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About July, 1863, the ironclad ship Atlanta, on which every
effort and all means at command had been used to render her a
forminable vessel, steamed down to Warsaw sound to attack the
ironclad monitors Weehawken and Nahant, which were awaiting her
coming. When within a few hundred yards of them, she ran
aground, but was immediately backed off, only to run more firmly
aground again while sailing toward her opponents. While in this
unfortunate condition, unable to extricate herself or bring her
guns to bear, the ironclads opened upon her with fifteen-inch
guns at short range. The fire was very effective, and in sixteen
minutes after its commencement the iron armor and wood backing
of the Atlanta had been seriously damaged and sixteen men
wounded--among them, two out of the three pilots. Under these
circumstances her commander, Captain Webb, wisely concluded to
surrender. The Atlanta was armed with four superior rifled guns
and manned with a fine crew and efficient officers. Her capture
was greatly deplored, as she had been relied upon to protect the
harbor from the enemy's ironclads, and her loss left the harbor
almost unprotected, excepting by obstructions and land
batteries. The Atlanta was formerly the Fingal, which, under the
command of Captain Edward C. Anderson, the present Mayor of the
city, had been run through the blockade of the river early in
the war, laden with the munitions of war and other valuable
goods, which were much needed by the government.
An offset to the capture of the Atlanta was the boarding and
capture of the Water Witch by Lieutenant Pelot on the night of
the second of June, 1864. The Water Witch formed one of the
blockading squadron of the coast of Georgia, and was lying in
Ossabaw sound. Lieutenant Pelot, with eighty men, embarked in
seven barges and arrived near the Water Witch about half-past
one o'clock. A dash for the steamer was immediately made, and
after fifteen minutes hand-to-hand conflict (during which, and
almost at the moment of victory, Lieutenant Pelot fell, pierced
to the heart with a bullet) the crew surrendered. The
Confederates lost six killed and twelve wounded. The enemy's
crew, eighty-two in number, lost two killed and fifteen wounded,
the commander, Lieutenant Prendergast, being among the latter.
The capture of the steamer, armed with four heavy guns, eighty
prisoners, and her equipment entire, was the result of this bold
enterprise.
Nothing out of the usual line of petty skirmishes,
reconnoissances, and the like, occurred around Savannah until
the 11th of December, 1864, when Sherman's army arrived in front
of the line of defences, his force amounting to sixty thousand
infantry, six thousand cavalry, and a full supply of artillery.
Along the coast was a large fleet of ironclads and other war
vessels, awaiting establishment of communication with the
enemy's land force, to co-operate with it in the siege of the
city. To oppose this force Lieutenant-General William J. Hardee
had ten thousand men of all arms.
The movements of the enemy were closely watched by General
Hardee, and everything that human foresight could devise to
embarrass and repel their advance was accomplished; in which
efforts he was sustained by Generals Hugh W. Mercer, Henry R.
Jackson, W. R. Boggs, J. F. Gilmer, George P. Harrison, Colonel
J. G. Clarke, and all of the officers and men under their
command. The citizens volunteered their services, and stood in
the trenches ready and willing to risk their lives in defence of
their loved and beautiful city from the hands of the marauders,
whose conduct during their "march to the sea" would have
disgraced savages.
The enemy's first object was to establish communication with the
fleet and obtain provisions, of which they stood in sore need.
Fort McAllister, which was so ably defended in numerous
instances by the soldiers of Savannah, constituted the right of
the outer line of the defences of the city, and was situated on
Genesis Point, on the right bank of the Great Ogeechee river,
and was intended to dispute a passage up the river and to
prevent depredations in that vicinity. This fort, a strong
earthwork, was the only barrier in the way of establishing the
desired communication, and its capture was determined upon by
Sherman. Before relating the account of its capture it would not
be amiss to take a retrospective glance and give a brief history
of this work, the defence of which reflected the utmost credit
upon the garrison, and will send its name down to history with
those of Arcola, Malakoff, and Donelson. It is situated about
sixteen miles from Savannah, and was among the first of the
numerous earthworks constructed for the defence of the city, but
was not attacked before the 29th of June 1862. Then four
gunboats tested the strength of the work and the efficiency of
its garrison--the DeKalb Riflemen, Captain A. L. Hartridge. The
first they found to be strong and the latter cool and very
accurate in their aim. In this attack two men were wounded. On
the 2d of November of the same year the fort was again made a
target of by several vessels. Fortunately none of the garrison
(the Emmett Rifles, Captain George A. Nicoll) were hurt. This
attack was followed by another on the 19th of November, during
which three men of the garrison (the Emmett Rifles and the
Republican Blues, Lieutenant George W. Anderson commanding) were
wounded. The 27th of January, 1863, was taken advantage of by
the Federals to try the effect of the guns (one fifteen and one
eleven-inch) of the ironclad Montauk. The monitor was
accompanied by six gunboats, all of which kept up a furious
fire, to which the garrison slowly replied. Though the sand of
which the work was composed was knocked about considerably, none
of the garrison were injured, nor was the earthwork at all
damaged, thus demonstrating that an earthwork manned by cool and
courageous men could not be reduced, no matter what weight of
metal was hurled against it. The garrison had little respite,
for on the first of February it had to defend the fort from
another attack made by the Montauk and five gun and mortar
boats. The enemy were again repulsed after a six hours contest,
during which Major John B. Gallie4 (commandant of the fort) was
struck on the head and instantly killed, and seven others of the
garrison were wounded. After the death of Major Gallie, which
occurred early in the action, the command devolved upon Captain
George W. Anderson, who bravely continued the fight with the
result stated. Well deserved was the following complimentary
order from General Beauregard: "The thanks of the country are
due to this intrepid garrison, who have thus shown what brave
men may withstand and accomplish, despite apparent odds. Fort
McAllister will be inscribed on the flags of all the troops
engaged in the defence of the battery."
