HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Major-General SLOCUM, Sister's Ferry: Howard moves Wednesday morning via Hickory Hill and Rivers' Bridge. Communicate with me at Hickory Hill and follow as rapidly as possible by the old Orangeburg road, by Lawtonville, Duck Branch Post-Office, and Buford's Bridge. Let Kilpatrick's cavalry keep on your left front. I have not heard of your crossing the Savannah yet, but negroes report you pushing the enemy through Lawtonville. Make the most possible of this fine weather. Maj. L. M. DAYTON, W. T. SHERMAN, HEADQUARTERS TWENTIETH CORPS, Assistant Adjutant-General: MAJOR: My command, excepting Geary's division with the Fourteenth Corps, arrived at this place day before yesterday. Your dispatch was received the same night, and by much effort I got it through to General Slocum, who happened to be at the bluff on the river five miles below. I found the road from this to the river under water from one to three feet deep for one mile and a half, with four bridges gone. The point where the road from the Georgia side reaches the river is about three miles below the point where the road from this side strikes the river, and from that down the road is through low ground, now overflowed the whole distance, and for three-eighths of a mile at least four to six feet deep. The pontoon bridge is laid below, and parties on both ends are at work on the road. It cannot be made passable, in the opinion of General Slocum, within four days. The river is under a second freshet, which has been very high, but is subsiding. I was at General Slocum's headquarters yesterday. All the troops had reached the high ground on the south side of the river in good condition, and the transports were up with abundant supplies. I I found a portion of Wheeler's cavalry here, but drove them out without difficulty. Prisoners and deserters report that he has three divisions near us, above, with his headquarters at Lawtonville. attempted to communicate with you on Sunday, but my messenger could not get through. This dispatch is sent at the instance of General Slocum. A. S. WILLIAMS, CIRCULAR.] HEADQUARTERS TWENTIETH CORPS, The indiscriminate pillage of houses is disgraceful and demoralizing to this army. The houses in this vicinity, of free negroes even, have been stripped of the necessary bedclothes and of family apparel. Brigade commanders will at once take measures to put a stop to these infamous practices. No foraging or other parties will be permitted to leave camp, except in charge of a commissioned officer, who will be held responsible for the good conduct of the men under his charge. To secure the observance of this order the regular daily company roll calls will be rigidly enforced and every man absent without permission will be reported through regimental and brigade commanders to division commanders, and will be placed in arrest by his regimental commander for punishment. No department staff officer will permit an enlisted man or employé in his department to leave camp without a pass countersigned by the brigade or division commander. All strag glers without written permits will be turned over to the provostmarshal for immediate punishment. The brevet major-general commanding the corps expects the hearty co-operation of all officers to put a stop to practices disgraceful to our arms and shocking to humanity. This order will be communicated not only to the troops of the line, but all quartermasters, commissaries, ordnance, ambulance, and all other officers, and to all men under their charge, whether civilians or enlisted men, and they will be held responsible that not a man of their commands leaves camp without the permits of their respective military commanders. By command of Brevet Major-General Williams: H. W. PERKINS, Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, COMMANDING Officer, Coosawhatchie: SIR: I send you four cipher dispatches* for General Slocum. Send one via Purysburg, another by some other route, and keep two, one of which to be sent back to him by the first courier who comes from him, and the last by another who may follow. Slocum should now be at Robertsville. His troops left Savannah on the 25th, and two divisions were then on this side, at Purysburg. I may move to-morrow for Hickory Hill Post-Office. Yours, W. T. SHERMAN, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Maj. Gen. W. T. SHERMAN, Commanding, &c.: GENERAL: I have the honor to inform you that I have just returned from Savannah, where I saw an officer just from Sister's Ferry and obtained from him the following report: The bridge across the Savannah River at Sister's Ferry was completed on the night of the 30th and a few men crossed over it. A new approach had to be made, the old approach having been much washed by the water, and the causeway filled with torpedoes. On the north *See Sherman to Slocum, p. 184. side of the river the marsh extended for a mile and three-quarters, which will have to be corduroyed. This General Slocum expected to accomplish to-day, and hoped to be able to cross General Kilpatrick's cavalry to the north side to-morrow (February 1). He had communicated with General Williams on the 30th instant in the direction of Robertsville, and obtained the report that the enemy was in slight force in that direction, only small bodies of Wheeler's cavalry being encountered. General Slocum had encountered on the south side of the river only Iverson's brigade of cavalry. General Slocum proposed to advance to-morrow, Kilpatrick's cavalry leading, provided the causeway on the north side of the marsh could be completed in time. I learned that the supplies were reaching Sister's Ferry, but, owing to bad management somewhere, rather slowly. General Easton complains that it is owing to his lack of boats. I immediately sent the Naushon, and also gave him the Golden Gate, although at serious inconvenience. Brevet Major Gouraud has just returned from North Carolina. He met Generals Grant, Schofield, and Rawlins at Morehead City. None of General Schofield's corps had yet arrived. Several hundred of the construction corps had arrived. I shall also, in obedience to your orders, send forward the construction corps from here immediately. I will also carry out your directions with regard to demonstrations as completely as possible. I do not propose to withdraw any of General Hatch's command at present, but to send the Fifty-fifth Massachusetts Volunteers and a few hundred men from this place under General Potter to do all he can in demonstrations toward the railroad, and also, finally, to advance on James Island. I send also a paper of the 26th instant, one of the latest received. General Hatch will give any details I may have omitted to write. Very respectfully, yours, J. G. FOSTER, Major-General of Volunteers. