SHERMAN'S GENERAL ORDERS.

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and destructive results; and (4) Thomas's management of Hood. which, in reality, assumed the dignity of a separate campaign. It will be recollected that when Sherman conceived the plan of his "march to the sea," he proceeded, in direct violation of that universally accepted axiom in the art of war, forbidding the division of forces in the face of an enemy, to detach a portion of his army to General Thomas, with orders to lure Hood into Tennessee. This Thomas successfully accomplished, and turning on him at the proper moment crushed him. All these operations formed separate links in the great chain of strategy, by which Lee, in the Rebel stronghold of Richmond, was bound hand and foot, and delivered into the hands of the national authority.

On the 8th of January, 1865, General Sherman issued a congratulatory order to his troops, in which he reviewed their services during the two months previous, both in this campaign and in that under General Thomas, at Nashville (the troops in which, it will be remembered, belonged also to his military division of the Mississippi), and authorized the regiments in both armies to inscribe at their pleasure "Savannah" or "Nashville" on their colors, thus as was just, dividing the honors of the two great victories equally.

On the 14th of January, he published another general order directing the adoption of measures for putting down guerillas, and providing for the protection and liberty of trade of farmers and others who were loyally inclined. This order met with very general approval by the citizens. But his most important action, while in Savannah, was that in reference to the freedmen. Though not technically an abolitionist, and indeed before the war regarded as pro-slavery in his views, General Sherman had been greatly impressed with the loyalty and fidelity of the negroes, whether slave or free, to the Union. He had found them, in his two Georgia campaigns, as well as in Mississippi, the warm and confiding friends of the Union army, and they manifested a most touching and implicit faith in him and his army.

Secretary Stanton of the War Department visited Savannah while General Sherman was there, and taking advantage of his presence, the General assembled the leading men among the negroes-men in whose integrity, intelligence and character, they themselves had perfect confidence, and in whom they were willing to recognize as their representatives, and had a free conference with them, as to their views concerning the future condition and social position of these people, the Secretary taking part in the interview. It was found that they were uniformly desirous of colonizing the islands along the South Carolina and Georgia coast, and cultivating cotton, rice, and other crops for themselves. As a result of this interview, and for the purpose of responding to their views, the general issued, on the 18th of January, 1865, the following general order:

"HEAD-QUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, IN THE, FIELD SAVANNAH, Ĝa. January 16th, 1865.

"I. The islands from Charleston, south, the abandoned rice-fields along the river, for thirty miles back from the sea, and the country bordering the St. Johns river, Florida, are reserved and set apart for the settlement of the negroes now made free by the acts of war and the President of the United States.

“II. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernandina, St. Augustine and Jacksonville, the blacks may remain in their chosen or accustomed avocations; but on the islands and in the settlements hereafter to be established, no white person whatever, unless military officers and soldiers, detailed for duty, will be permitted to reside; and the sole and exclusive management of affairs will be left to the freed people themselves, subject only to the United States military authority and the acts of Congress. By the laws of war, and orders of the President of the United States, the negro is free, and must be dealt with as such. He cannot be subjected to conscription or forced military service, save by the written orders of the highest military authority of the department, under such regulations as the President or Congress may prescribe. Domestic servants, blacksmiths, carpenters, and other mechanics, will be free to select their own work and residence; but the young and able-bodied negroes must be encouraged to enlist as soldiers in the service of the United States, to contribute their share toward maintaining their own freedom, and securing their rights as citizens of the United States. Negroes so enlisted will be organized into companies, battalions and regiments, under the order of the United States military authorities, and will be paid, fed and clothed, according to law. The bounties paid on enlistment may, with consent of the recruit, go to assist his family and settlement, in procuring agricultural implements, seeds, tools, boats, clothing, and other articles necessary for their liveli hood.

"III. Whenever three respectable negroes, heads of families, shall desire to settle on land, and shall have selected, for that purpose, an island or a locality clearly defined within the limits above designated, the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations will himself, or by such subordinate officer as he may appoint, give them a license to settle such island or district, and afford them such assistance as he can, to enable them to establish a peaceable agricultural settlement. The three parties named will subdivide the land, under the supervision of the Inspector, among themselves, and such others as may choose to settle near them, so that each family shall have a plot of not more than forty acres of tillable ground, and when it borders on some water channel, with not more than eight hundred feet front, in the possession of which land the military authorities will afford them protection until such time as they can protect themselves, or until Congress shall regulate their title. The quartermaster

DESTITUTION OF THE WHITES AT SAVANNAH.

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may, on the requisition of the Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, place at the disposal of the Inspector one or more of the captured steamers, to ply between the settlements and one or more of the commercial points heretofore named in orders, to afford the settlers the opportunity to supply their necessary wants, and to sell the products of their land and labor.

"IV. When a negro has enlisted in the military service of the United States, he may locate his family in any of the settlements, at pleasure, and acquire a homestead, and all other rights and privileges of a settler, as though present in person. In like manner, negroes may settle their families, and engage on board the gunboats, or in fishing, or in the navigation of the inland waters, without losing any claim to land, or other advantages derived from this system. But none, except an actual settler, as above defined, or unless absent on government service, will be entitled to claim any right to land or property in any settlement by virtue of these orders.

"V. In order to carry out this system of settlement, a general officer will be detailed as Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, whose duty it shall be to visit the settlements, to regulate their police and general management, and who will furnish, personally, to each head of a family, subject to the approval of the President of the United States, a possessory title in writing, giving, as near as possible, the description of boundaries, and who may adjust all claims or conflicts that may arise under the same, subject to the like approval, treating such titles as altogether possessory. The same general officer will also be charged with the enlistment and organization of the negro recruits, and protecting their interests while so absent from their settlements, and will be governed by the rules and regulations prescribed by the War Department for such purpose.