On the 28th of February the Rattlesnake (formerly the
Nashville), laden with a large quantity of cotton and rosin,
attempted to pass down the Great Ogeechee, in order to run the
blockade, but unfortunately ran aground about a mile below the
fort. The guns of the Montauk were immediately brought to bear
and soon set the vessel on fire, by which she was completely
destroyed. The guns of the fort were fired at the Montauk, with
the hope of driving her off, but the distance was too great and
no damage was done. But what the guns failed to do was
accomplished by a torpedo, over which the Montauk passed and
exploded it during the attack upon the Rattlesnake. As she did
not take any active part in the attack upon the fort a few days
afterward, it was believed that she was injured, which belief
was afterward confirmed by Northern accounts.
But the most formidable attack on the fort was made on the 3d of
March, 1863, in comparison to which the others were almost
insignificant. Early on that day four ironclads, five gunboats,
and two mortar schooners appeared in front of the fort. From the
account of the affair in the Savannah Republican of the 11th of
March, 1863, we make the following extracts:
About a quarter before nine o'clock the fort opened on the
Passaic with a rifled gun, the eight and ten-inch columbiads
following suit, to which the Montauk replied, firing her first
gun at nine o'clock. She was followed by her associates in quick
succession. The fire on both sides was continued for seven hours
and a half, during which the enemy fired two hundred and fifty
shot and shell at the fort, amounting to about seventy tons of
the most formidable missiles ever invented for the destruction
of human life.* * * About midday the carriage of the eight-inch
columbiad was shivered to atoms and rendered the gun
unserviceable for the remainder of the day. The main traverse
wheel of the forty-two-pounder was shot away, but was replaced
in twenty minutes. The new wheel was gotten up by Mr. Carroll
Hanson, who risked his life to secure it. The wheel of a
forty-two-pounder, manned by a detachment of sharpshooters,
under the command of Lieutenant Herman, met with a similar
accident, but was worked throughout the engagement.* * A shot
from a forty-two-pounder struck the Passaic and disabled her,
causing her to turn tail and run down the river, followed by the
other rams. The fort fired the first and last shot. The enemy's
mortar boats kept up a fire all night, and it was evidently
their intention to renew the fight the next morning, but finding
that the damage done to the fort the day before had been fully
repaired and the garrison fully prepared to resist, declined.* *
* Notwithstanding the heavy fire to which the fort was
subjected, only three men were wounded, viz: Thomas W. Rape and
W. S. Owens, of the Emmett Rifles, the first on the knee and the
latter in the face; James Mims, of Company D, 1st Georgia
Battalion Sharpshooters, had his leg crushed and ankle broken by
the fall of a piece of timber while remounting a columbiad after
the fight.* * * The night previous to the fight Lieutenant E. A.
Ellarbe, of the Hardwick Mounted Rifles, Captain J. L.
McAllister, with a detachment consisting of Sergeant Harmon and
privates Proctor, Wyatt, Harper, and Cobb, crossed the river and
dug a rifle-pit within long rifle range of the rams, and awaited
the coming fight. During the hottest part of the engagement an
officer, with glass in hand, made his appearance on the deck of
the Passaic. A Maynard rifle slug soon went whizzing by his
ears, which startled and caused him to right-about, when a
second slug apparently took effect upon his person, as with both
hands he caught hold of the turret for support, and immediately
clambered or was dragged into a port-hole. It is believed that
the officer was killed. The display on the Passaic the day
following, and the funeral on Ossabaw the Friday following, gave
strength to the opinion. As soon as the fatal rifle shot was
fired the Passaic turned her guns upon the marsh and literally
raked it with grapeshot. The riflemen, however, succeeded in
changing their base in time to avoid the missiles of the enemy.
Not one of them was hurt. Too much credit cannot be bestowed on
this daring act of a few brave men.* * * Captain George W.
Anderson, of the Republican Blues, commanded the fort on this
trying occasion, and he and his force received, as they
deserved, the highest commendations. Captain George A. Nicoll,
of the Emmett Rifles; Captain J. L. McAllister, Lieutenant W. D.
Dixon, and Sergeant T. S. Flood [the latter was sick at the
hospital when the attack commenced, but left his bed to take
part in the fight]; Corporal Robert Smith and his squad from the
Republican Blues, which worked the rifle-gun; Lieutenant Quinn,
of the Blues; Sergeant Frazier, Lieutenant Rockwell, and
Sergeant Cavanagh; Captain Robert Martin and detachment of his
company, who successfully worked a mortar-battery; Captain
McCrady and Captain James McAlpin; were entitled to and received
a large share of the honors of the day.