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Maj. Gen. W. T. SHERMAN, Commanding Military Division, &c.: GENERAL: I have the honor to present for your consideration the orders and instructions received from the War Department with respect to the colored recruiting rendezvous in this department, and to ask respectfully that you may change paragraph 5, Special Field Orders, No. 15, current series, &c., so as to leave the duties of enlistments and organization of negro troops as they were established by the above orders and instructions. The reasons for the above are as follows: First. The orders from the War Department, copies of which are inclosed, from Nos. 1 to 6,* show that Brevet Brigadier-General Littlefield is regularly appointed as general superintendent of volunteer recruiting service for this department, and has his rendezvous estab. lished at Hilton Head, in accordance with above orders from the War Department. Second. That by said orders and by the letter of Major-General Halleck, of December 21, 1864, a copy of which is inclosed,* the power is conferred upon me to organize all the colored men in the department into regiments, and to appoint their officers for confirmation by the President, and to have them carefully drilled and exercised. Third. Acting under your Special Field Orders, No. 15, Brevet Major-General Saxton has assumed control of all the recruiting, and is disposed to question the power delegated to me by the above orders. He has taken action in the calling of a mass-meeting of the colored men in Savannah antagonistic to the wishes that I understood you to express with regard to delaying such action until after all the quartermaster's and commissary's work necessary to the forwarding of your supplies had been completed. By haranguing said meeting, in company with the Rev. Mr. French, and informing the blacks that he intended establishing a camp of instruction for negro regiments in Savannah, he has tended to produce confusion, excitement, and an erroneous impression upon the colored people and upon the white inhabitants of the city which is prejudicial to the good order and well-being of the city. General Grover objects to it as tending to confusion and affording opportunities, under cover of which incendiary attempts of secret spies may be made. In addition to the above, General Saxton, also in opposition to General Grover's wishes, has appointed another mass-meeting of the negroes in Savannah on Thursday next. One consequence of this ill-judged action on General Saxton's part is, that the negroes generally prefer idleness to either work or enlisting, and only about 450 recruits have presented themselves thus far. It is reported that in private conversation General Saxton expressed a determination to carry out fully his ill-judged course, and that he could have the head cut off of any officer who opposed him. I would earnestly and respectfully urge upon the major-general commanding, the necessity of changing paragraph 5 in Special Field Orders, No. 15, by omitting the last sentence, so as to leave the whole subject of recruiting where it was placed by the orders and instructions inclosed. I cannot avoid expressing the conviction that this course is absolutely necessary to prevent serious interference on the part of General Saxton with the duties and prerogatives both of myself and the general officers under me. Again earnestly soliciting your favorable attention to the above request, at your earliest convenience, I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Bvt. Brig. Gen. M. S. LITTLEFIELD, Commanding Hilton Head District : GENERAL: The major-general commanding directs that you will order 300 men of the One hundred and forty-fourth New York Volunteers to be in readiness to embark at a moment's notice with ten days' rations, blankets, overcoats, and sixty rounds of ammunition on the person of each soldier, and forty rounds extra in cartridge-boxes. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. L. M. BURGER, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Lieut. Col. CHARLES B. Fox, Commanding Fifty-fifth Massachusetts Vols., Fort Jackson: COLONEL: I am directed by the major-general commanding to state that a steamer will be sent for your entire command to-morrow. You will have your command in readiness to embark without delay. You are to proceed to Morris Island and will be required to participate at once in active operations. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. L. M. BURGER, Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. COAST DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Col. C. H. VAN WYCK, Commanding First Brigade: COLONEL: You will break up camp and move within the intrenchments near General Sherman's headquarters this morning. The left regiment will rest near the road leading to Barnwell, the right regiment at a point designated this morning. You will picket the road leading toward Barnwell, the railroad, and the high ground near the right regiment. You will establish your headquarters at General Sherman's headquarters. By command of Brig. Gen. J. P. Hatch: LEONARD B. PERRY, First Lieut., Fifty-fifth Mass. Vols., and Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen. HDQRS. COAST DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Maj. M. F. WEBSTER, Pocotaligo, S. C., January 31, 1865. Commanding Battalion Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry: MAJOR: You will establish your camp near the Pocotaligo railroad station. By command of Brig. Gen. J. P. Hatch: LEONARD B. PERRY, First Lieut., Fifty-fifth Mass. Vols., and Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen. HDQRS. COAST DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Lieut. E. H. TITUS: Pocotaligo, S. C., January 31, 1865. LIEUTENANT: You will establish the camp of your battery at the intrenchments made by General Sherman's army, between Colonel Hallowell's present headquarters, near Pocotaligo. By command of Brig. Gen. J. P. Hatch: LEONARD B. PERRY, First Lieut., Fifty-fifth Mass. Vols., and Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen. |