on the main Milledgeville road, required a deflection to the right in the movement of my column in order that the two corps should move on separate roads, and, in compliance with orders from the General-in-chief, whose headquarters moved with my column on this part of our campaign, I ordered the head of the column in the direction of Milledgeville, by the way of Farrar's Mill on Murder Creek. Owing to the heavy rain which had fallen during the night and was still pouring down upon us, the progress of our trains was exceedingly slow, and the night of the 21st was spent in mud and water, crossing Murder Creek. On the 22nd the weather partially cleared off, and the corps marched and went into camp in the vicinity of Cedar Creek. On the 23rd the weather cleared off, and the roads having dried up so as to be quite passable for trains, the whole command marched and went into camp in the vicinity of Milledgeville by the afternoon. The Twentieth Corps had already reached the city the evening previous, from the direction of Madisonville. On the 24th Carlin's and Morgan's divisions, with their trains, crossed the river and went into camp a few miles beyond the bridge, preparatory to the advance upon Sandersville. This place was reached on the 26th after two days' good marching, the head of the column reaching the town at about the same time as did the Twentieth Corps. A part of Wheeler's cavalry was handsomely driven from the town by the advance skirmishers of the two corps.

November 27, the corps trains, under escort of Carlin's division, moved by the way of Davisborough upon Louisville, while Baird's and Morgan's divisions, unembarrassed with rains, moved on the Fenn's ridge road, thus protecting our left flank from any demonstrations the enemy's cavalry might make from that direction upon our trains. Those two divisions, under command of Brigadier-General Baird, marching on a road between the Ogeechee River and Rocky Comfort Creek, reached Louisville early in the afternoon of the 28th, and immediately laid a pontoon bridge across the creek and commenced the passage of troops. Owing to the movements of the Twentieth Corps and trains occupying the main road from Davidsborough to Louisville, Carlin's division and my corps trains moving on that road were only able to reach the Ogeechee about 3 p. m. Colonel Buell's pontoniers immediately commenced laying their bridges and repairing the roads destroyed by the enemy, under the personal supervision of the general commanding the wing, and before night the troops and trains were passing both streams into their camps around Louisville. The road, running as it does here through an immense cypress swamp, required considerable labor to put and keep it in condition for the passage of trains, and it was not until noon the next day that the entire column succeeded in getting into its camps.

Early on the morning of the 29th I received, from a staff officer, a report from General Kilpatrick, commanding the cavalry, that he had succeeded in cutting the road at Waynesborough and burned the railroad bridge across Brier Creek, and that on his return he had been for several days hard pressed by Wheeler. He also reported his command about ten miles from Louisville, on the road leading direct to Buck Head bridge. At his request I immediately sent a brigade of infantry whom Baird's division, commanded by Colonel Morton C. Hunter, to his support. He, however, experienced less difficulty than was apprehended, and, joining my command during the day, went into camp on the east side of Big Creek, supported by Colonel Hunter's brigade, until the general advance was resumed December 1. November 30, my troops occupied the same position, skirmishing with the enemy's cavalry, who made