Cross-roads, Cowpens and Jack's Branch, near Springfield. From Eden the march was eastward toward Montieth Post-office, on the Charleston Railway. The Montieth Swamp, one of formidable extent, was to be crossed, and obstructions were anticipated, and found in the form of felled trees, two limited earthworks, one gun

and a small infantry force, which soon gave way. The corps reached Montieth Station on the 10th, destroyed several miles of the railway, and marched to a point near the five-mile post on the Augusta and Savannah Railroad. A rebel dispatch-boat with Hardee's dispatches was overhauled. The boat was the Water Witch, formerly of our navy. Here our corps halted, finding a strong rebel line before

them.

Carlin's division of the 14th Corps marched to Sebastopol, and on the 2d of December joined the corps, and the column encamped at the crossing of the Birdsville and Waynesboro roads. Morgan's division, in charge of the corps train, encamped two miles from Louisville. General Sherman indicated Jacksonboro as the next center for the 14th Corps. On the 3d General Davis crossed the creek with pontoon bridges, and ordered Baird and Kilpatrick to move from Reynold's toward Waynesboro, as though destined to Augusta. They halted near Thomas' Station in presence of a pretty strong rebel force. Carlin and Morgan made Lumpkin's Station at the crossing of the Jacksonboro road and the Augusta and Savannah railroad. On the 4th they moved with their corps trains, leaving a long stretch of wrecked railway (for in the hands of those Illinois operators Southern railway stocks declined) and made thirteen miles. Baird and Kilpatrick skirmished sharply with Wheeler's cavalry, driving it over Brier Creek, and Baird tore up several miles of track. On the 5th the corps converged near Jacksonville; on the next day it crossed the Beaver-dam and marched twenty miles to Hudson's Ferry on the Savannah River.

Onward through dense timber, pontooning streams, building cor duroy, yet ever indomitable, the march continued, Atkins covering the rear, and on the 9th Morgan found the rebel force in a strong field work to contest, the path. He placed his guns, opened fire, deployed his infantry, but night compelled inaction, and when morning came the enemy was gone. On the 10th Carlin and Morgan

reached the Ten-mile House and camped, giving the road to the 20th Corps. Baird was covering the rear, tearing track and aiming at the destruction of the costly bridge over the Savannah.

The cavalry had met some experiences not yet recorded. After various skirmishes with Wheeler, the force of Kilpatrick was busily engaged on the 3d in the usual railway operation. Wheeler burst upon one of Atkins' regiments, expecting to crush it, but was repulsed. Sherman had ordered a reconnoissance toward Waynesboro, and that wherever Wheeler was found he should be fought, and Kilpatrick ordered all impedimenta out of his way, and early on the 4th moved out in the clear crisp air, with Atkins in advance. The enemy was found and his skirmish line driven in. Atkins advanced and assailed his works, but found the cavalry dismounted, and posted behind strong barricades, the flanks secured, and his first effort failed. The gallant 92d Illinois dismounted; the 10th Ohio and 9th Michigan cavalry were also dismounted, and in columns of four, by battalions sent on the right, and the 9th Ohio in the same order on the left. Then Captain Beebe brought up his 10th Wisconsin battery within six hundred yards and opened a terrific fire, silencing the rebel artillery. The charge was sounded and forward went the line, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, going like an avalanche ! No pause, no stay, the barricades were reached and carried, and the rebel force broken into fragments. Desperately they rallied, and more than once attempted counter charges, and at one time with some show of success, but were again broken, and fell back to Waynesboro. There Wheeler was found even more strongly protected, and his flanks secure. Kilpatrick ordered his center to be broken, and Murray hurled his men upon it, broke it, scattered the foe, Wheeler's famous cavalry was completely routed, and the town was

ours.

After some unimportant skirmishing the division united ten miles south of Springfield, and moved to the rear of the 17th Corps.

Thus from Atlanta onward through bog and morass, over all obstacles had thundered our legions, now the enemy flying to the defence of Macon, now of Augusta, again trembling for Charleston, confident that Yankee pride would strike for the nest where treason broke its shell, but now the two wings, having marched more than

three hundred miles in twenty-four days-feeding from rebel granaries and smoke. houses-to the defences of Savannah, within whicb was the army of Hardee, stretched out across the peninsula between the two rivers, and Savannah was doomed!

Sherman, the crazy man of Kentucky was, already, well nigh the most famous man in the world, but his work was not done-strategy and heroism were yet to do more.

The investment of Savannah was made as complete as possible. On the 11th the left wing took position on the right and in front of the city; the left of the 20th Corps rested on the Savannah, its right on the Ogeechee. The 17th Corps was on the right center, and the 15th in reserve, ready to open communication with the fleet.

Slocum had struck the Savannah and Charleston railway, and severed communication between those two cities, and had erected breastworks and placed artillery; Baird's division protected the rear of the left wing from Wheeler's cavalry raids, and planted batteries on the river to check rebel gunboats. The Union line stretched ten miles from the Savannah, where Slocum's left lay within three miles of the city, to the Gulf railway, where Howard's right was posted, ten miles from Savannah. General Sherman was using every effort to open communication with the fleet in Tybee, Wassaw and Ossabaw Sounds, for its appearance at this time was part of the preconcerted scheme. Kilpatrick moved with alacrity through Sudbury to Kilkenny, and found the United States ship Fernandina, Captain West, in sight down the bay.