Brigadier-General Mercer, commanding the district of Georgia, in
a general order, complimented the garrison for their heroic
defence, stating that under the fire of the most formidable
missiles ever concentrated upon a single battery "the brave
gunners, with the cool, efficient spirit of disciplined
soldiers, and with the intrepid hearts of freemen battling in a
just cause, stood undaunted at their posts and proved to the
world that the most formidable vessels and guns that modern
ingenuity has been able to produce are powerless against an
earthwork manned by patriots to whom honor and liberty are
dearer than life."
General Beauregard in his general order stated that he "had
again a pleasant duty to discharge--to commend to the notice of
the country and the emulation of his officers and men the
intrepid conduct of the garrison of Fort McAllister and the
skill of the officers engaged on the 3d of March, 1863.* * * The
colors of all troops engaged will be inscribed with 'Fort
McAllister, 3d March, 1863.'"
After this engagement the fort was considerably
strengthened--especially its rear defences--and its armament
increased by the addition of some heavy and several light guns.
The latter were so placed as to aid in repulsing any attempt of
the enemy to surprise the fort from the land side.
On the 11th of December, 1864, General Sherman's army enveloped
the western and southern lines of the defences of the city and
completely isolated the fort, the garrison then consisting of
the Emmett Rifles, Captain George A. Nicoll, twenty-five men for
duty; Clinch Light Battery, Captain W. B. Clinch, fifty men for
duty; Companies D and E 1st regiment Georgia Reserves, the first
company commanded by Captain Henry, twenty-eight men for duty,
and the second by Captain Morrison, twenty-seven men for duty.
On the 13th of December General Hazen was sent with nine
regiments to take the fort.
Major George W. Anderson was in command of the fort at the time
of its capture, and furnished a report of the affair to Colonel
C. C. Jones for publication in his "Historical Sketch of the
Chatham Artillery," from which we extract it:
Hearing incidentally that the Confederate forces on the
Cannouchee had evacuated that position and retired across the
Great Ogeechee, and learning that a large column of the enemy
was approaching in the direction of Fort McAllister, I
immediately detached a scouting party, under command of
Lieutenant T. O'Neal, of Clinch's Light Battery, to watch them
and acquaint me with their movements. This was absolutely
necessary, as the cavalry previously stationed in Bryan county
had been withdrawn and I was thus thrown upon my own resources
for all information relating to the strength and designs of the
enemy.
On the morning of the 12th of December, 1864, I accompanied
Lieutenant O'Neal on a scout, and found the enemy advancing in
force from King's bridge. We were hotly pursued by their
cavalry, and had barely time to burn the barns of Messrs. Thomas
C. Arnold and William Patterson, which were filled with rice.
The steamtug Columbus --- lying about three miles above the fort
--- was also burned. Early the next morning one of my pickets
--- stationed at the head of the causeway west of the fort ---
was captured by the enemy, to whom he imparted the fact that the
causeway was studded with torpedoes in time to prevent their
explosion. He also acquainted them with the strength of the
garrison, and the armament of the fort, and the best approaches
to it.
About eight o'clock A. M. desultory firing commenced between the
skirmishers of the enemy and my sharpshooters. At ten o'clock
the fight became general, the opposing forces extending from the
river entirely around to the marsh on the east. The day before,
the enemy had established a battery of Parrot guns on the
opposite side of the river--distant from the fort a mile and a
half --- which fired upon us at regular intervals during that
day and the ensuing night. Receiving from headquarters neither
orders nor responses to my telegraphic dispatches, I determined,
under the circumstances, and not withstanding the great
disparity of numbers, between the garrison and the attacking
forces, to defend the fort to the last extremity. The guns being
en barbette, the detachments serving them were greatly exposed
to the fire of the enemy's sharpshooters. To such an extent was
this the case, that in one instance, out of a detachment of
eight men, three were killed and three more wounded. The Federal
skirmish line was very heavy, and the fire so close and rapid
that it was at times impossible to work our guns. My
sharpshooters did all in their power, but were entirely too few
to suppress this galling fire upon the artillerists. In view of
the large force of the enemy --- consisting of nine regiments,
whose aggregate strength was estimated between three thousand
five hundred and four thousand muskets, and possessing the
ability to increase it at any time should it become necessary
--- and recollecting the feebleness of the garrison of the fort,
numbering one hundred and fifty effective men, it was evident,
cut off from all support, and with no possible hope of
reinforcements from any quarter, that holding the fort was
simply a question of time. There was but one alternative ---
death or captivity. Captain Thomas S. White, the engineer in
charge, had previously felled the trees in the vicinity of the
fort, and demolished the mortar magazine which commanded the
fort to a very considerable extent. For lack of the necessary
force and time, however, the felled timber and the ruins of the
adjacent houses, which had been pulled down, had not been
entirely removed. Protected by this cover, the enemy
sharpshooters were enabled to approach quite near, to the great
annoyance and injury of the cannoneers. One line of abattis had
been constructed by the engineer, and three lines would have
been completed around the fort, but for the want of time and
material.
