| Itinerary of Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham’s corps |
| |
| Friday, January 27 -- Took the cars for Meridian
{south on the Mobile & Ohio RR}, reaching that place early on the morning of the 28th. |
| Saturday, January 28 -- Took cars for
Demopolis {Northeast & Southwest Alabama
RR, Alabama & Mississippi Rivers RR}; ran off the track when we had gone about fourteen miles
and remained on the side of the road the rest of the day and that
night. |
| Sunday, January 29 -- Started again and
reached Demopolis late in the afternoon. Here we took the train for Selma, but when within fourteen miles of that place and about 11 o'clock
at night, our engine ran off the track and we did not get away until
the night of |
| Monday, January 30 -- Made Selma; and on the following morning, Tuesday, January 31, we transferred
our baggage and horses to the packet Southern Republic, which
started for Montgomery
that night. |
| Wednesday, February 1 -- Reached
Montgomery about 2 p.m., where we remained until the morning of
Friday, February 3, when we took the cars for Columbus {Montgomery
& West Point RR}, reaching that place before night. |
| Saturday, February 4 -- Our baggage and
horses were sent on and the general and most of the staff laid over
a day, which was passed most agreeably with Mrs. W. |
| Sunday, February 5 -- Left Columbus at
daylight and arrived at Macon
about 4.30 p.m. {Muscogee RR, South Western
RR} |
| Monday, February 6 -- Left Macon at 8
a.m. {Central (of Georgia) RR} and arrived at Midway about 2 p.m., and an hour later moved in
wagons and on horseback to Milledgeville, one mile and a half
distant, where we stayed all night. |
| Tuesday, February 7 -- Left
Milledgeville in a storm of rain and rode horseback twenty-five
miles, bivouacking near Colonel Lane's, two miles from Sparta. |
| Wednesday, February 8 -- Started again
at sunrise and completed the balance of the break on the Macon and
Milledgeville Railroad {Central (of Georgia)
RR}, some twelve miles, reaching Mayfield Station
at 12 m., and leaving there on the train at 4 p.m. {Milledgeville
RR}, we reached Camak
Station, on the Georgia
railroad, just after night. |
| Thursday, February 9 -- Taking the first
train which came along, about 10 a.m., we arrived at Augusta
about 5 p.m. Stayed near the depot all night, and on the morning of |
| Friday, February 10 -- We moved across
the river into South Carolina, making our quarters at the Widow Mayer's, one mile from the
bridge. |
| Saturday, February 11 -- Was spent by
the general and most of the staff present in examining the country
about Bath Mills and vicinity. |
| Sunday, February 12 -- The enemy near
Aiken, seventeen miles from Augusta. Wheeler fighting them. |
| Monday, February 13 -- The enemy
reported retreating, or, rather, falling back, from Aiken, and
orders from General Beauregard for General C[heatham] to move with
his corps to Columbia, S.C., at once. |
| Tuesday, February 14 -- Stationary, but
preparing to move. |
| Wednesday, February 15 -- Left our
quarters at Mrs. Mayer's this morning and marched twenty miles,
stopping at Bauskett's Mills, twenty-one miles from Augusta. |
| Thursday, February 16 -- Left our
quarters at Bauskett's Mills and marched to Mr. Norris', twenty
miles. |
| Friday, February 17 -- Started from
Norris' about sunrise. Learning that the enemy had gotten between us
and
Columbia
on the road we were traveling, it became necessary to make a
considerable detour to the left and make for McNary's Ferry, on the Saluda, which point the head of the column reached about 3 p.m. As there
was but one raft at this ferry, Smith's division, with the
artillery, crossed here, and Bates' division went to Holly's Ferry,
three miles below. By 2.30 a.m. the next day everything was across.