"VI. Brigadier-General R. Saxton is hereby appointed Inspector of Settlements and Plantations, and will at once enter on the performance of nis duties. No change is intended or desired in the settlement now on Beaufort Island, nor will any right to property, heretofore acquired, be affected hereby.

By order of

Major-General W. T. SHERMAN."

Soon after the promulgation of this order, an "Educational Association" was formed among the freedmen, for the purpose of establishing schools for the education of their children. The first evening these poor people subscribed, in sums of three dollars each, more than seven hundred dollars, and in a few days five hundred colored children were assembled in their schools.

There was found to be great destitution among the whites in Savannah, rice being almost the only article of food which was to be had in any considerable quantities. General Sherman gave of this twenty thousand bushels from his stores, and permitted a former officer of his army to visit

New York to exchange it for other articles of food. On his arrival the generous citizens of New York allowed it to be sold and the proceeds invested in food, but they added to the cargo of the government vessel which bore those supplies back, fifty thousand dollars' worth of provisions for the suffering poor of Savannah. Generous contributions to the same object were also forwarded from Boston, Massachusetts, and other cities.

THE NASHVILLE CAMPAIGN.

871

CHAPTER LXVIII.

THE NASHVILLE CAMPAIGN-SHERMAN'S RESOLVE-DAVIS'S BOAST-HOOD TRIES TO FULFIL IT -THE OFFER TO GIVE HOOD HIS RATIONS-MOVEMENTS OF GENERAL THOMAS'S COMMANDTHE FOURTH AND TWENTY-THIRD CORPS ASSIGNED TO GENERAL THOMAS-SHERMAN'S ORDER -HIS INSTRUCTIONS-A PART OF HOOD'S FORCE CROSSES THE TENNESSEE THE NUMBER OF HOOD'S TROOPS-EFFECTIVE FORCE OF THOMAS-CHEATHAM'S CORPS CROSSES THE TENNESSEE-FORREST'S RAID ON JOHNSONVILLE-SCHOFIELD PASSES THROUGH JOHNSONVILLE TO PULASKI-HOOD ADVANCES ON PULASKI-SCHOFIELD'S AND THOMAS'S MEASURES-FALLING BACK TO COLUMBIA-CALLING IN THE GARRISONS-THE CROSSING OF DUCK RIVERHOOD ATTEMPTS TO FLANK SCHOFIELD AT SPRING HILL BUT FAILS TO DO SO-CAUSES OF THE FAILURE THE RACE FOR FRANKLIN-SCHOFIELD WINS-THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STAKE-SCHOFIELD KEEPS THE REBELS AT BAY TILL HIS MEN HAVE THROWN UP TEMPORARY DEFENCES-HOOD'S ADDRESS TO HIS TROOPS-HIS PLAN-ITS PARTIAL SUCCESS-HEROISM OF GENERAL STANLEY-RESULTS OF THE BATTLE-SKETCH OF GENERAL STANLEY-SCHOFIELD FALLS BACK TO NASHVILLE, AND MILROY TO MURFREESBORO-THOMAS'S REINFORCEMENTS COME UP-POSITION OF THE TWO ARMIES--HOOD'S BLUNDER-THE EXPEDITION AGAINST MURFREESBORO'-ITS FAILURE—THOMAS PREPARES TO ATTACK HOOD'S LEFT, at

THE SAME TIME DEMONSTRATING UPON HIS RIGHT-THE BATTLE OF NASHVILLE-FIRST DAY -RESULTS-HOOD'S CONDITION AND HOPES-SECOND DAY-DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS -CAVALRY ATTACK ON THE REAR-THE GENERAL ADVANCE-THE ASSAULT-REPULSEADVANCING AGAIN THE ENEMY'S LINES BROKEN, AND HE COMPELLED TO FLY IN THE UTMOST DISORDER-THE RETREAT-THE PURSUIT-ITS RELENTLESS CHARACTER-RESULTS -GALLANT CONDUCT OF COLONEL PALMER-LYON'S DEFEAT AND CAPTURE-SKETCH OF GENERAL SCHOFIELD-SKETCH OF HOOD-THE CAMPAIGN OF GILLEM, BURBridge, and STONEMAN, IN EAST TENNESSEE AND WESTERN VIRGINIA-BATTLES OF KINGSPORT, ABINGTON, AND MARION-Capture oF WYTHEVILLE AND SALTVILLE-BURBRIDGE'S RETURN TO KENTUCKY.

OUR narrative of Sherman's campaign from Atlanta to the sea, left Hood `at Gadsden, Alabama, whither he had retreated from Sherman's pursuit, and where, behind strong fortifications, he awaited Sherman's attack. It was at this point, in accordance with his previously matured purpose, that Sherman determined not to be drawn out of Georgia, nor to suffer his communications to be longer at Hood's mercy. He had become satisfied that Hood had a force sufficient to trouble his communications, but not to meet and cope with him in battle. Jefferson Davis had boasted at Macon, that the soil wrested from the Rebels in Tennessee should be regained, and Hood was about to attempt the fulfilment of that boast, by an expedition thither. The sailors have a proverb that "a stern chase is a long chase," and Sherman was well aware that if he attempted, with his large army, to pursue Hood, the chase would be a long and wearisome one, and Hood would be able to do a great deal of mischief before he could overtake him. If, on the contrary, he detached the skilful and resolute Thomas