SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, No. 183. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT AND ARMY OF THE TENNESSEE, Clifton Ferry, Ga., December 2, 1864. The following are the orders for this army to-morrow, the 3d instant: First, Major-General Blair will continue his march along the railroad, which he will thoroughly destroy en route to No. 7, where he will encamp his command to-morrow night. Second, no general movement of the Fifteenth Corps will take place. Major-General Osterhaus, commanding, will send out his mounted infantry on both sides of the river toward Station No. 5, to reconnoiter and gather information, &c., and secure any bridges or fords on the river between this point and that station. He will also send two brigades across the river at Clifton Ferry, which, with the brigade already over, will assist the Seventeenth Corps in destroying the railroad-one brigade to work from present break toward Millen, until met by the Seventeenth Corps; one to destroy toward No. 7, and the third to act as a reserve and guard. Division commanders will employ their pioneer corps in repairing and corduroying bad places in the main Savannah roads, as far in advance as practicable. By order of Maj. Gen. O. O. Howard: SPECIAL ORDERS, } SAML. L. TAGGART, HDQRS. FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, I. As the command will remain at its present camp to-morrow division commanders will cause an inspection to be made of the arms, accouterments, and ammunition in the hands of the men; also, of the stock and transportation of the command. Regimental commanders will not permit more than thirty of their command to be mounted for foraging and other purposes, and men thus authorized to be mounted must be furnished with a written certificate, stating the nature of duty, regiment to which he belongs, &c. II. Brigadier-General Woods, commanding First Division, will detail one brigade of infantry from his command, and will cause the same to cross the river at the pontoon bridge and assist in destroying the railroad, commencing at the present break and working toward Millen until it strikes the Seventeenth Army Corps. Brigadier-General Corse, commanding the Fourth Division, will detail one brigade of infantry to assist in destroying the railroad, commencing at the present break and ending at Station No. 7; also one brigade to act as a reserve guard for the troops while working. The brigades to march at 6.30 a. m. to-morrow. * By order of Maj. Gen. P. Jos. Osterhaus: SPECIAL F. F. WHITEHEAD, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS FOURTH DIVISION, FIELD ORDERS, and ending at Station No. 7. Col. R. N. Adams, commanding Second Brigade, will act as a reserve guard for the troops while working. The troops to march at 6.30 a. m. By order of Brig. Gen. John M. Corse: L. CARPER, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Capt. L. M. DAYTON, Aide-de-Camp: CAPTAIN: I send you a copy of another dispatch. The operator at Augusta called this office this afternoon before any dispatches were taken off, and said that he knew there was a Yankee operator on the line, and that he might as well let the cat out of the bag and acknowledge that he was there, and they would have a talk. Our operator has done nothing to excite his suspicions more than answering his call for a new office that has been put on the line to-day, and not far from here. Since this last dispatch was taken off they have been talking, as operators often do, about various subjects, our man assuming to be at the new station mentioned above. Among other things, the Augusta man said he never saw so many troops passing through the town as there were. to-night. Upon being asked what troops they were, he said they were from Virginia. Our operator thinks now that they know what's up, and are trying to stuff him; and I think he is right in his opinion. They are very communicative, and answer anything that is asked. The chief operator at Augusta is the one working the line. Very respectfully, C. CADLE, JR., Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. Gen. F. P. BLAIR, Commanding Seventeenth Corps: GENERAL: The general-in-chief has made his camp on the west side of Buck Head Creek. He wishes you to camp a brigade near it and let the pontoon bridge remain until further orders. I am, general, very respectfully, &c., L. M. DAYTON, Aide-de-Camp. HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. Gen. F. P. BLAIR, Commanding Seventeenth Corps: GENERAL: The general-in-chief does not expect you to move more than five miles to-morrow, to the vicinity of Paramore's Hill; but wishes you to make the most complete and perfect possible break of the railroad about Millen. Let it be more devilish than can be dreamed of. I am, general, very respectfully, yours, L. M. DAYTON, HEADQUARTERS SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Capt. SAMUEL L. TAGGART, Asst. Adjt. Gen., Department and Army of the Tennessee: CAPTAIN: My command will be in camp at this place before dark. The road has been completely destroyed along my route. We were obliged to use the pontoons in crossing Buck Head Creek. There were a few of the enemy at the depot early this morning, but they did not oppose us. I forward copy of General Sherman's directions for my movement to-morrow.* * Very respectfully, your obedient servant, FRANK P. BLAIR, JR., Major-Generai. SPECIAL ORDERS, No. 296. } HDQRS. SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS, This command will move about five miles to-morrow. The main object will be to destroy the railroad. To effect this each division will detach a brigade to work on the road, as follows: The brigade from Brig. Gen. M. D. Leggett's division will destroy from and including the railroad bridge to the end of the double track east of the depot. The depot will not be burned until all trains have passed it. The brigade from Maj. Gen. J. A. Mower's division will destroy from the end of the double track two miles and a half east. The brigade from Brig. Gen. G. A. Smith's division will destroy two miles and a half, commencing at the east end of the work assigned to General Mower's brigade. The work on the railroad will commence at 7 a. m. The destruction of the railroad must be complete; nothing must be left but old iron and the roadbed. Brig. Gen. G. A. Smith, commanding Fourth Division, will move his command at 8 a. m. on