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On November 15th the Federal right wing and cavalry started toward Jonesboro and McDonough to make a feint at Macon, but crossed the Ocmulgee river near Jackson, and reached Gordon in seven days. Slocum with one corps moved out eastward via Decatur, with orders to burn the Oconee bridge, east of Madison, after which to turn south and reach Milledgeville in seven days. Sherman himself left Atlanta on the 16th with Jeff C. Davis' corps, and moved via Lithonia and Covington, directly on Milledgeville. His object was to interpose his army between Macon and Augusta, and thus divide the Confederate forces.
Gen. G. W. Smith, in command of the First division, Georgia reserves, had at Lovejoy's Station a force numbering about 2,800 effective infantry, 200 or 300 cavalry, and three batteries. Brigadier-General Iverson with two brigades of cavalry covered his front. On the 12th, Major-General Wheeler arrived in person and his cavalry division soon followed from Alabama. After the cavalry had skirmished with Howard's advance, Smith fell back to Griffin, and there learning of the Federal movements eastward, moved rapidly to Macon. Wheeler notified Generals Bragg and Hardee, General Beauregard at Tuscumbia, Gen. Howell Cobb, General Taylor at Selma, General Hood and others, of the enemy's movements and evident intentions, and General Cobb also advised those high in command of the danger that was threatening. General Cobb, at Macon, had but a small force, and reinforcements were urgently called for. But there were few that could be spared. Beauregard could only send Gen. Richard Taylor to take command, and himself follow, but he had no forces to take with him. The war department extended Hardee's command to the Chattahoochee, but he could only spare the Fifth Georgia without stripping the coast. President Davis instructed General Cobb to get out every man who could render service, and promised that Colonel Rains, at Augusta, would furnish torpedoes to plant in the roads. Stirring appeals were made to the people of Georgia by Senator Hill and the Georgia congressmen to fly to arms, remove all subsistence from the course of Sherman's army, and destroy what could not be carried away; burn all bridges, block up roads, and assail the invader night and day.
Meanwhile Sherman marched on, creating a charred avenue over 40 miles wide through the unprotected State, destroying the railroads, seizing all provisions, pillaging, plundering and burning. There was no force available to obstruct his onward course. He had simply to accomplish the military feat of "marching through Georgia." The forces of Generals Wheeler, Smith and Cobb being concentrated at Macon on the 19th, General Hardee took command, and sent Wheeler up to Clinton to reconnoiter. Six of his men dashed into Clinton and captured the servant of General Osterhaus, corps commander, with. in twenty feet of headquarters. Charging and counter-charging followed, ending in the repulse of a Federal cavalry command by Wheeler's escort. On the 20th there was active skirmishing by Wheeler. Kilpatrick advanced as far as the redoubts about Macon, held by the infantry and dismounted cavalry, and the head of his 'column entered the works but were repulsed. On the 22d, Howard having approached Gordon, sent Wood;s division and Kilpatrick's cavalry toward Macon for another demonstration. This force was met by Wheeler's men, who charged early in the morning and captured one of the Federal picket posts, causing the loss of about 60 to the enemy. A considerable cavalry fight followed, and in the afternoon Walcutt's Federal brigade behind barricades was attacked by the Confederate infantry and a battery. with great vigor. Walcutt was wounded, but managed to hold his ground with the assistance of cavalry.
On another part of the line of invasion the Federal Twentieth corps, opposed only by desultory skirmishing of small Confederate bands, had made a path of destruction through Madison and Eatonton. Geary's division destroyed the fine railroad bridge over the Oconee, and the mill and ferryboats near Buckhead. On the 19th he also destroyed about 500 bales of cotton and 50,000 bushels of corn, mostly on the plantation of Col. Lee Jordan. This corps entered Milledgeville on the 20th, and Davis' corps, accompanied by Sherman, arrived next day.
The State legislature hastily adjourned, and under the direction of Gen. Ira R. Foster, quartermaster-general of the State, great efforts were made to remove the State property and archives, but on account of the scarcity of wagons and the demoralized condition of the people, adequate help could not be obtained. As the penitentiary had been used for the manufacture of arms, and was expected to be destroyed, Governor Brown released all the convicts and organized them into a regularly mus-tered-in and uniformed battalion under Captain Roberts, which subsequently did good service in removing property and in battle.
Upon the arrival of the Federals, two regiments under Colonel Hawley, of Wisconsin, occupied the capital city, and according to his own report, burned the railroad depot, two arsenals, a powder magazine and other public buildings and shops, and destroyed large quantities of arms, ammunition and salt. A general pillage followed these acts of war. Then the two Federal corps pushed on by way of Hebron, Sandersville, Tennille and Louisville, and Howard's wing crossed the Oconee at Bali's ferry and advanced in two columns by the 1st of December to the neighborhood of Sebastopol.
Howard at this date reported that he had destroyed the Ocmulgee cotton mills, and had supplied his army from the country, which he found full of provisions and forage. "I regret to say that quite a number of private dwellings which the inhabitants have left have been destroyed by fire, but without official sanction; also many instances of the most inexcusable and wanton acts, such as the breaking open of trunks, taking of silver plate, etc. I have taken measures to prevent it, and I believe they will be effectual. The inhabitants are generally terrified and believe us a thousand times worse than we are." The wanton destruction went on, however, with rarely such efforts to restrain the soldiery from depredations.