Our quarters for the night at Mrs. Wise's, three-quarters of a mile
this side. |
| Saturday, February 18 -- In motion again
by sunrise, reaching Frog Level Station, on the Greenville {&
Columbia} railroad,
a distance of seven miles, by 1 p.m.; the troops camped two miles
beyond, and our quarters for the night at ----. Quite a lot of
commissary stores were found here, which were issued and shipped
off. The enemy being between us and Columbia, General Beauregard directs that we cross the
Broad River
at a point above Newberry. |
| Sunday, February 19 -- Leaving Frog
Level about 8 a.m., we marched to Newberry Court-House, eight miles
distant, reaching it at 11. Here we also found a quantity of stores,
which were shipped off up the road. |
| Monday, February 20 -- Still at
Newberry, but orders issued to move to-morrow, General Beauregard
directing a concentration at Charlotte, N. C., if not at some point
farther south. Quarters at Mr. Fair's. |
| Tuesday, February 21 -- Started at
daylight and marched twenty-one miles to the Ennoree
River. Received dispatch from General B[eauregard] that evening to the
effect that that route was not practicable, and to cross Broad River
and cut across Sherman
's track, behind him, for Wilmington, N. C. |
| Wednesday, February 22 -- Marched back
again to Newberry and quartered at Mr. Fair's. |
| Thursday, February 23 -- Troops took
cars at Newberry {Greenville & Columbia
RR} and came to Pomaria, seventeen miles below; portion
of staff came horseback. Break on railroad and General C[heatham]
not able to get down until the morning of Friday, February 24, which
day and the following, being Saturday, February 25, we remained
stationary. |
| Sunday, February 26 -- Left Pomaria and
traveled ten miles over roads made exceedingly bad by two days' hard
rains. Our quarters that night at Mr. Caldwell's. |
| Monday, February 27 -- Left Caldwell's
this morning and marched to Odle's Church, seventeen miles. Quarters
at Mr. Watson's. Generals Lowrey and Loring joined us to-day with
the troops they brought from the rear. |
| Tuesday, February 28 and Wednesday,
March 1 -- At Mrs. Watson's. No boats at the ferry, and had to build
some. |
| Thursday, March 2 -- Crossed the Ennoree
at Jones' Ferry and marched nearly to Unionville. Our quarters at
Mrs. Young's, four miles from Unionville. |
| Friday, March 3 -- Moved through
Unionville and marched to Skeift's Ferry, on Broad River. Our quarters at Colonel Gist's. |
| Saturday, March 4 -- Spent at Colonel
Gist's. General Stewart's corps not yet crossed. Our infantry all
over by night. |
| Sunday, March 5 -- Crossed ourselves
after everything was over and marched to within three miles and a
half of Chester Court-House. Quarters at Mrs. Hardin's. |
| Monday, March 6 -- Moved into Chester
this morning and made our quarters at Colonel Brown's. From this
time till the following Saturday time passed -- I scarcely know how; I
took no note of it. * * * It became necessary to follow on after the
troops, all of which had taken the cars at this point en route
for Smithfield {Charlotte & South Carolina
RR, North Carolina RR}, where we will probably concentrate our strength, and
on the afternoon of Saturday -- |
| March 11 -- We left Chester {Charlotte
& South Carolina RR} and reached
Charlotte, N. C., forty-five miles, that night about 11 o'clock.
Here we remained until the morning of Sunday, March 12, when we got
up steam {North Carolina RR} and made Salisbury, forty-five miles distant, by 4.30 p.m. Here we unloaded and, as a
day or two will probably elapse before we can get off, took quarters
at Major Smith's and Mr. Murphy's, where remained until Sunday,
March 19, when we again took the cars. Our detention at Salisbury
was occasioned by a difference in the gauge of the railroad tracks,
which necessitated a change of cars, and a scarcity of rolling-stock
{Beauregard was having the North Carolina RR
gauge changed from Greensboro toward Charlotte to match the Piedmont
RR gauge}. |
| Monday, March 20 -- Reached Smithfield
Depot this afternoon about 5 o'clock, unloaded our train, and
bivouacked on the side of the railroad {North
Carolina RR}. |
| Tuesday, March 21 -- Left the station
this morning for the army, which we reached about 2 p.m., and found
it skirmishing sharply with the enemy. Just after we reached General
Johnston's quarters the Seventeenth Army Corps endeavored to get in
on our left, but were handsomely driven from the field by our
cavalry and infantry. |
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