The enemy's defences were formidable, following substantially a swampy creek which empties into the Savannah about three miles from the city, and thence to another which debouches into the Little Ogeechee. Only by five narrow causeways could the city be entered, and these were commanded by heavy artillery, while the banks of the canal and dykes were broken and the ground flooded. Hence Sherman decided on a complete investment, and establishing communication with the fleet before any assault should be made.

On the 13th, however, Hazen, of the 15th Corps, was ordered to assault and carry Fort McCallister. King's Bridge, over the Ogeechee, was burned, but was reconstructed in brief space, although a thousand feet in length, and Hazen took over his division, with a

detachment from the 17th Corps, and marched thirteen miles reaching the environs of the Fort at 1 P. M. He deployed his force about the place, both flanks resting upon the river, and posted his skirmishers judiciously behind the trunks of trees whose branches had been used for abattis, and about 5 P. M. made his assault. General Sherman says, "I witnessed the assault from a rice mill on the opposite side of the river, and can bear testimony to the handsome manner in which it was accomplished."

Captain Conyengham, in his "March through the South," thus narrates the assault:

"Hazen brought no artillery, as the ground was too swampy to move it, and he had decided on taking the fort by a bold dash, and at the point of the bayonet.

"As soon as the line commenced moving over the open space the fort opened all its guns upon them. Hazen moving in a single line did not suffer much.

"Their loss was mostly from torpedos, which now and then blew up, hurling piles of dirt on the column, and knocking some poor fellows over. The column was all this time rapidly closing up; not a man wavered; each resolved that the fort should be taken. As we got near enough we poured a steady fire in through the embrasures, knocking off a good many of the gunners. We afterward found their bodies lying beside their pieces. The first obstruction we met was a thick abattis, which our troops tore up and crawled through. The column had now closed in around the fort; the the guns were silenced, as nothing could live near them, so deadly was our fire. Only a deep ditch, studded with spikes, now separated us from the enemy. Into this the men jumped, tearing away the palisade, climbed up the crest, and mingled in a fierce hand-to-hand conflict with the foe. Shouts, groans and curses, the whir of the bullet, and the clash of steel rang from the enclosure.

"The contest was of short duration, for our troops burst in on all sides, overpowering the enemy, who fought desperately, some of them being bayoneted at their pieces. The officers did all in their power to rally them; several of them preferring death to dishonor.

"The contest was over; the palmetto had trailed in the dust; the stars and stripes had floated in its place. The fort was ours-thus opening the navigation of the river--with its splendid guns, and large supply of arms, and a full cellar of rich old wines. This was one of the noblest exploits of the campaign, and proves how much quick, determined action can accomplish. Had Hazen sat down before this, to take it by regular siege, it would keep us days at work, and cost us more lives. As it was our loss in killed and wounded scarcely amounted to one hundred.

During the assault Generals Sherman and Howard and staffs occupied a Doctor Cheve's rice mill, opposite the fort, on the Ogeechee. Sherman was on the roof of the mill. He had signal officers Berkely and Cole there to communicate with Hazen. While anxiously looking out for Hazen's signals, Sherman's eagle eye descried smoke in the distance, seaward. As yet he had received no intelligence from the fleet, though Captain Duncan, chief of Howard's scouts had started on the hazardous enterprise of opening communication with them as early as the 9th.

"Sherman looked; his bronzed features lighted up as he exclaimed-'Look, Howard; there is the gunboat!'

"Soon after the guns of the fort opened one fierce fire, while puffs of smoke curled along Hazen's line, showing that they were replying. Hazen signaled— "I have invested the fort, and will assault immediately.'

"Berkely announces a signal from the gunboat. All anxiously look out for it. The signals inform us that Foster and Dahlgren are within speaking distance, and ask

"Can we run up? Is Fort McAllister ours? '

"No, Hazen is just ready to storm it. Can you assist? '

"Yes; what shall we do?'

"Another moment, the thunder from the fort grew fiercer, the metallic rattle of small arms increase, and are borne clearly across the three miles of intervening marsh. Sherman looks toward the fort intensely with his glass, and exclaims,

"How grandly they advance! Not a waver!' 'Again-'Look, Howard, Look! Magnificent! advances ! Not a man falters! Grand, grand!' Howard;

See that flag how steadily it Again he looks, and turns to

'They are closing in; there is faltering there; no flinching. Stop; it has halted-they are wavering-No, heavens! it's over the parapet! There, they go right over it! See, see, there is a flag, and another, and another on the worksHurrah, it's ours! The fort's taken!'"

The excitement of the great Captain was natural. He was about to take the key to Savannah; the fleet with its heavy guns and stores was at hand, and, beside, Hazen was leading his own old division, and he felt his old pride and soldierly affection all aglow. Turning to an aid he ordered a boat that he might go to the captured fort, from which a half dozen flags were already flying.

Illinois was fully represented in this brilliant assault. On the right of the attacking line was the 116th, under Lieutenant-Colonel Maddox, on the left, Colonel Martin commanded the 111th, in the center the old 48th was led by Major Adams, and the 90th by Colonel Stuart. Logan was not at the head of his old division, but it won that day laurels as unwithering as any with which his daring or genius had ever crowned it.

Sherman went down to the fort, and gave cordial greeting to Hazen and his men, and entering another boat was rowed down the Ogeechee until he met the tug Dandelion, Captain Williamson, and learned that his scout, Captain Duncan, had reached Dahlgren and General Foster, and that they were expected every hour in Ossabaw Sound He returned to the fort and wrote the Secretary of War: