Swamp, and Little Pedee River into North Carolina, thence toward Fayetteville, crossing Lumber River, Raft Swamp, the Great and Little Rockfish Creeks, nearly all the bridges being destroyed.

On Saturday, March 11, after building the bridge and crossing Little Rockfish Creek, Lieutenant Colonel J. J. Hibbets, Thirty-second Ohio Infantry with 200 mounted men, being detachments belonging to nearly all the regiments in the division, including Lieutenant, A. J. Gillespie's mounted detachment, was ordered forward to Fayetteville, seven miles distant. After skirmishing and driving the enemy three miles, they, aided by the escort of General Howard, who were ordered forward, cleared the town of General Wheeler's cavalry, driving them across the Cape Fear River. They were within 200 yards of the bridge when it was fired by the enemy, but it was so prepared for burning by covering it with resin that it was impossible to save it. By this time I had reached the city building with the head of my column, the authorities having just surrendered the town to Lieutenant-Colonel Strong, of General Howard's staff. I was ordered by General Howard to send a regiment to aid in saving the bridge, but it arrived too late to effect that object. General Slocum's troops having now entered the town from the west, I was ordered to move my command to a good position outside of town and go into camp. On Monday, March 13, crossed Cape Fear River on pontoon bridges and South River on the 16th. The heavy rains overflowed the swamps and the muddy condition of the roads considerably retarded our movements. The whole command was frequently required to build roads for the movement of the trains. Monday, the 20th, we moved to Bentonville, eighteen miles to our left, and took up a position on the right of the Fifteenth Corps, confronting the combined armies of Generals Johnston, Beauregard, Hardee, and Hampton. The next day considerable fighting took place, some of the enemy's works being carried, and the were so closely pressed at all points that they evacuated during the night.

This successful movement closed the campaign. Orders were received to move to Goldsborough, where we arrived on the 24th of March and where we are now encamped.

My division left Pocotaligo, S. C., on the 29th day of January with eighteen days' rations of bread and ten days' of fresh and salt meat. The campaign lasted fifty-five days; sufficient bread for one day was procured at Fayetteville. On arriving at Goldsborough I had more meat than I started with and three days' bread on hand, having gathered sufficient stores from the country to subsist my troops for thirty-nine days. A large number of horses and mules were also captured.

The following tabular statement from the report of Lieutenant D. H. Budlong, engineer officer of the division, will show the amount of labor done by the engineer department:

Redoubts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Rifle-pits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . yards . . . 3,505

Bridges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . do . . . . 439

Pontoon boats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Railroad destroyed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . miles . . . 20

Corduroy road built. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . yards (a) . . . 53,865

In addition to the above a large amount of trestle-work was burned and some railroad bridges.

My thanks are due to my brigade commanders, Brigadier Gens. W. W. Belknap and B. F. Potts, for their energy and cordial co-operation throughout, and the officers and men, though greatly in need of shoes

a Being over thirty miles.