THE CAPTURE OF WILMINGTON. Confederates lost 500 killed and wounded besides the prisoners.* Terry then posted his troops on an intrenched line across the peninsula about two miles above the fort. An advance on Wilmington was not considered prudent, as Hoke had ensconced himself with his own and what was left of Whiting's troops at Fort Anderson on the west bank of the Cape Fear River about midway between Fort Fisher and Wilmington, and on the opposite bank had thrown up a line of intrenchments across the peninsula in Terry's front, behind which lay about 4,500 men. Fort Anderson mounted 10 heavy guns commanding the approaches by land. and water and was held by General Hagood's brigade of 2,000 men. January 14 Schofield received orders from Grant to move the 23d corps from Tennessee to the coast of North Carolina, his first task being the capture of Wilmington, which was to serve as a base for Sherman if nothing should interrupt his march to Goldsboro. On February 16 the divisions of Cox and Ames were sent across by steamboats to Sinithville on the right bank of the river where they were joined by Colonel O. H. Moore's On Official Records, vol. xlii.; Naval War Records, vol. xi.; Battles and Leaders, vol. iv., pp. 642662; Nicolay and Hay, Life of Lincoln, vol. x., pp. 52-68; Maclay, History of the Navy, vol. ii., pp. 547-552; Ammen, The Atlantic Coast; Adelbert Ames, The Capture of Fort Fisher, Jan. 15, 1865 (1912); William Lamb, The Defence of Fort Fisher (1902); Cox, The March to the Sea, pp. 137-145; Confederate Military History, vol. iv., pp. 273-277. VOL. IX-7 93 brigade of Couch's division and a battery. On the 17th Cox, with four brigades and the battery, advanced along the main Wilmington road driving off the Confederate pickets and bivouacing near Fort Anderson with his right resting on the river. The next day the advance was resumed and the enemy driven within the works. The brigades of Moore and Henderson were intrenched on the south side of the road, while Cox with his other two brigades followed later by Ames' division, and started around Orton Pond covering the Confederate right in order to gain the Wilmington road in rear of the fort. The guns of Fort Anderson opened fire on the two brigades confronting the fort and the gunboats opened heavily on the fort, the monitor Montauk lying close to it, and the others enfilading its parapet. During the night, warned by his cavalry of Cox's movement around his right, General Hagood hastily abandoned Fort Anderson, taking with him six light guns and falling back beyond Town Creek, eight miles above the fort. Hoke also retreated from his lines opposite Fort Anderson to within four miles of Wilmington. By these movements Schofield gained possession of the main defences of Cape Fear River and of Wilmington, together with several pieces of heavy ordnance and a large amount of ammunition. On the 19th Cox pursued Hagood to Town Creek where he found him in a strong position well covered by 94 THE CAPTURE OF WILMINGTON. swamps. Terry deployed on the east side of the river and soon found Hoke in force. Ames' division recrossed to the east bank during the night and joined Terry, who again advanced on the morning of the 10th and by some sharp skirmishing came upon Hoke well intrenched with artillery in position. On the same day Cox crossed Town Creek below Hagood's position, attacked his flank and rear, and routed his brigade, capturing 375 prisoners, 2 guns and 3 battle flags. During the night Cox crossed his artillery over Town Creek and the next morning pushed on toward Wilmington without opposition. Terry was unable to make any farther advance, but so occupied Hoke's attention that he could not send any part of his force to replace the losses in Hagood's brigade. On the 21st Cox secured a part of the Confederate pontoon bridge which Hoke had endeavored to destroy, crossed Brunswick River, put the 16th Kentucky regiment on Eagle Island, abreast of Wilmington, and threatened to cross Cape Fear River above the town. Thereupon Hoke set steamers, boats, cotton and naval stores afire and retreated in the direction of Goldsboro. Early on the morning of February 22 Terry entered Wilmington without opposition and pursued Hoke across Northeast River. Schofield reports that he took 51 heavy guns, 15 light ones and a large amount of ammunition. The Union loss from February 11 to 22 was about 200 killed and wounded. The Confederate loss is not definitely known, though it was estimated by Schofield to be about 1,000 in killed, wounded and prisoners.* As we have seen, Sherman's march to the sea had culminated on December 21, 1864, in the capture of Savannah. On December 27, after the surrender of Savannah, Grant instructed Sherman to start on the march northward without delay, break up the railroads in North and South Carolina and join the armies operating against Richmond as soon as he could. Gen eral Grover's division of the 19th corps was detached from the army of the Shenandoah and ordered to Savannah as a garrison, and General Foster, commanding the Department of the South, was instructed to follow Sherman's inland movements and hold Charleston and other points on the coast as the Union forces were withdrawn. Ammunition, rations and clothing were accumulated and on January 14, 1865, the 17th corps under General Blair took transports at Savannah for Hilton Head, South Carolina, and moved to Beaufort, thence to Pocotaligo on the Charleston and Savannah Railroad, thus threatening Charleston. Later the 17th corps was joined by the 15th corps with the exception of Corse's division. The left wing consisting of *Official Records, vol. xlvii.; Cox, Military Reminiscences of the Civil War, vol. ii., and March to the Sea - Franklin