Late in the afternoon the full force of the enemy made a rapid
and vigorous charge upon the works, and, succeeding in forcing
their way through the abattis, rushed over the parapet of the
fort, carrying it by storm, and, by virtue of superior numbers,
overpowered the garrison, fighting gallantly to the last. In
many instances the Confederates were disarmed by main force. The
fort was never surrendered. It was captured by overwhelming
numbers. So soon as the enemy opened fire upon the fort from the
opposite side of the river, it was evident that two of the
magazines were seriously endangered, and it became necessary to
protect them from that fire by the erection of suitable
traverses. The labor expended in their construction, in the
mounting of guns on the rear of the work, and in removing the
debris above referred to, occupied the garrison constantly,
night and day, for nearly forty-eight hours immediately
preceding the attack. Consequently, at the time of the assault,
the men were greatly fatigued and in bad plight, physically
considered, for the contest. I think it not improper to state
here that a short time before the approach of the enemy a member
of the torpedo department had, in obedience to orders, placed in
front of the fort, and along the direct approaches, a
considerable number of sub-terra shells, whose explosions killed
quite a number of the enemy while passing over them.
After the capture of the fort, General Sherman in person ordered
my engineer with a detail of sixteen men from the garrison ---
then prisoners of war --- to remove all the torpedoes which had
not exploded. This hazardous duty was performed without injury
to any one; but it appearing to me to be an unwarrantable and
improper treatment of prisoners of war, I have thought it right
to refer to it in this report.
I am pleased to state that in my endeavors to hold the fort, I
was nobly seconded by the great majority of officers and men
under my command. Many of them had never been under fire before,
and quite a number were very young, in fact mere boys. Where so
many acted gallantly, it would be invidious to discriminate; but
I cannot avoid mentioning those who came more particularly under
my notice. I would therefore most respectfully call the
attention of the General commanding to the gallant conduct of
Captain Clinch, who, when summoned to surrender by a Federal
Captain, responded by dealing him a severe blow on the head with
his sabre. (Captain Clinch had previously received two gun-shot
wounds in the arm.) Immediately a hand to hand fight ensued.
Federal privates came to the assistance of their officer, but
the fearless Clinch continued the unequal contest until he fell
bleeding from eleven wounds (three sabre wounds, six bayonet
wounds, and two gun-shot wounds) from which, after severe and
protracted suffering, he has barely recovered. His conduct was
so conspicuous, and his cool bravery so much admired, as to
elicit the praise of the enemy and even of General Sherman
himself.
1st Lieutenant William Schirm fought his guns until the enemy
had entered the fort, and not withstanding a wound in the head,
gallantly remained at his post, discharging his duties with a
coolness and efficiency worthy of all commendation.
Lieutenant O'Neal, whom I placed in command of the scouting
party before mentioned, while in the discharge of that duty, and
in his subsequent conduct during the attack, merited the honor
due to a faithful and gallant officer.
Among those who nobly fell was the gallant Hazzard, whose zeal
and activity were worthy of all praise. He died as a true
soldier to his post, facing overwhelming odds. The garrison lost
seventeen killed and thirty-one wounded.
A Federal officer in writing an account of the siege of Savannah
and storming of Fort McAllister said:
Those were dark days when the marching was over and the army had
settled down in the flooded forests and before the frowning
fortifications of Savannah. Notwithstanding the orders to forage
upon the enemy on the way, the thirty days' rations were in
parts of the army exhausted when it came to the halt, where
there was no food except such as the rice-fields afforded. Then
for the first time the confident cheerfulness of the chief gave
place to deep thought and anxious preoccupation. It required
several days for the army to establish its position. By turning
aside the waters of the canal which united the swift current of
the Savannah with its sluggish sister, the Ogeechee, the low
swamp-lands were covered neck-deep by the treacherous element;
and where the raised causeways spanned these forest bogs the
enemy had girded them about with fort and bastion. Every attempt
in the places to push forward our lines met with the fire of
heavy artillery and the blazing sheets of infantry flame. It was
not the city of Savannah our commander coveted in those days of
1864 so much as bread. Sherman might not with the hapless Queen
of France answer the cry for food with "Give them bonbons!" and
so he sought for the sea.
* * * * * * *
Weeks before, while the army was yet among the hills of Georgia,
some soldier, while rummaging among a package of letters which
he had found in a house by the road-side, came upon a scrap of
thin brown paper, marked with curved lines, which to the
ordinary eye would have been meaningless; but to any intelligent
American soldier, who had used pick and shovel, it had interest
and significance. The writing on this paper ran some in this
way:
DEAR MOTHER: Here I am in a big fort way off on the Ogeechee
river. It is called Fort McAllister, which is the name of a
plantation hereabouts. It is a big fort with thirty or forty big
guns, which we fire at the Yankee vessels whenever they come up
the river. They have tried it on with ironclads and all that,
but we always beat them off, and are perfectly safe behind our
tall bomb-proofs. You can't imagine how crooked this river is--a
snake wriggling is a straight line compared to it. I send you a
little drawing which I have made of the bend in the river and
the position of the fort. A strong place it is, and the Yanks
never can take it so long as they knock at the front door. * * *
We don't have much to eat, and it's right lonely here. * * * * *
* * * * * *
The soldier gave this bit of paper to his captain, and it so
came on through General Howard to General Sherman; and as he
carefully examined it I remember hearing some one say: "Fort
McAllister! I never heard of such a place before. It must be one
of the rebel line of sea defences." * * * * *
Hazen's troops, the general carrying in his pocket the slip of
brown paper which many months ago the rebel soldier had sent to
his mother way up in Georgia, halted not at tangled abattis,
they did not heed the torpedoes exploding under their feet, but
plunged into the deep ditch, tore away the tough palisades,
mounted to the parapet, and there, then, and within the fort,
fought hand to hand with its gallant defenders; and when the
smoke, painfully lifting itself into the heavy air of evening,
revealed the flag of our Union planted there, we, envious and
impatient lookers-on, knew that victory was inscribed all over
its beautiful folds.
