CHAPTER 19.

Sherman's Grand March.

General Kilpatrick, to whom I had reported, was a young man, a graduate of the class of 1861 at West Point. He was of small stature, energetic and ambitious, a great talker, with a vocabulary which he did. not learn at Sunday School, but was a dashing officer whose enthusiasm inspired his men.

I was assigned to the second brigade commanded by Colonel Smith D. Atkins of the Ninety-second Illinois Mounted Infantry. This brigade was composed of the Ninety-second Illinois, the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, and the Ninth and Tenth Ohio Cavalry. The last named, it will be remembered, had been organized in Cleveland at the time I was recruiting the Ninth and contained three of my companies, as they still claimed. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sanderson, a deserving officer, who remained lieutenant colonel because the regiment's first office was still held by Colonel Smith of the regular army on detached service. The Ninety-second Illinois was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Van Buskirk; the Ninth Michigan, by Colonel Acker. Lieutenant P. F. Swing of my regiment, and one of my best officers, was detailed on the staff of Colonel Atkins and remained a very efficient officer during the campaign.

Cincinnati, Ohio.

1

General Sherman had decided, after hearing the reports of the country, that it would take a strip of country forty miles wide to support his army in its march. His force was divided accordingly into four columns of 15,000 men each which marched by parallel routes ten miles apart. The position of the cavalry, consisting of 5,000 horsemen, by general orders, was to be at all times between the infantry and the enemy.

For three days we encountered no opposition. On the fourth we saw the enemy was gathering in our path. The work of the cavalry then began; and it continued more or less actively, during the entire march, either by brigades, regiments, companies, or squads, as occasion required.

Details had been made from the different infantry commands to forage throughout the country for supplies; these "bummers" became ubiquitous,-nothing could escape them in their ravenous hunt for something to eat, from the finest flock of Cashmere sheep to a sitting hen and when horses or mules were found, they were captured to bring in the spoils.

One evening I saw a jolly soldier coming to camp. riding on a mule, with chickens hanging on one side, a ham of meat on the other, a bag of flour in front, a hen and oat sheaves tied behind. In one arm he hugged his hat full of honey comb, with the other he guided his mule, while, dragging behind was a slaughtered. shoat with a rope through his nose and tied to the mule's tail. He was voted a premium by the company and mentioned for promotion! (by the boys).

On one occasion while my regiment was in the advance, I came to a fine plantation house by the road. The owner, a dignified gentleman, was sitting in his shirt sleeves, on the porch; while the "bummers" were gutting his house. Flour was scattered on the floor of the porch and in the front room, they were rushing through the house with hands full of cakes and pies. with mouths and faces smeared with preserves. I dismounted and drove them out, and apologized to the owner, regretting that he should be treated in such

a manner.

"Oh," said he, "I know what war is. This isn't the first time I've been raided. All I ask is that when you get into South Carolina, where I suppose you are going, you will treat them just the same way."

This illustrates the feeling against South Carolina which had been so active in bringing on the war.

On another occasion when my regiment was in the advance, as we came up to a house, the "bummers" were after the chickens. Just as I came up a soldier was chasing a rooster around the front porch. The chicken was almost fagged out and he was about to reach it with his sabre, when a woman very much excited, rushed to the porch and screamed out, "Let that chicken alone; you dirty Yankee, it belongs to me. Let it alone, I tell you." And looking at me, called out, "Take your nasty Yankee thieves out of my yard and let my things alone. What business have you down here tearing up our country? Get these scoundrels out of here, I tell you. I hope God Almighty will kill