Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 9.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[56] cavalry in our front, encountered the enemy, who were posted on a small creek, the road through which had been obstructed by fallen trees; the enemy were soon dislodged and pursued to Sandersville, at which place they made a stand, driving back our cavalry. I then deployed six (6) companies of the Thirteenth New-Jersey volunteers as skirmishers, with four companies in reserve, and advanced on them, the Ninth Illinois being disposed on the flanks. The enemy gave way before my skirmishers, and I entered town at the same time as did the Fourteenth corps, who came in on another road to the left. Moving to the right, I followed the enemy through town, and one mile beyond, skirmishing a little. My loss was two men wounded belonging to the Thirteenth New-Jersey volunteers. I was then recalled and ordered with the rest of the division to Tennille Station, on the Georgia Central Railroad, where I destroyed about three miles of track and encamped for the night.

November 27.--Marched to Davisboro, Station No. 22, crossed Williamson Swamp Creek.

November 28.--Destroyed three miles of railroad track and marched to Spiers Station.

November 29.--Destroyed four miles of railroad track of Georgia Central, two saw-mills and lumber-yards, and the timber for four (4) large bridges ready for use; one of the bridges was marked “Strawberry Plains,” one “Chattanooga Creek,” the other two names have escaped my memory. This timber has been gotten out and made ready for use, even to having the pegs to unite it, turned, and was intended, as I afterward learned from a citizen, for future operations of the enemy in East-Tennessee. I should estimate the number of feet in this pile of timber to be one million five hundred thousand.

November 30.--Crossed the Ogeechee, and encamped three miles south-cast of Louisville.

December 1.--Crossed Jones's Mill Creek, Dug Spring, Baker and Camp Creeks, camping near Jones's Mill Creek.

December 2.--Passed through Birdsville, and encamped at Buck Head Church.

December 3.--Crossed Waynesboro Railroad, and marched to three miles to Millen.

December 4.--Crossed Little Ogeechee Creek at Hunter's Mill, and encamped six miles south-east of Sylvania.

December 5.--Marched two miles south-east.

December 6.--Marched seventeen miles in same direction.

December 7.--Marched to Springfield.

December 8.--Camped near Eden.

December 9.--Moved out to the Monteith road, reaching the Monteith Swamp about noon, where the enemy had erected two earthworks across the road, and felled the timber for some distance in front. Received orders to move up on the right of the road and endeavor to flank these works. I moved through the wood about three quarters of a mile, where I found a rice-field extending up to the left of their battery, (our right.) I formed the brigade in two lines across this field, advanced skirmishers and moved forward. The enemy opened one piece of artillery on my skirmishers, but soon ceased and evacuated their fort. The ground being a rice-swamp, my progress was necessarily very slow, and they escaped, with the exception of three men, captured by the Third Wisconsin volunteers. Encamped for the night.

December 10.--Moved down to the Charleston and Savannah Railroad, and destroyed about two miles of the track, and moved on to within five miles of Savannah, where the enemy were found strongly intrenched. Formed line of battle on left of Third division, right resting on the Savannah turnpike. A forage party, under command of Captain Gildersleeve, One Hundred and Fiftieth New-York volunteers, this day captured the rebel despatch steamer Ida, on the Savannah River, taking thirteen prisoners, among whom was Colonel Clynch of General Hardee's staff. The steamer was burned by Captain Gildersleeve, he not being able to hold it on account of the rebel gunboats on the river.

December 11.--The brigade in same position. Under orders from the Brigadier-General commanding the division, the Second Massachusetts and One Hundred and Seventh New-York, under command of Colonel Cogswell, Second Massachusetts, made a reconnoissance of the enemy's position, and reported directly to division headquarters. Later in the day I was directed to send one regiment to report to the Brigadier-General commanding the corps for special serv-ice. The Third Wisconsin, Colonel Hawley commanding, was selected, and received orders from Brigadier-General Williams, commanding Twentieth corps, to cross to Argyle Island, in the Savannah River, secure such property as he might find there, and also to make a reconnoissance to the South-Carolina shore. Two companies of this regiment crossed to Argyle Island this night and six companies the following morning, leaving two companies to guard the Georgia shore and take charge of a rice-mill and contraband camp.

December 12.--While crossing the river, Colonel Hawley discovered three steamers descending. Winnegar's battery, on the Georgia shore, immediately opened fire upon them, driving two gunboats, Macon and Sampson, back; one, the armed steam-tender Resolute, was driven on the island and captured with all the crew, consisting of five officers and nineteen men, by Colonel Hawley. There was a quantity of ordnance and subsistence stores on board, a list of which is given in Appendix C. Colonel Hawley also secured a quantity of stores and animals upon the island, which will be found enumerated in Appendix C to this report. The brigade remained in same position until December fifteenth, when the Second Massachusetts volunteers was ordered by Brigadier-General Williams to report to Colonel Hawley at once upon Argyle Island.

December 16.--Received orders from Brigadier-General Williams to move my brigade over to Argyle Island, and from thence to the South-Carolina shore. At seven A. M., being relieved