Numbers 153. Reports of Colonel Francis H. West, Thirty-First Wisconsin Infantry, of operations January 18-March 24 and April 10-May 27.

HDQRS. THIRTY-FIRST REGIMENT WISCONSIN VOLUNTEERS,
Near Goldsborough, N. C., March 27, 1865.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of my regiment from the time of their leaving Savannah, Ga., until their arrival at this place on the 24th instant:

The regiment left camp at Savannah on the 18th of January, 1865, with an effective force of-men. On the following day we overtook the brigade near Hardeeville (it having marched a day earlier). After this the regiment was not again detached from the brigade during the campaign. On the same day we arrived at Purdeeville [Purysburg
, on the Savannah River, where we remained for seven days, making connection with boats on the River and obtaining some supplies. During this time we had very heavy rains and the country was nearly all inundated. On the 28th we started for Sister's Ferry, twenty miles farther up the River; found the water so high we could not approach miles from the ferry, where we remained three days and succeeded in getting communication with the River.

On the 2nd of February we marched out from here, cutting loose from all base and starting north. Thus far on our line of March there was an indiscriminate destruction of property, leaving the country a perfect waste. Large amounts of cotton were found and burned on nearly every plantation. Here new and positive orders were issued prohibiting the burning of anything but cotton and cotton-bins. These orders were generally observed during the balance of the campaign. From this time our March was continued and almost uninterrupted, marching from town to town, from River to River, and railroad to railroad, foraging our supplies from the country, capturing large numbers of animals, destroying large quantities of cotton and great numbers of cotton-gins, and all the railroads in our course through the center of the State, and dispelling all forces of the enemy assembled to prevent our progress, they being unable to make anything like a formidable opposition to our progress until we arrived at Smithville, in North Carolina.

Having early in the campaign captured animals, and mounted thirty-five of my men as foragers, under charge of Lieutenant Bonney, they succeeded in keeping the command well supplied with subsistence during the entire March through South Carolina. After reaching North Carolina, and for the last twenty days of the campaign, the country passed over was so very poor that we sometimes found great difficulty in getting sufficient breadstuff and the men were compelled to use parched corn, and at times could not get enough, of that, but they at all times had a plenty of meat.

In the swamps near Smithville on the 16th, of March we first encountered the enemy in heavy force, and Jackson's and Ward's divisions, of the Twentieth Corps, were put in line against them early in the day. The ground being very unfavorable for a general attack a desultory firing with skirmishing and occasional attacks were made through the day, with much loss to the enemy and considerable to us, the enemy being constantly driven back through the swamp. Toward night a part of the Fourteenth Corps arrived as re-enforcement, but a heavy rain setting in darkness soon terminated the conflict the enemy with-