which the Confederates in Atlanta received their supplies, he sent his cavalry to retaliate in kind, by striking Sherman's communications. This absence of Hood's cavalry gave Sherman a coveted opportunity to harm his antagonist seriously. He dispatched Kilpatrick at the middle of August with 5,000 horsemen, to break up the railways leading, one toward Montgomery, in Alabama, and the other to Macon, in Georgia. This raid was successful, and was followed by a movement of nearly the whole army from Atlanta to the railways in its rear, when Hood, fatally dividing his army, sent a part under Hardee, to fight Howard at Jonesboro', twenty miles south, on the Macon road, while he, with the remainder, staid at Atlanta. There was a desperate battle at Jonesboro' [August 31], in which the Nationals were victorious. Howard lost about 500 men, and Hardee 2,500. The Confederate works covering Jonesboro' were captured, and Hardee retreated.

On hearing of the disaster at Jonesboro', Hood blew up his magazines at Atlanta, and fled to a point of junction with Hardee. Sherman took possession of the city and fortifications, and found that Hood had not only left the place desolate by the destruction of factories, founderies, and other industrial establishments, but had left scarcely any food for the inhabitants. It was impossible for Sherman to subsist both them and his army, so he humanely ordered them to leave for the North or the South, as their inclinations might lead them.'

While Sherman was resting his army at Atlanta, Hood flanked his right, crossed the Chattahoochee, and made a raid upon his communications. With a strong force he threatened Sherman's supplies at Allatoona Pass, then lightly guarded, but General Corse hastening up from Rome assisted in saving them. Not doubting it to be Hood's intention to push up into Tennessee, Sherman sent Thomas to Nashville, so soon as he heard of Hood's flank movements; and leaving Slocum (who had succeeded Hooker) in command at Atlanta, he pushed the bulk of his army in the direction of Allatoona Pass, and from the top of Great Kenesaw, told Corse, by signal, that help was near, and to hold out until it should reach him. The Confederates were repulsed, and then Hood moved northward, threatening posts along the line of the railway, under instructions, to entice his adversary out of Georgia. Sherman closely followed him, well up toward Chattanooga, when the route of the chase deflected westward. In Northern Alabama, Sherman relinquished it, and sending Schofield, and most of his cavalry, under Wilson, to Thomas at Nashville, he returned to Atlanta, taking with him the garrisons of posts, dismantling the

In government wagons, and at the cost of the government, over 2,000 persons with much furniture and clothing were carried south as far as Rough and Ready, and those who desired to go north, were kindly taken to Chattanooga.

railway, and burning founderies, &c. He cut loose from all his communications on the north, and prepared for a march to the sea.

Sherman's great march to the sea was begun, with 65,000 men of all arms, on the 11th of November, 1864, on which day he cut his telegraphic communications with the North, and was not heard from for some time, excepting through Confederate newspapers. His army moved in two grand divisions, the right led by General O. O. Howard, and the left by General H. W. Slocum. General Kilpatrick led, with 5,000 cavalry. Much of Atlanta was destroyed before they left it, and the railways and public property were made desolate in the track of the two heavy columns. Wheeler's cavalry afforded the chief annoyance to the army on its march. Feints were made here and there, to distract the Confederates, and were successful. The destination of the Nationals from the beginning, had been Savannah or its vicinity, but the foe sometimes thought it was Augusta, and then Milledgeville. They passed on, and on the 13th of December, [1864], General Hazen captured Fort McAllister, on the Ogeechee River, not far from Savannah. That city was immediately invested, and on the night

of the 20th, Hardee, in command there with 15,000 troops, evacuated it, and fled to Charleston, after destroying much public property. On the following day the National troops took possession of Savannah,' and there rested. The army had marched two hundred and fifty-five miles in the space of six weeks, inflicting much injury on the Confederates, but receiving very little injury in return.' As Sherman approached the coast, Gen

eral Foster, commanding in that region, SHERMAN'S HEAD-QUARTERS IN SAVANNAH. made valuable co-operative movements;

and when Hardee fled to Charleston, he occupied strong positions on the railway between the two cities, at Pocotaligo, and other places.