the road on the south side of the railroad. Brig. Gen. M. D. Leggett, commanding Third Division, will be prepared to move at 9 a. m., and will follow the Fourth Division. Maj. Gen. J. A. Mower, commanding First Division, will move at 10 a. m. on the road north of the railroad. Should the road taken by MajorGeneral Mower intersect the road taken by the other two divisions, he will wait until they pass and follow the Third Division. The pontoon train, Lieutenant-Colonel Rusk commanding, will follow the train of the Third 'Division. By command of Maj. Gen. F. P. Blair: C. CADLE, JR., Assistant Adjutant-General. ORDERS.] HDQRS. FIRST DIVISION, 17TH ARMY CORPS, Order The troops of this command will march to-morrow at 10 a. m. of march: First, pioneer corps; second, Third Brigade; third, First Michigan Battery; fourth, First Brigade; fifth, Second Brigade; sixth, ambulance corps; seventh, ordnance train; eighth, supply train. The Second Brigade, Brigadier-General Sprague commanding, will destroy two miles and a half of railroad, commencing at the end of the double track east of the station house, at 7 a. m., and will work eastward. The road must be destroyed thoroughly; nothing must be left but the old iron and the roadbed. By order of Maj. Gen. J. A. Mower: CHAS. CHRISTENSEN, Lieutenant and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. FIRST BRIG., THIRD DIV., 17TH ARMY CORPS, Capt. C. CADLE, Jr., Assistant Adjutant-General: CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report that I struck the railroad at Station 9 at the beginning of dawn this morning, and worked thence to Buck Head Creek, destroying in each mile a section the length of the brigade, all trestles and culverts, burning the depot and tanks, a considerable amount of new ties and prepared lumber, and a flat-boat loaded with cord wood. In the section destroyed the ties and stringers were burned and the rails bent. A pile of rails near the road was also bent by fire. A small section of quadruple track west of Station 9 was also destroyed. No cotton was found. The road was extremely intersected with culverts and small trestles; some of them were banked up and the track partly excavated, in the hope that rising water might destroy it. I regret to say that the trestle nearest Buck Head Creek may not be thoroughly destroyed; it was reached at the close of the afternoon, and was thought at first to be needed for the crossing of troops. I never saw men work more honestly; they toiled zealously on the track ten hours, with one short respite for coffee. I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, M. F. FORCE, Brigadier-General, U. S. Volunteers. SPECIAL ORDERS, HDQRS. FOURTH DIV., 17TH ARMY CORPS, I. This command will move about five miles to-morrow. Brig. Gen. W. W. Belknap will move his brigade at 7 a. m., by any practicable route, to an intermediate point on the railroad between mile posts 76 and 77, and completely destroy the railroad from that point to mile post 74, so. that nothing will be left but old iron and the roadbed. The First Brigade, battery, trains, &c., of this division will move at 8 a. m. to-morrow on the road on the south side of the railroad. The train of the Third Brigade will follow the train of these headquarters. After having destroyed the road Brig. Gen. W. W. Belknap's brigade will go into camp near the First Brigade, in the vicinity of mile post 74. II. Capt. J. H. Davis, commanding pioneer corps, will issue to the contrabands belonging to his corps such articles of military clothing as are absolutely necessary for their comfort until other clothing can be procured. By order of Brig. Gen. Giles A. Smith: GHAS. H. BRUSH, First Lieutenant and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, Maj. Gen. H. W. SLOCUM, Commanding Left Wing, &c.: GENERAL: The general-in-chief has made camp near the mouth of Buck Head Creek, and the troops are passing over into Millen. He wishes you to-morrow to make a good break of the railroad from Millen to Augusta, to the right and left of the points crossed by the Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, after which to move out and continue to march toward Savannah by two roads, leaving the one along the railroad for General Blair. The two roads indicated on our maps-the one passing near Millen and near Hunter's Mills, and the other sweeping around by Sharp's and Buck Creek Post-Office-will answer; but if one can be found leading from the upper road, through Sylvania, toward Halley's Ferry, on the Savannah River, it would answer our purpose better for your left corps. General Kilpatrick will be instructed to confer with you and cover your rear. Dress to the right on the Seventeenth Corps, whose progress you can rate by the smokes. General Blair will continue to burn the railroad as he marches as far as Ogeechee Church. The general wishes all the heads of columns to be on the road leading from Mill Ray to Halley's Ferry on the fourth day, including to-morrow. Communicate as often as possible with him, but failing to hear from him always act in concert with General Blair's column, which alone is expected to meet opposition. General Howard, with the Fifteenth Corps, will continue on the south bank of the Ogeechee, ready to turn any position of the enemy in case he offers opposition to our progress. I am, general, very respectfully, &c., L. M. DAYTON, HEADQUARTERS FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Brig. Gen. A. BAIRD, Commanding Third Divisior, Fourteenth Army Corps: The general commanding directs me to acknowledge the receipt of your note of yesterday to him. He desires you to cross Rocky Creek, and thence follow one of the roads indicated on the maps toward Reynolds' and between Rocky Creek and the railroad. He desires General Kilpatrick to take care of the bridge over Brier Creek (which he already reports destroyed), and does not wish you to venture so far with your infantry. He will move from this point (ten miles east of Louisville) with Morgan and the trains, and camp at Buck Head bridge to-night. We have met no opposition on this road, and can hear of none this side of Buck Head, where report places Wheeler. The general desires you to advance as far to-day in the general direction indicated as you can do with safety. I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. C. McCLURG. Assistant Adjutant-General and Chief of Staff. 39 R R-VOL XLIV |