To Hazen the capture of Fort McAllister was glory, undying fame.
To the Commander-in-chief it meant bread, food, the conquest of
Savannah. How swift moved events when the brazen door to the sea
was unlocked! And first and most important was the feast of hard
tack; and a more welcome feast was never offered to a hungry
host since the days the children of Israel found manna in the
wilderness. The destructive torpedoes in the river were released
from their moorings, and scores of busy, puffing steam-tugs
paddled up the stream, loaded with precious freight of bread.
There was enough, more than enough, for all. Bread for man and
food for beast. Profane fellows, who had well-nigh forgotten how
to pray, now offered up grateful thanks. The soldier in his
rifle-pit heeded not the mud and water, and patted his ration of
hard bread with loving tenderness. As the wagons creaked into
camp, groaning with their cargo of white boxes filled with hard
tack, the eager groups of hungry men surrounded them with cheers
of welcome. The army of refugees, crouching in their miserable
camps among the bushes, were not forgotten.
After the fall of Fort McAllister both armies lay comparatively
idle, awaiting what was shortly expected to be bloody work. The
enemy made numerous feints of storming our works, but hostile
operations were mainly confined to petty skirmishes.5 The enemy,
as was admitted after the surrender by a Colonel of their army,
attempted to throw shell into the city, no warning of such
intention being given. The Colonel stated that his gunners, in a
battery on the west of the city, had their guns double-charged,
hoping that the extra load would hurl the shells into the city.
One shell fell near the Central Railroad bridge, and another
into the river one hundred yards above the upper rice-mill. On
the 19th of December the enemy placed an army corps on the South
Carolina shore with a view of cutting off the Confederate army
should they attempt to retreat.
All hope of successfully coping with the powerful force of the
enemy was rightly abandoned by General Hardee, and he concluded
to evacuate the city and thus save his command to the
Confederacy. A pontoon bridge was laid across the river from
Anderson's wharf, a few paces west of Barnard street, to
Hutchinson's island, and another one from thence to the South
Carolina shore. Early on the 20th a small force was sent over
and dislodged a body of the enemy's troops posted across a road
by which the proposed retreat was to be made. At night the
Confederates were quietly withdrawn from the intrenchments,
marched through the city, across the pontoon bridges into South
Carolina, and safely escaped up the country. All the artillery
and stores that could be removed were carried off. A large
number of families left during the night in private conveyances,
following the retreating troops.
The members of the council were notified by the commander of his
intention to evacuate the city, and a special meeting was
called. While the troops were leaving the city Dr. R. D. Arnold,
Mayor, and Aldermen Henry Brigham, J. F. O'Byrne, C. C. Casey,
Henry Freeman, Robert Lachlison, Joseph Lippman, J. L.
Villalonga, and George W. Wylly met in the Exchange and resolved
that the Council should repair to the outer defences before
daylight, to surrender the city and secure such terms as would
ensure protection to the persons and property of the citizens
from the soldiers whose previous conduct filled the minds of all
with a lively apprehension that slaughter and rapine would mark
their entrance into the city. The council dispersed to assemble
at the Exchange at a later hour, where hacks would await to
convey the members to the outer works. As they came out of the
Exchange a fire was observed in the western part of the city,
and, by request, Messrs. Casey, O'Byrne, and Lachlison went to
it with a view of taking measures for its suppression. The fire
was caused by the burning of a nearly-completed ironclad and a
lot of timber near the mouth of the Ogeechee canal which had
been fired by the retreating troops. The wind was blowing to the
west, and after observing that no danger to the city need be
apprehended from the flames these gentlemen returned to the
Exchange, where the other members of the Council had assembled
and were in a hack prepared to start. They stated that other
hacks had been provided, but General Wheeler's cavalry had
pressed the horses into service. Mr. O'Byrne procured his horse
and buggy and conveyed Mr. Casey to the junction of the
Lewisburg road with the Augusta road--about half of a mile
beyond the Central Railroad depot--and leaving him there
returned for Mr. Lachlison, who had walked in that direction.
The party in the hack, meanwhile, had come up to Mr. Casey, and
taking him up drove up the Lewisburg road. Mr. O'Byrne met Mr.