There were some stirring scenes in 1864, in the region of the Atlantic coast between the Pamlico and St. John's rivers, which had passed into history when Sherman reached the estuaries of the sea at the close of that year. We left Gillmore easily holding Charleston with a tight grasp at the close of 1863.3 Information had then reached him, and the government, that Florida was ready to step back into the Union, through the open door of amnesty, but needed a military escort, for there were some active Confederate troops, under

1 Sherman, in a dispatch to the President, said: "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah, with 150 heavy guns, and plenty of ammunition, and also about 25,000 bales of cotton.

1 Sherman lost during the march, 567 men, whereof only 63 were killed. He captured 1,328 men, and 167 guns. He found and used ample subsistence on the route, amounting, in the aggregate, to 13,000 beeves, 160,000 bushels of corn, and over 5,000 tons of fodder; also 5,000 horses, and 4,000 mules. He burned about 20,000 bales of cotton, and captured 25,000 bales, at Savannah. See page 675.

General Finnegan, yet within her borders. General Gillmore accordingly sent General Truman Seymour, with about six thousand troops, horse and foot, to assist in the restoration of Florida to the Union.' He entered the St. John's River on a fleet of steamers and sailing vessels, with an imposing display, and on the 7th of February, took possession of the ruined city of Jacksonville, from which Finnegan had fled on Seymour's approach.

Finnegan was immediately pursued, Colonel Henry, with cavalry, leading in the chase. He drove the Confederates from place to place, capturing their guns, their stores, and men, and was closely followed by Seymour with the residue of the army. Finally, Seymour concentrated his forces at Sanderson, and, with about five thousand men, moved toward the Suwannee River. At Olustee Station, where the railway that crosses the peninsula passes through a cypress swamp, he encountered Finnegan [February 20, 1864], in a strong position, and in a severe battle that ensued, was repulsed. He retreated to Jacksonville in good order, burning, on the way, stores valued at $1,000,000. In that unfortunate expedition Seymour lost about two thousand men.

At about that time Rear-Admiral Bailey destroyed important salt-works, on the Florida coast, which were valued at $3,000,000. There were some raids in Florida in the course of the summer, but after the battle at Olustee, very little was done toward the restoration of Florida to its place in the Union. In Georgia, Sherman's invasion was absorbing all interest. In South Carolina, very little of importance, bearing upon the progress of the war, was accomplished. There were some unsuccessful offensive movements in the vicinity of Charleston. Gillmore's guns kept watch and ward over the harbor and city, while he and some of his troops went up the James, to assist in operations against Petersburg, and Richmond, as we have seen.3

There were some events a little more stirring, in North Carolina, early in 1864. On the first of February, a Confederate force under General Pickett, menaced New Berne, and destroyed a fine gun-boat lying there. A few weeks later, General Hoke marched seven thousand men against Plymouth [April 17,

Roanoke, assisted in the attack, and on the 20th, Wessells was compelled to

The President commissioned, John Hay, one of his private secretaries, as major, and sent him [January 13], to Hilton Head, for the purpose of accompanying the expedition, to act in a civil capacity, if circumstances should require him to.

On the 20th of May there was a Union Convention, at Jacksonville, to take measures for the restoration of civil authority in Florida. No practical advantage resulted from the gathering. See page 691.

surrender the place, with sixteen hundred men, twenty-five guns, and a large quantity of small-arms and stores. After the fall of Plymouth, General Palmer abandoned [April 28] Washington, at the head of Pamlico Sound, and Hoke summoned New Berne to surrender, expecting the co-operation of the Albemarle in a siege. She was enticed from her safe anchorage under the guns at Plymouth, and after a severe fight with the Sassacus, was compelled to flee for safety up the Roanoke. The siege of New Berne was abandoned, and Hoke was called to the James River. Several months later, the gallant Lieutenant Cushing, of the navy, destroyed [October 27], the dreaded Albemarle with a torpedo, in the Roanoke. Four days afterward, the National troops re-entered Plymouth. After that the war in that region consisted chiefly of a series of encounters between Union raiders and detachments of Confederates.

