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Page 273 | Chapter LVI. THE SAVANNAH CAMPAIGN. |
attached by a portion of Ferguson's brigade of rebel cavalry, who kept up a desultory fire upon us for an hour and a half, and were driven off by my skirmishers. They wounded one of my men and captured four others who were out foraging. The fire of my skirmishers upon them was more effective, killing three and wounding a number. The country through which the railroad passes from Numbers 13 to Numbers 11 requires description. It is a continuous morass, known as Williamson's Creek, or Swamp. The stream is quite a large one, running in general direction parallel to the railroad and crossing it many times. The land in the vicinity of both sides is soft and swampy, with dense thickets of underbrush and vines. Through this swamp the railroad is constructed on an embankment of borrowed earth thrown up from the sides, averaging from six to ten feet in height. The superstructure consisted of cross-ties bedded in the earth, with string timbers pinned to them upon which the iron rails were spiked. The mode of destruction was to tear up, pike, and burn the ties and spring timbers, with the rails across, which, when heated, were destroyed by twisting. Shortly after dark I returned to Davisborough and encamped there for the night. Distance traveled by a portion of my command to-day, fifteen miles.
November 29, moved at 6. 30 a. m., following the main Louisville road for seven miles to Fleming's house; there turning square to the right by a small road, moved eight miles to Spiers Station (Numbers 11), which I reached at 1 o'clock. After a short halt for dinner moved on, following the road toward Station Numbers 10, and encamped about 7 p. m. on the east side of a small creek which crossed the road six miles from Station Numbers 11, the camp of the First Division being about one mile and a half in advance of mine. The roads traveled to-day were generally good and quite dry and hard west of Spiers Station. East of that place there was considerable swamp and marshy ground. The country through which we passed on the Louisville road was excellent, the plantations being large and the buildings fine. After leaving that road the country is poorer and appears to be newly settled. Distance traveled was twenty-one miles.
November 30, marched at 6 a. m., and reaching he encampment of the First Division found the troops had not yet left. At 10. 30 we followed that division north toward Louisville, leaving Jones' brigade, which was then about three miles and a half distant, at the railroad bridge across the Ogeechee, to destroy that an the wagon bridge across the river, and then to follow to Louisville. After halting a few hours for dinner and to repair the bridge over the Ogeechee, which had been partly burned by the rebel cavalry, we crossed the river and encamped at dark two miles beyond, on the east side of Big Creek, on a high hill overlooking miles of the country, and two miles and a half south of Louisville. The country on both sides of the Ogeechee is an extensive good, with thick, tangled growths. These swamps, however, have good sandy bottoms, and it was not difficult to pass through them. The distance marched was ten miles.
December 1, moved at 7 a. m., my division leading, following the road toward Millen. My advance was preceded by the Ninth Illinois Mounted Infantry. Crossed Big, Dry, Spring, and Baker's Creeks, passing through the camp of Carlin's division, of the Fourteenth Corps, west of Baker's Creek, and encamped one miles and a half from Bark Camp Creek. The country passed through on this day's march was very swampy, although the roads in the main were very good. The facilities for forage were not as ample as on the previous days, the plan-
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Page 273 | Chapter LVI. THE SAVANNAH CAMPAIGN. |