Lachlison, and with him returned to where Mr. Casey had been
left, but not finding any of the party there, concluded they had
gone up the Augusta road, and proceeded up it, hoping to
overtake them. They advanced but a short distance when they
heard the report of a gun and a minnie ball whistled between
them. They halted, and were then ordered by the pickets to turn
around (they had unawares passed the enemy's picket and had not
heard the command to halt) and come to them. They did as
commanded, and after informing the officer of the picket who
they were, were conducted to Colonel Barnum, to whom they stated
the object of their mission. He then conducted them to General
John W. Geary. They told him that the city had been evacuated,
and that they, having started with the Mayor and Council to
surrender it, but became separated from them, would assume the
authority of consummating a surrender. General Geary at first
did not believe them, and questioned them very closely. After
becoming satisfied that they were what they assumed to be, he
consented to receive the surrender. The Aldermen then asked that
the lives and property of the citizens should be respected and
the ladies protected from insult. General Geary promptly replied
that the requests should be complied with, and that any soldier
detected violating the orders which would be given to restrain
them should be punished with death. Messrs. Lachlison and
O'Byrne then asked that a detachment should be sent to look
after the Mayor and other Aldermen, which was granted. General
Geary then put his troops in motion and, with Messrs. O'Byrne
and Lachlison acting as guides, advanced toward the city. At the
Central Railroad bridge they were met by the Mayor and Aldermen,
who had been overtaken by the detachment sent for them and
returned with it. They, on being introduced to the General and
being told of what had been done by Messrs. O'Byrne and
Lachlison, confirmed their action. The line of march was then
taken up to West Broad street, down that to the Bay, and thence
to the Exchange, in front of which the troops were drawn up. The
officers and the members of the Council proceeded to the porch,
from which General Geary addressed the troops, complimenting
them upon their past deeds and upon the additional honor they
had conferred upon themselves by capturing "this beautiful city
of the South." During this speech Colonel Barnum observed a
sergeant step out of the ranks to the store at the corner of
Bull and Bay streets--now occupied by Messrs. Gazan & Bro. ---
enter and come out wearing a fireman's hat. On coming down from
the porch he called the sergeant to him, and drawing his sword
ordered him to hold out the hat, which he did, and the Colonel
with one stroke of his sword cut it in half. He then stripped
the chevrons from the sergeant's arms and reduced him to the
ranks.
After the speech the troops were dispersed in squads throughout
the city, and notwithstanding the strict orders they had
received committed many depredations; among them the wanton
destruction of valuable books and papers in the Exchange and
Courthouse belonging to the city and county. General Geary
established his headquarters in the Central Railroad bank and
his subordinate officers in the various unoccupied stores along
the Bay. On the 24th of December he issued an order regarding
the posts and duties of the provost guards, and instructing the
civil authorities to resume their official duties.
General W. T. Sherman arrived in the city on the 25th, and after
telegraphing President Lincoln that he would present him
Savannah as a "Christmas gift," promulgated the following order
from his headquarters at the Green mansion, opposite Oglethorpe
Barracks. The order speaks for itself:
HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI,}
IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, DECEMBER 26th, 1864. }
SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, }
NO. 143. }
The City of Savannah and surrounding country will be held as a
Military Post and adapted to future military uses, but as it
contains a population of some 20,000 people who must be provided
for, and as other citizens may come, it is proper to lay down
certain general principals, that all within its military
jurisdiction may understand their relative duties and
obligations.
I. During War, the Military is superior to Civil authority, and
where interests clash, the Civil must give way, yet where there
is no conflict, every encouragement should be given to
well-disposed and peaceful inhabitants to resume their usual
pursuits. Families should be disturbed as little as possible in
their residences, and tradesmen allowed the free use of their
shops, tools, &c. Churches, schools, all places of amusement and
recreation should be encouraged, and streets and roads made
perfectly safe to persons in their usual pursuits. Passes should
not be exacted within the line of outer pickets, but if any
person shall abuse the privileges by communicating with the
enemy, or doing any act of hostility to the Government of the
United States, he or she will be punished with the utmost rigor
of the law.
Commerce with the outer world will be resumed to an extent
commensurate with the wants of the citizens, governed by the
restrictions and rules of the Treasury Department.
II. The Chief Quartermaster and Commissary of the Army may give
suitable employment to the people, white or black, or transport
them to such points as they choose, where employment may be had,
and may extend temporary relief in the way of provisions and
vacant houses to the worthy and needy as to such time as they
can help themselves. They will select first, the buildings for
the necessary use of the army; next a sufficient number of
stores to be turned over to the Treasury Agent for trade stores.
All vacant store-houses or dwellings, and all buildings
belonging to absent rebels, will be construed and used as
belonging to the United States until such times as their titles
can be settled by the Courts of the United States.
III. The Mayor and City Council of Savannah will continue to
exercise their functions as such, and will, in concert with the
Commanding Officer of the Post and the Chief Quartermaster, see
that the Fire Companies are kept in organization, the streets
cleaned and lighted, and keep up a good understanding between
the citizens and soldiers. They will ascertain and report to the
Chief C. S., as soon as possible, the names and number of worthy
that need assistance and support.
The Mayor will forthwith give public notice that the time has
come when all must choose their course, viz: to remain with our
lines and conduct themselves as good citizens or depart in
peace. He will ascertain the names of all who choose to leave
Savannah, and report their names and residences to the Chief
Quartermaster, that measures may be taken to transport them
beyond the lines.
