Today in History:

298 Series I Volume XLVII-I Serial 98 - Columbia Part I

Page 298 OPERATIONS IN N. C. S., S. C., S. GA., AND E. FLA. Chapter LIX.

slight skirmish returned to old camp near Bamberg. On the 9th marched to Holman's Bridge and bivouacked; 10th, crossed South Edisto River and bivouacked; 11th, marched on Orangeburg road and bivouacked at Poplar Springs; 12th, marched to Shilling's Bridge on the North Edisto River, where we found the enemy in considerable-force intrenched on the north side of the river to oppose our crossing. After a pretty severe skirmish I succeeded in crossing the river above the bridge on trees, which we felled across the river, though we had to wade for several hundred yards on either side of main stream. This enabled us to flank and take the enemy's works in front of the bridge with a large number of prisoners; 13th, marched in the direction of Columbia, and on the evening of the 14th bivouacked near Sandy Run. On 15th, the advance of our corps, the First Division, having forward to support them, and when the enemy was driven from his position we crossed the creek and formed line on the right of the division, where we lay all night under the enfilading fir of one of the enemy's batteries, which was on the east side of the Congaree River. 16th, the enemy having retired from our front, after deploying one regiment-the Fifty-third Ohio-along the west bank of the river as sharpshooters to silence the rebel battery, the remainder of the brigade marched past Columbia, crossed the Saluda River at the Sadulad Factory, and bivouacked near Broad River. 17th, the brigade crossed Broad River and marched into Columbia. 18th, and 19th, destroyed three miles of the Columbia and Charleston Railroad, and on he 20th marched again in a northerly direction, crossed the Wateree River on the 22nd at Peay's Ferry, and bivouacked near Sprue's [Singleton's?] Creek. 23rd, marched through Liberty Hill in the direction of Camden, and on the 26th we crossed Lynch's Creek, the men having to wade.

Remained at Lynch's Creek constructing a bridge to cross our transportation until march 1, when we marched by the way of Kelly's Cross-Roads and New Market to Cheraw, where we arrived on the evening of the 4th. On the 5th we crossed the Great Pedee River and marched in the direction of Fayetteville, N. C., where we arrived on the 12th, after having crossing Lumber River and the worst swamps we had seen on the campaign. we remained in camp at Fayetteville until the afternoon of the 15th, when we crossed Cape Fear River and bivouacked. 16th, marched in the direction of Goldsborough, after crossing South River and some of the worst swamps in North Carolina. In the night of the 19th, when within twenty miles of Goldsborough, we learned that the Army of the Cumberland had been engaged with Johnston's army, and we were ordered to re-enforce it. After marching all night, at daylight we joined the army of General Slocum, where, there being no general engagement, we remained in reserve until the 21st, when our division having reported to General Logan, the brigade was formed on the left of Colonel Theodore Jones' brigade, being the extreme left of the Army of the Tennessee, and advanced across the Goldsborough road to within about 300 yards of the rebel works, where, under the severe fire from the enemy's skirmishers, it erected a temporary work. The brigade remained in this position, its left being several hundred yards in advance of the troops on the left, the Fourteenth Army Corps, skirmishing with the enemy until about 4 a.m. the 22d, when the skirmishers advanced to the rebel line of works and found that they had been evacuated during the night. They immediately advanced to Mill Creek, but finding nothing but a few stragglers of the enemy, whom they captured, returned to our works, where the brigade remained until


Page 298 OPERATIONS IN N. C. S., S. C., S. GA., AND E. FLA. Chapter LIX.