Numbers 87. Report of Brigadier General William Vandever, U. S. Army, commanding First Brigade, of operations January 20-March 23.

HDQRS. FIRST Brigadier, SECOND DIV., 14TH ARMY CORPS,
Near Goldsborough, N. C., March 31, 1865.

CAPTAIN: In compliance with instructions from headquarters Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, I respectfully submit the following report of the part taken by this command in the recent campaign:

On the 20th of January, 1865, brigade, with the balance of the division, took up its line of march from Savannah, and reached Sister's Ferry, on the Savannah River, on the 28th, being delayed by rain, bad roads, and swamps. At Sister's Ferry, being delayed by rain, bad roads, and swamps. At Sister's Ferry we remained several days, replenishing our supplies from transports sent up the River under convoy of a gun-boat. From Sister's Ferry we marched to Barnwell Court-House. Thence crossing the track and destroying a portion of the South Carolina Railroad, we passed the South and North Edisto and reached the Congaree River, opposite Columbia, on the 16th of February. The next day we crossed the Saluda River on pontoons eight miles above Columbia, and marched in the direction of Winnsborough, crossing Broad River. On the 24th we crossed the Catawba River at Kingsbury's Ferry. Here we were detained several days by the exceedingly bad state of the weather and the roads.

On the 1st of March we left our camp near the Catawba and reached the Great Pedee near Cheraw, passing the distance of nearly seventy miles, over the most execrable roads, in four days. On the 7th we crossed the River on a pontoon bridge and reached Fayetteville on the 11th. On the following evening the brigade crossed the Cape Fear River and camped about two miles beyond. At this point we struck a creek, on the opposite side of which the pickets of the enemy were posted. Finding the bridge partially destroyed I caused it to be immediately repaired, and that night pushed forward the Fourteenth Regiment Michigan Infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel Grummond, who encountered a considerable force of the enemy's cavalry and drove them back some two miles, where he established his line and remained over night. On the following morning the remainder of the brigade crossed and encamped on a road running to the left, rebuilding another bridge, which had been destroyed by the enemy. In the course of the day it was reported that the enemy in some force occupied a position in our front. By order of Brigadier-General Morgan I sent out a regiment (the Sixteenth Illinois Infantry) to dislodge them, and soon after followed in person. When I arrived upon the ground I found sharp skirmishing going on and the enemy slowly falling back until a swamp was reached, behind which he was strongly posted and where he brought his artillery into action. Soon after two more regiments of my brigade, the Tenth Michigan and the Sixteenth Illinois, joined me. I succeeded, without material loss, in driving him from his position, and then, in obedience to orders, desisted from pushing him further.

This was on the 13th. The next day we resumed our march. On the 16th, not far from Averasborough, the enemy was found in force behind breast-works. I was ordered into position on the extreme left of our line, with a view of turning the extreme right of the enemy if practicable. After crossing a deep and difficult ravine I advanced my line as far as the nature of the ground would permit. My extreme left rested on the Cape Fear River, with deep ravines running along my