IV. Not more than two Newspapers will be published in Savannah,
and their Editors and Proprietors will be held to the strictest
accountability, and will be punished severely in person and
property for any libellous publication, mischievous matter,
premature news, exaggerated statements, or any comments whatever
upon the acts of the constituted authorities; they will be held
accountable even for such articles though copied from other
papers.
By Order of Major-General W. T. SHERMAN.
L. M. DRAYTON, Aide-de-Camp.
A meeting of the citizens was held in the Masonic hall on the
28th of December, to "take into consideration matters
appertaining to the present and future welfare of the city." Dr.
R. D. Arnold presided. The following preamble and resolutions
were adopted:
WHEREAS, By the fortunes of war and the surrender of the city by
the civil authorities, the city of Savannah passes once more
under the authority of the United States; and whereas, we
believe that the interests of the city will be best subserved
and promoted by a full and free expression of our views in
relation to our present condition; we, therefore, the People of
Savannah in full meeting assembled do hereby resolve:
That we accept the position, and in the language of the
President of the United States, seek to have "peace by laying
down our arms and submitting to the National authority under the
Constitution, leaving all questions which remain to be adjusted
by the peaceful means of legislation, conference and votes."
Resolved, That laying aside all differences, and burying
by-gones in the grave of the past, we will use our best
endeavors once more to bring back the prosperity and commerce we
once enjoyed.
Resolved, That we do not put ourselves in the position of a
conquered city, asking terms of a conqueror, but we claim the
immunities and privileges contained in the Proclamation and
Message of the President of the United States and in all the
legislation of Congress in reference to a people situated as we
are, and while we owe on our part a strict obedience to the laws
of the United States, we ask the protection over our persons,
lives and property recognized by these laws.
On the night of the 31st of December the blockade-runner Rebecca
Hertz, Captain King, "ran the blockade" (as the crew thought,
not knowing of the change which had recently taken place in the
government of the city) and dropped anchor opposite the
gas-house. Daylight revealed the fact that the stars and stripes
were fluttering at the points from which a short time before
floated the stars and bars. This somewhat amazed the
blockade-runners, but the situation was taken in at a glance,
and Captain King turned his vessel over to the Quartermaster's
Department.
Shortly after this occurrence Sherman started a corps across our
pontoon bridges into South Carolina. While a large number of the
soldiers were delayed on Hutchinson's island the river rose very
rapidly. The troops rushed back for the city, but a number of
the men and horses were drowned in attempting to reach the
bridge.
Among the first acts of the Federal troops after their arrival
in Savannah was the throwing up of intrenchments to resist any
attempts of the Confederates to recapture the city. They also
threw up intrenchments on the Thunderbolt road, and mounted guns
to bear upon the city. This was intended as a rallying point if
they were driven from the other intrenchments.
With a heartlessness for which there is no palliation, not even
that of "military necessity," they ran this line of works
through the Catholic cemetery, destroying, mutilating, or
covering up the monuments and tablets which the hand of
affection had placed over the graves of the loved and lost, and
in numerous instances dug up the bones and left them scattered
about. It was asserted by the officers, when remonstrated with
for their inhumanity in desecrating the graves, that the work
was necessary, and would not have been done had it not been a
"military necessity." There was no more necessity for it than
there was for the breaking open of the vaults in the Old
Burying-ground and at Bonaventure, in search of valuables which
the soldiers supposed were hidden in them.
The shock occasioned by the fall of Savannah was being rapidly
recovered from, under what appeared to be the mild and just
administration of affairs by the military, and all hoped for a
speedy restoration of quiet and prosperity, even though under
military rule. But alas! these expectations were doomed to meet
with disappointment. The mildness and justness which had
characterized the conquerors upon their first arrival were
reversed, and a series of unjust acts and petty persecutions
commenced.
When the city was evacuated there were thirty thousand five
bales of upland and a little over eight thousand bales of sea
island cotton stored in the warehouses, only one thousand bales
of which belonged to the Confederate States government. Under
the pretence that the cotton belonged to the Confederate
government, the United States Quartermasters seized all of it
(and a large quantity of other property also) and shipped it to
New York, where uplands commanded one dollar and twenty-five
cents and sea island three dollars per pound, making the total
value of the cotton seized about twenty-eight millions of
dollars. It was stored in New York, where, in the meaning of
General Sherman's order, it remained, to "be construed and used
as belonging to the United States until such times as their
titles can be settled by the Courts of the United States;" (i.
e., what time has shown, after the claimants have spent in court
and lawyers' fees the value of the cotton claimed.)
Citizens were not allowed to pass through the streets in their
daily pursuits without a pass which they had to show at the
bidding of every insolent and drunken officer or soldier who,
whether on or off duty, felt disposed to exercise the power
granted him by the bayonet. No one, ladies not excepted, could
receive a letter from the postoffice unless she or he had taken
the oath. Added to the petty tyrannies was the unbridled conduct
of the negroes and soldiers, which kept the timid in a perpetual
state of alarm.