Source: "The Confederate Military History," Volume 6, Chapter XVII
Gen. G. W. Smith, in command of the First division, Georgia reserves, had at Lovejoy's Station a force numbering about 2,800 effective infantry, 200 or 300 cavalry, and three batteries. Brigadier-General Iverson with two brigades of cavalry covered his front. On the 12th, Major-General Wheeler arrived in person and his cavalry division soon followed from Alabama. After the cavalry had skirmished with Howard's advance, Smith fell back to Griffin, and there learning of the Federal movements eastward, moved rapidly to Macon. Wheeler notified Generals Bragg and Hardee, General Beauregard at Tuscumbia, Gen. Howell Cobb, General Taylor at Selma, General Hood and others, of the enemy's movements and evident intentions, and General Cobb also advised those high in command of the danger that was threatening. General Cobb, at Macon, had but a small force, and reinforcements were urgently called for. But there were few that could be spared. Beauregard could only send Gen. Richard Taylor to take command, and himself follow, but he had no forces to take with him. The war department extended Hardee's command to the Chattahoochee, but he could only spare the Fifth Georgia without stripping the coast. President Davis instructed General Cobb to get out every man who could render service, and promised that Colonel Rains, at Augusta, would furnish torpedoes to plant in the roads. Stirring appeals were made to the people of Georgia by Senator Hill and the Georgia congressmen to fly to arms, remove all subsistence from the course of Sherman's army, and destroy what could not be carried away; burn all bridges, block up roads, and assail the invader night and day.
Meanwhile Sherman marched on, creating a charred avenue over 40 miles wide through the unprotected State, destroying the railroads, seizing all provisions, pillaging, plundering and burning. There was no force available to obstruct his onward course. He had simply to accomplish the military feat of "marching through Georgia." The forces of Generals Wheeler, Smith and Cobb being concentrated at Macon on the 19th, General Hardee took command, and sent Wheeler up to Clinton to reconnoiter. Six of his men dashed into Clinton and captured the servant of General Osterhaus, corps commander, with. in twenty feet of headquarters. Charging and counter-charging followed, ending in the repulse of a Federal cavalry command by Wheeler's escort. On the 20th there was active skirmishing by Wheeler. Kilpatrick advanced as far as the redoubts about Macon, held by the infantry and dismounted cavalry, and the head of his 'column entered the works but were repulsed. On the 22d, Howard having approached Gordon, sent Wood;s division and Kilpatrick's cavalry toward Macon for another demonstration. This force was met by Wheeler's men, who charged early in the morning and captured one of the Federal picket posts, causing the loss of about 60 to the enemy. A considerable cavalry fight followed, and in the afternoon Walcutt's Federal brigade behind barricades was attacked by the Confederate infantry and a battery. with great vigor. Walcutt was wounded, but managed to hold his ground with the assistance of cavalry.
On another part of the line of invasion the Federal Twentieth corps, opposed only by desultory skirmishing of small Confederate bands, had made a path of destruction through Madison and Eatonton. Geary's division destroyed the fine railroad bridge over the Oconee, and the mill and ferryboats near Buckhead. On the 19th he also destroyed about 500 bales of cotton and 50,000 bushels of corn, mostly on the plantation of Col. Lee Jordan. This corps entered Milledgeville on the 20th, and Davis' corps, accompanied by Sherman, arrived next day.
The State legislature hastily adjourned, and under the direction of Gen. Ira R. Foster, quartermaster-general of the State, great efforts were made to remove the State property and archives, but on account of the scarcity of wagons and the demoralized condition of the people, adequate help could not be obtained. As the penitentiary had been used for the manufacture of arms, and was expected to be destroyed, Governor Brown released all the convicts and organized them into a regularly mus-tered-in and uniformed battalion under Captain Roberts, which subsequently did good service in removing property and in battle.
Upon the arrival of the Federals, two regiments under Colonel Hawley, of Wisconsin, occupied the capital city, and according to his own report, burned the railroad depot, two arsenals, a powder magazine and other public buildings and shops, and destroyed large quantities of arms, ammunition and salt. A general pillage followed these acts of war. Then the two Federal corps pushed on by way of Hebron, Sandersville, Tennille and Louisville, and Howard's wing crossed the Oconee at Bali's ferry and advanced in two columns by the 1st of December to the neighborhood of Sebastopol.
Howard at this date reported that he had destroyed the Ocmulgee cotton mills, and had supplied his army from the country, which he found full of provisions and forage. "I regret to say that quite a number of private dwellings which the inhabitants have left have been destroyed by fire, but without official sanction; also many instances of the most inexcusable and wanton acts, such as the breaking open of trunks, taking of silver plate, etc. I have taken measures to prevent it, and I believe they will be effectual. The inhabitants are generally terrified and believe us a thousand times worse than we are." The wanton destruction went on, however, with rarely such efforts to restrain the soldiery from depredations.
Source: "The Confederate Military History," Volume 6, Chapter XVII
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