upon the road and bridge to make them passable, much was still required to keep them in condition, and it was not until daylight the 9th that the rear of the column had completed the crossing.

During the 8th the enemy's cavalry made several attempts to drive in our rear pickets, but did not succeed. The loss on our side during these attacks was but slight, although at times the skirmishing was quite animated. On the morning of the 9th, marched from camp at Ebenezer Church to Cuyler's plantation, where General Morgan, who was in the advance, found the enemy occupying a strongly erected field-work, disposed to dispute his advance. General Morgan immediately placed a couple of field pieces in position and opened fire upon the work. His infantry was soon deployed for an attack, but the near approach of night and the impossibility of assaulting the position through the impassable swamp in our front caused me to defer the attack until morning, when it was discovered the enemy had abandoned his position. December 10, advanced Morgan's and Carlin's divisions with trains to the Ten-mile house and went into camp, giving the road to the Twentieth Corps, advancing from Monteith and intersecting the Augusta road. Baird's division was ordered to cover the rear and tear up the railroad track in the vicinity of the crossing at the Savannah, and, if possible, to destroy the bridge at that point. December 11, moved down the Augusta road to the position of the Twentieth Corps in front of the enemy's works, and received orders to relieve the Seventeenth Corps in its position on the Louisville road and in the vicinity of the Ogeechee Canal. This was done, and by the 12th the whole corps had taken position in front of the enemy, my left connecting with the Twentieth Corps near the Savannah and Charleston Railroad, and my right connecting with the Seventeenth Corps beyond the canal, near Lawton's plantation.

During the intervening days between the 12th and 21st, at which time the enemy evacuated his position, my troops were assiduously engaged in skirmishing with the enemy, reconnoitering his position, and making general preparations for the attack. Five points in my front had, several days before the evacuation, been well reconnoitered and pronounced accessible to an attacking party. This information was duly forwarded to the general commanding. For further information concerning the position of my troops and the enemy's works and approaches to them I have the honor to refer the general commanding to the accompanying map,* drawn by my chief engineer; it is, I think, perfectly accurate. December 21, it was discovered that the enemy had evacuated his position in our front, and the report of my chief of artillery shows twenty-eight pieces of artillery of different calibers captured. My provost-marshal's report shows 639 able-bodied negroes turned over to the quartermaster's department at King's Bridge, in compliance with special orders from headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi. This number does not include a large number retained in the different commands as officer's servants, pioneers, &c.

I would respectfully submit the following statistics, which have been collected from the reports of the different departments, and are as near correct as can be compiled from such date: Forty-eight mils of railroad track and four large and important bridges upon the Chattanooga and Atlanta, Atlanta and Augusta, Savannah and Augusta, and Georgia Central railroads were thoroughly destroyed. A large amount of cotton, estimated by division commanders at about 12,000 bales, was also destroyed. Seventeenth hundred and seventy draft and saddle

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*Not found; but see Plate LXX, Map 3 of the Atlas.

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