and Nashville, p. 147 et seq.; Mrs. C. P. Spencer, The Last Ninety Days of the War in North Carolina. SHERMAN'S MARCH FROM SAVANNAH. the 14th and 20th corps under General Slocum with Corse's division and Kilpatrick's cavalry moved up the Savannah River 40 miles to Sister's Ferry, thus threatening Augusta. On February 1, when the general movement began, the army consisted of the right wing under General O. O. Howard, comprising the 15th corps under John A. Logan and the 17th corps under F. P. Blair, and the left wing comprising the 14th corps under J. C. Davis and the 20th corps under A. S. Williams. The cavalry division under Kilpatrick moved with the left wing as also, at first, Corse's division of Logan's corps. When the movement began the army consisted of 53,923 infantry, 4,438 cavalry and 1,718 artillery, in all 60,079 men with 68 guns, about 600 ambulances, 2,500 wagons and provisions for 20 days. The Confederates under General Hardee, whose headquarters were at Charleston and who had about 16,000 men, occupied the line of the Salkehatchie River while Wheeler's cavalry operated on the heads and flanks of the advancing column. On February 1 Howard's right wing marched from Pocotaligo for the Beaufort and Rivers' bridges of the Salkehatchie for the purpose of pushing on to the Edisto River, thus flanking Charleston. On February 3 there was a sharp engagement at Rivers' bridge, in which Mower's and Giles' divisions of Blair's 17th corps crossed the swamp nearly three miles wide 95 with the water nearly up to the waist and carried the bridge with a loss of 88 killed and wounded, the Confederate loss being 52 killed and wounded. Being driven from the line of the Salkehatchie, the Confederates retreated to Branchville beyond the Edisto, burning the railroad bridge and Walker's bridge across the Edisto behind them. The left wing under Slocum marched through Barnwell and on February 10 both wings were in the vicinity of Branchville on the Charleston and Augusta Railroad. On the left Kilpatrick went as far as Aiken and threatened Augusta. For some days the army was occupied in destroying the railroads leading from Branchville after which the march toward Columbia was begun, each corps taking a separate road. The march was marked by a line of buildings and cotton bales afire. The soldiers tore up the railroads, twisted the rails and destroyed all the rollingstock. The Confederates themselves set fire to large quantities of cotton sent to prevent its falling into the hands of the Union army. Wheeler proposed that if the Union army discontinued the burning of Southern homes the Confederates would discontinue the burning of cotton. In reply, on February 8, Sherman said: "I hope you will burn all the cotton and save us the trouble. We don't want it and it has proven a curse to our country. All you don't burn I will. As to private houses occupied by peaceful families, my orders are not to molest or disturb them and I think my orders are obeyed. Vacant houses being of no use to anybody, I care 96 SHERMAN'S DESTRUCTIVENESS. Undoubtedly there was much unnecessary vindictiveness on the part of the Northern commanders. Writing to Sherman on December 18, 1864, Halleck said: "Should you capture Charleston I hope that by some accident the place may be destroyed, and if a little salt should be sown upon its site it may prevent the growth of future crops of nullification and secession." In reply on December 24, 1864, Sherman said: "The whole army is burning with an insatiable desire to wreak vengeance upon South Carolina. I almost tremble at her fate but feel that she deserves all that is in store for her." Possibly Sherman's destructiveness may have been justified by military necessity but his army and the stragglers with it were not under sufficient control. Though many of the general officers endeavored to restrain the depredations of the soldiers and though some punishments were inflicted, there was a gross amount of unnecessary pillaging and destruction, Kilpatrick's cavalry probably being the worst offenders. Howard's corps pushed forward by the Orangeburg road and on the 16th his head of column approached Columbia which was occupied by General C. L. Stevenson's division of infantry *Official Records, vol. xlvii., pt. ii., p. 342. Ibid, vol. xliv., p. 741. Ibid, p. 799. and the cavalry divisions of Butler and Wheeler, in all about 5,000 men. Stevenson fell back to Winnsboro, leaving Wade Hampton, commanding the cavalry, to follow. On the 17th Howard's 15th corps marched through the city and encamped beyond it on the Camden road. Meanwhile, on the 15th, the city had been placed under martial law but this did not prevent much lawlessness and a number of highway robberies. The inhabitants began to prepare for flight on the approach of the Union army and the movement toward the country favored the operations of a band of greedy and reckless plunderers. Early on the morning of the 17th the South Carolina Railroad depot took fire as a result of the work of these desperadoes and a scene of the wildest terror ensued.* A large pile of cotton bales had been removed from the ware houses to one of the principal streets for transportation to the open fields where they might be burned with safety. As transportation facilities were lacking, however, Wade Hampton urged Beauregard to issue an order that this cotton should not be burned lest the fire spread to the wooden shops and houses near by. Though such an order was given the cotton bales were ripped open and the cotton was set afire before the Federal troops entered the city. Between *William Gilmore Simms, The Sack and Destruction of Columbia, pp. 10–12; Official Records, vol. liii., p. 1050. † Official Records, vol. liii., p. 1050. |