When Sherman sent Thomas to Nashville, he gave him the widest discretionary powers. These were used with great judgment, and Thomas prepared for the stirring events which soon followed, with wise skill. Hood, as Sherman had anticipated, pushed across the Tennessee River, Forrest's cavalry heralding his advance. That active leader went raiding up the railway that leads from Decatur to Nashville, when he was met at Pulaski by Rousseau, and compelled to turn eastward to the Chattanooga road. Rousseau again confronted him at Tullahoma. At the same time General Steedman was marching against him in considerable force from another direction. Forrest eluded them, and for awhile, in September and October [1864], there were stirring scenes between the Tennessee and Duck rivers, for several detachments of National troops were vainly endeavoring to catch the bold raiders. At length, late in October, Hood appeared near Decatur, in Northern Alabama, then held by General Gordon Granger. He menaced that post, but only as a mask to the passage of his army over the Tennessee, near Florence. Forrest was again on the war-path, co-operating with Hood, and caused the destruction, at Johnsonville, on the Tennessee River, of National stores and other property, valued at $1,500,000.

Hood had been re-enforced by a part of Dick Taylor's army, and he now pressed vigorously northward with more than 50,000 men, a large number of them natives of Tennessee and Kentucky. Thomas had about 30,000 imme diately available troops, with nearly as many more scattered over Tennessee and Northern Alabama. He sent troops forward to impede rather than prevent Hood's march on Nashville, and was successful. Schofield, with a strong force at Pulaski, fell back, as Hood advanced, across Duck River, with his train; and at Columbia he kept the Confederates on the south side of that stream until his wagons were well on toward Franklin, where he took a position on the 30th of November, and, casting up intrenchments, prepared to. fight, if necessary, until his trains should be safely on their way to Nashville. Hood came up in the afternoon, and attempted to crush his opponent by the mere weight of numbers. A most desperate struggle ensued. At the first onset the Confederates drove the whole National line, capturing the works and guns, and gaining, apparently, a complete victory. A counter charge was.

made, when the Confederates were driven out of the captured works, the guns were recovered, ten flags and three hundred men were captured from the assailants, and the National line was restored, chiefly through the skill and

bravery of General Opdyke, directing gallant soldiers. Hood made desperate but unavailing attempts to retake the works, and the battle raged until toward midnight. Hood's loss was terrible-at least one-sixth of his effective force.'

Schofield now fell back to Nashville, carrying with him all of his guns, when Hood advanced and invested that post with about 40,000 men. Thomas had been re-enforced by General A. J. Smith's troops, which had just come from assisting in chasing Price out of Missouri. Thomas's infantry was fully equal in numbers to those of his adversary, but he was deficient in cavalry. Rousseau was in Fort Rosecrans, at Murfreesboro', to hold the railway to Chattanooga, and Thomas allowed Hood to remain in front of him as long as possible, so as to give himself time to increase his own supply of horses and obtain means for transportation. Finally, on the 15th of December, Thomas moved out upon Hood. The battle was opened by the Fourth Corps, under General T. J. Wood. The Confederates were driven out of their works, and pressed back to the foot of the Harpeth hills with a loss of 1,200 prisoners and 16 guns. Wood again advanced the next day [Dec. 16, 1864], and with other troops, after a severe battle, drove the Confederates through the Brentwood Pass. They left behind them most of their guns, and a large number of their companions as prisoners. They were hotly pursued for several days, Hood turning occasionally to fight. Forrest joined him at Columbia, and formed a covering party; and at near the close of the month Hood escaped across the Tennessee River with his shattered columns. So ended, in complete victory

1 The Confederate loss was reported by General Thomas at 6,252, of whom 1,750 were killed. The National loss was 2,326, whereof 189 were killed. Nearly 1,000 were captured.

See page 687.

In the two days' battles, Thomas captured 4,462 prisoners, of whom 287 were officers, one of them a major-general; also fifty-three guns and many small-arms.