While thus harassed and depressed the people were called upon to
bear another calamity --- the fire on the night of the 27th of
January, 1865 -- -which destroyed over a hundred buildings, and
threatened the destruction of the entire city. To the usual
horrors of an extensive fire was added the dangers of a terrific
bombardment. The fire --- supposed to have been the work of the
soldiers of the 20th United States Army corps,6 and the
beginning of an organized attempt to set fire to the city, as
during the night fire was discovered in St. Andrews' hall, in
the Exchange, and at other places throughout the city ---
commenced in a stable in the rear of the old "Granite hall"
(located at the corner of West Broad and Zubly streets), which
had been used by the Confederate authorities as an arsenal for
fixed ammunition, and in which there were stored thousands of
rounds. The fire spread rapidly. Citizens and soldiers crowded
to the scene, and under orders of an United States officer,
commenced to remove the ammunition and assist in working the
engines. Before much of the ammunition had been removed the fire
was communicated to the powder, and explosion after explosion
followed in rapid succession, the fragments of shell flying in
all directions, killing a negro and wounding two or three
citizens. Pieces of shell were picked up near the Pulaski and
also the Greene monument, and in the yards of citizens living in
remote parts of the city. The first explosion scattered the
crowd and aroused those asleep, many of whom, before realizing
the state of affairs, thought the Confederate troops had made a
night attack. During this novel bombardment, which put a stop to
the working of the engines in the vicinity and allowed the fire
full sway, a piece of shell struck the reservoir. A jet of water
immediately sprung out, which for novelty and beauty surpassed
any fountain, looking in the fiery glare like a sheet of molten
silver. Before the flames were arrested over one hundred houses,
situated on West Broad between Pine and St. Gaul streets, and a
few on Broughton and Congress streets, were destroyed.
The crowning act of oppression was yet to come --- that of
removing the families of the officers of the Confederate army
and navy out of the city. When all the other deeds of rapine,
murder, and oppression which have been laid at the door of
General Sherman have been buried in the dust of oblivion, this
will remain a reproach and disgrace to him who, not many years
before, when a lieutenant at Oglethorpe barracks, was hospitably
entertained by the relatives of the ladies who, with their
children, he now had torn away from their friends and sent into
the Confederate lines, knowing full well they must inevitably
suffer from want and exposure before meeting again with their
lawful protectors. What occasioned this action is not known.
Perhaps General Sherman7 had read of the British sending ladies
from Savannah during the Revolutionary war, and did not desire
to be outdone by them in cruelty and oppression. Whatever may
have been the occasion, he or his subordinates never published
an order defining his reasons or notifying the ladies publicly
that they must leave, but sent word privately by staff officers
that it was the intention of the commander to remove them, and
that they must register their names by a certain time. It
appears that all did not register, or at least not as many as
Brevet Major-General C. Grover, then in command of Savannah,
thought should have done so, and he published the following
order, the italics appearing in it:
[CIRCULAR.]
OFFICE PROVOST MARSHAL, DISTRICT SAVANNAH, }
March 28th, 1865. }
The wives and families of Confederate officers who have not
registered their names at this office will do so at once.
By order of Brevet Major-General C. GROVER, commanding.
ROBERT P. YORK,
Provost Marshal District Savannah, Ga.
On the 31st of March the ladies and children were placed on
board of the steamer Hudson, to be carried under flag of truce
to Augusta. Arriving at Sister's ferry, about sixty-four miles
from Savannah, the boat stopped and the captain refused to
proceed further up the river. General Edward C. Anderson,
commanding at that point, had the ladies and children
transferred to the shore and transported them to Augusta in
wagons, the only means of conveyance at hand.
Shortly after this disgraceful affair the armies of Generals Lee
and Johnston surrendered; the loved and honored and saved
returned to cheer their old places with their presence; the
restrictions upon commerce and business were gradually removed,
a partial civil government restored, and under the blessings of
a divine providence peace, prosperity, and plenty returned. Four
years have now elapsed since the capture of the city, and
Savannah is larger and more prosperous than before the war.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------
1 - General Bartow's communication regarding the refusal of
Governor Brown to allow his company to go to Virginia, will be
found with the biographical sketch of the general.
2 - Rifled cannon of large calibre had not been tested then, and
their penetrative power was of course unknown.
3 - Lieutenant Hussey died a few days before General Joseph E.
Johnston's surrender, from the effects of rigorous imprisonment.
4 - Major Gallie was a native of Scotland, and was fifty-six
years of age when killed. He was a gallant soldier and a sincere
christian. His loss was deeply deplored. Previous to the war he
was in business in Savannah, a partner of the firm of Wilder &
Gallie.
5 - It being reported that General Sherman made two demands for
the surrender of Savannah, we wrote repeatedly to the
Confederate officers who could have correctly informed us in
this regard, but received no reply. --- Eds.
6 - The soldiers of this corps believed that they would be
detailed to remain in Savannah when Sherman's army advanced,
which occurred on this night. Another corps was detailed, and
much ill feeling sprung up between the corps, and it was the
belief of the soldiers of the corps detailed to remain that the
other corps attempted to destroy the city to prevent the
necessity of their remaining.
7 - It is stated that Edward M. Stanton, United States Secretary
of War, who came to Savannah shortly after its evacuation,
ordered that the wives and children of the Confederate officers
should be sent out of the city, against which Sherman at first
demurred, but afterward consented, and gave the necessary
commands to have the order carried out."
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