and hosts of the little curly, bullet-headed youngsters gaze curiously upon the strange sights which meet their eyes." The weather was for a while delightful; the roads dry; the wind from the east came laden with the perfumes of pine and cedar; and the army pressed on as happy and contented as men had a right to be who had plodded on so many dreary days through heavy mud and pitiless rain. On the 8th of March the boundary between South and North Carolina was crossed. On the previous evening Major Nichols wrote in his diary: COLUMBIA ON FIRE SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH. "To-night we went into camp in a magnificent grove of pines. The roots of the trees are buried in the spindles and burs which have fallen undisturbed for centuries. The wind sings, or rather murmurs-for that is the soundthrough the lofty tree-tops, while the air is filled with delicious fragrance. This evening the sun went down behind glowing bars of silver and purple, although now and then its bright rays would stream out, throwing long shadows across this great cathedral floor, transforming tree and bough into columns and arches of glittering gold. As I write the camp-fires dance and flare upward; away out in the dark forest strange, uncouth forms peer out from the shadows; while a distant band of music, mellowed Ah! this is not the blood, the by the distance, rounds in soothing cadences the restful tattoo. carnage, or the suffering of war; it is its delightful romance." Three days after he has occasion to paint a different picture: "About five o'clock in the afternoon there descended from the heavens a deluge of rain. Deluge' is the only expressive word to use; for so large a quantity of rain fell in so short a space of time that by nightfall the surface of the country was one entire sheet of water. was my fortune to be separated from my canvas home some fifteen miles, and, with a party of couriers, attempted to cross the country. The way led through pine forests, where roads, It if dependence can be placed in the State maps, existed several years ago. The rain fell in torrents, blinding riders and horses, and drenching every one to the skin. Waterproofs were not proof against this flood-water, which seemed to have a power and penetration peculiarly its own. The road soon became less marked; a mile farther it degenerated into a single path; and, finally, it disappeared from sight altogether Investigations to the right and left and before us gave no clew to the lost track. Halting under the tall pines we held a council of war. It was but an hour before nightfall, and, supposing we had come thus far in the right direction, there were yet ten miles between us and our destination. Consulting my pocket-compass we ascertained that the general direction was correct; yet we hesitated to push blindly through an enemy's country so far in advance of the army, and with so wide a space between the columns, but the darkening sky and sullen thunder warned us to push on in some direction. If there had been a plantation near, or any indication of human existence, we could speedily have settled the difficulty; but for miles around nothing was visible but the solemn woods and sandy plains. So again we applied the spur, and splashed through the wet grass, keeping to the south as before." Again: "March 11.-The sun shone out again this morning bright and cheerful, making glad the HEAD-QUARTIES OF GENERAL SHERMAN IN THE PINE WOODS. that we know all that is necessary for us to know of the rebel movements. Beyond that we bother ourselves but little." However, Johnston was not an enemy to be despised. If a fair chance had been given him we imagine that his name, instead of that of Lee, would have stood foremost on the list of Confederate commanders. But Davis had an old grudge against him, dating as far back as Bull Run. He set him to work only when somebody else's mistakes were to be remedied, and always got rid of him as soon as he could. The action at Averysboro, fought March 16, shows that it was well to be ready for Johnston. Subsequent skirmishes and the battle at Bentonville, won by Slocum on the 21st, confirmed this. This hearts of all of us, and of none more than the soldiers and teamsters who have been laboring night and day through these wretched swamps. What a noble army we have here! Every day produces fresh and striking illustrations of the men's cheerful acceptance of all the discouraging circumstances of the situation. For instance: a wagon, painfully toiling along the road, suddenly careens; the wheels are submerged in a quicksand; every effort of the mules or horses to 'pull out' only buries the unfortunate vehicle deeper in the mire, and very soon the animals have dug for themselves a pit, out of which many are never extricated alive. The driver sees at once that it is useless to whip and swear; so he dismounts. Then the train guard, who have been resting upon was really the only battle fought during the their muskets watching the proceedings, quiet- | Great March. ly stack their weapons and at once plunge into the mud. A dozen of them are at work with shoulders at the wheels and body of the wagon, and finally they lift it out of the hole upon firmer ground. One or two wagons 'stuck' in this way show at once that the road must be corduroyed. Then, with many a jest and an untiring flow of good-humor, the men wade into the neighboring swamp, cut down and split the trees, and soon bridge over these impassable places. A few rods farther on the head of column arrives at a creek, which in ordinary seasons is ten feet wide, and has a few inches of water running over a hard sandy bottom. Now the water is four or six feet in depth, and spreads out to a width of sixty feet, encroaching upon the softer earth. A bridge must be built. Into the water dash our men without hesitation, for they know the work must be done at once. Waist-deep, throat-deep, not a dry spot about them. 'No matter for that,' they say; we shall be in camp by-and-by, and then, before our roaring fires, we will rehearse the in-soul and in the highest interests of humanity. cidents of the day.' Thus these good, brave soldiers endure every hardship, shrink at no exposure of life or limb; not only without grumbling, but with a good-humor and merriment which no hardship dampens and no risk dis-shell, and the rattle and crash of musketry, but courages. Old officers of the army, who have served in Florida and Mexico, continually remark this peculiar feature of Sherman's army. It does not belong to any particular corps or regiment, but all the soldiers share it alike, and at all times." On the 22d the army entered Goldsborough. There it rested for three weeks. In the interim Sherman made a flying visit to Grant at City Point, where the plan for future operations was decided upon. Then followed, in the early days of April, Grant's great blows at Lee. April 13th-Sherman having again taken up his march three days before-came tidings of the surrender of Lee. Next day Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, was occupied. Then, on the 15th, came a letter from Johnston, asking whether there were not means for preventing further shedding of blood. On the 16th an interview between the two Generals was arranged to take place on the following day. Of this Major Nichols writes: "The day of this conference-Monday, April 17-will be memorable in the history of the war. The fratricidal struggle of four long and weary years virtually ended on the day when two great men came together in the heart of the State of North Carolina, intent, with true nobility of upon putting a stop to the needless sacrifice of life. This conference was not held after days of bloody battle, when the heavens had been rent with the roar of artillery, the scream of under better auspices than these. As General Sherman rode past his picket line upon that sunny spring morning the ear was not pained by the moans and cries of mangled men, but the fresh breeze came laden with the fragrance of the pines, of apple blossoms, of lilacs, roses, On the 13th Sherman was near Fayetteville, and violets. The eye rested upon a thousand seventy-five miles north of Wilmington, and in forms of beauty; for the rains and warm sun full communication with Terry and Schofield. had quickened into life countless buds and flowRumors were flying thick and fast. One reportering plants, until the hill-sides, and glens and said that Johnston, whom Davis had reluctant-bushes were brilliant in their robes of delicate ly placed in command, would certainly make a stand at Goldsborough, fifty miles away; another said that Lee was evacuating Richmond in order to throw his forces into North Carolina; another told that a large Confederate force -whence gathered was not stated-was closing in upon Sherman's rear. "These stories," says Nichols, "which float about among the citizens, give the army subjects for jest; the fact being green. |