troops, while its losses had been light. Never had men fought with greater alacrity and more steadiness. The next day the Confederates were completely routed, and Hood's invasion ended. He began a disorderly flight south, his army utterly demoralized.

In the two-days battle Thomas had taken 4,462 prisoners, including 287 officers, many small arms, and 53 guns.

The next day the cavalry under Wilson pursued the retreating foe vigorously. They made a stand at Franklin, attempting to defend the crossing at the Harpeth river, but they were forced to decamp, leaving behind 1,800 of their wounded in the hospital, and 200 of ours formerly taken, besides 400 prisoners. Another stand was made by the enemy's rear guard four miles south of Franklin, but it was soon routed and dispersed by Wilson's cavalry. Rain fell almost incessantly, until the brooks became raging rivers. Hood destroyed the bridges, after crossing them, making pursuit very difficult. After several partial engagements, he succeeded in making his escape with the remnant of his army. The pursuit was continued as far as Lexington, Ala. When learning that Hood had crossed the Tennessee at Bainbridge, Thomas ordered a halt.

Gen. Forrest, who had been sent on a cavalry raid, rejoined Hood at Columbia.

Brig. Gen. Lyon, who had been sent by Hood while at Nashville, with 800 cavalry to tear up the Louisville railroad, had his entire command destroyed or taken prisoners. After surren

dering, he escaped in the darkness by seizing a pistol and shooting a sentinel.

Hood's army had almost ceased to exist. What remained of it was stationed at Tupelo, Miss., when Hood was "relieved of its command at his own request," Jan. 23, 1865.

In this campaign, from Sept. 7, 1864, to Jan. 20, 1865, Gen. Thomas had lost in killed, wounded and missing about 10,000 men, which was less than one-half the loss of the enemy. He had taken as prisoners nearly 1,000 officers, from Major General down to the lowest rank, and 10,895 non-commissioned officers and privates. He had administered the oath of submission and amnesty to 2,207 deserters, and exchanged 1,332 men, and had taken a large number of small arms and large guns.

CHAPTER XI.

SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH TO THE SEA.

SHERMAN'S GREAT MARCH TO THE SEA, 1864.-Gen. Sherman's army, which set out for the "Great March" through the heart of the Confederacy, numbered about 60,000 infantry and 5,500 cavalry. After concentrating these around Rome and Kensington, Ga., and destroying everything which might be used to his injury by the enemy, he sent his parting messages, and set off, Nov. 11th, on his memorable march to the sea. His command moved forward in two grand wings, the right led by Gen. O. O. Howard, comprising the Fifteenth Corps under Gen. P. J. Osterhaus and the Seventeenth under Gen. Frank P. Blair; the left by Gen. Henry W. Slocum, comprising the Fourteenth Corps under Gen. Jeff C. Davis and the Twentieth under Gen. A. S. Williams. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick led the cavalry, which careered in front and on either flank of the infantry, so as to screen, as far as possible, the movements of the army from the detection of the enemy. Moving rapidly to Atlanta, Howard pased through McDonough, Monticello, and Gordon; while Slocum advanced by Covington, Madison and Eaton to Milledgeville. They destroyed railroads and factories as they advanced, meeting thus far with very little opposition. Each subordinate commander was instructed to live on the country so far as possible, and save the twenty days' bread

and forty days' beef, coffee and sugar, and three days' forage, contained in the wagons. The cavalry made a dash on Macon, driving off the Confederate cavalry, but was unable to carry the works behind which the enemy's infantry was posted.

At Millen, on the Central Railroad, half-way from Sandersonville to Savannah, was a great prison camp. Many Union men that had been captured were confined here, and subjected to unspeakable privations and hardships. Sherman intended to liberate them. To this end he sent Kilpatrick with most of his cavalry far to his left, so as to convey an impression that the army was making for Augusta rather than for the coast. But this failed of the desired end. Millen was reached on the 3d of December, but the prisoners had previously been removed.

DESTRUCTION OF RAILROADS.-The railroads were destroyed right and left as the army moved south. Bridges were burned and culverts destroyed, while the track was torn up for long distances, and the rails twisted. To do this rapidly, the soldiers would form a line along the road, and, with crowbar and poles placed under the rails, pry up long distances at a time. Others would pile up the ties, place the rails across them lengthwise, and then set fire to the ties. In this manner the rails were heated in the middle more than at the ends, and were easily twisted so as not to be of any further use. Some of the rails were carried to the nearest trees, and bent around them as bands ornamenting the trees of Georgia. Some crews tore up the rails, others piled up the ties; some carried the rails, while

others twisted them: so the work progressed methodically and rapidly with the movements of the army.

SUPPLYING THE ARMY.-The organization for supplying the army was very complete. Each brigade furnished a company to gather supplies of forage and provisions for the command to which it belonged. Pillaging was strictly forbidden, but everything in the shape of food for man or forage for beast was taken. These foraging parties-or "bummers," as they were popularly called-went out for miles on either side of the army. Starting in advance of the organization to which they belonged, and gathering great quantities of provisions, they returned to the line of march, where each stood guard over his pile of food till his own brigade came along, when it was turned over to the brigade commissary and quartermaster. When they started out in the morning they were generally on foot, but scarcely any of them returned in the evening without being mounted on horses, which were turned in for the use of the army. The progress of the column was not permitted to be interrupted by the reception of the forage. Everything had to be loaded upon the wagons as they moved.

The South prior to the Rebellion kept bloodhounds to pursue runaway slaves and escaped convicts, and now they were used to capture escaped prisoners. Orders were issued to kill all of these animals as they were found. The imagination of the troops converted every species of dog into the bloodhound, so that even the poodle had no lease on life in the presence of the advancing blue-coats.