Savannah daily herald. (Savannah, Ga.) 1865-1866, February 24, 1865, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextSAVANNAH DAILY HERALD. VOLUME T.\ No. 38. > |>abanttalj rURLIfiEKD^ EVERY EVENING, SUNDAYS EXCEPTED, BT S. W. MASON & CO. At 111 Bat Street, Savannah, Georgia, teems: Per Copy * Five Cents. Per Hundred .A $3 50. Per Year , $lO 00, advertising: % A limited number of Advertisemeete will be *e tnved at the rate of Twenty Cents per Line for first insertion, and Fifteen Cents per Line for each subsequent insertion; invariably in advance. Ad vertisements should be handed ia before noon of each day. •JOB PRINTING ] n every style, neatly and promptly done. LATE REBEL PAPERS. Unieresting Accounts of Sherman's Tlarch through South Carolina. (From the Raleigh Progress, Jan. 21.] Siierman is in motion, and, according to refugees from Savannah, has a lorce of eighty thousand men. Nor is his army a loose mob, prowling on the country to oppress friend as well as foe, It is an army of discipline, vigor, action. With Savannah and Beaufort, S. as a base, he moves north with the sun, and already Charleston and Columbia begin to feel the' oppression. But will he come to Columbia with those eighty thousand men ? Yes ; if he wants to do so he will, and even further into the bowels of the land. Teny is on our own coast—has Fort Fisher, at the mouth of Cape Fear,, and will soon, we think, have Wilmington. He probably has twenty to forty thou sand men. Suppose they combine their forces, Teny and Sherman ; w T e must set them down at not less than about one hundred and twenty thousand men. And they will move on with the sun, and be fore the orb that lights the world shall stand erect in the heavens it is more than probable that the federal flag will fly over ’ Charleston, Wilmington, Columbia ' and Raleigh ! Yes, Raleigh too ! Grant will stay wfliere he is and thus keep General Lee’s army in the vice that has held it for the last ten months, and Sherman and Terry will move on. We see nothing to stop them or prevent their getting to Raleigh, •where they can open communication with Newbern by rail, distance about one hundred and eight miles* and then dem onstrate or raid towards Greensborough or Danville at pleasure. Newbern wopld •be the water base, and with Grqqt on the James and Sherman at Raleigh,'both in command of large armies—all trans portation cut off and supplies exhausted, General Lee's Army ivou/d be In a tight place. And unless Sherman can be met and whipped he will probably come, if not with the April showers, certainly with the 1 buds and blossoms of May. He travels rapidly. We had an army that might have checked Sherman ; 'but since the President took its commander from it and put it under a second rate briga dier, and sent it on that wild goose chase to the blue banks of the Ohio, it is well nigh done for. Hood marched into . Tennessee and marched out again ; hut his army is gone. That is the morale of the great army of the West, as it ex isted under Albert Sidney Johnston, un der Beauregard and J. E. Johnston, is gone, and Hood is crouched down in North Alabama with nothing but a small mass of demoralized fragments. There is but little more fight in the army—what there was in it for good has been fritted away where no good could be accom plished ; and the people of that section have no disposition to fill the ranks; SAVANNAH, GA., FRIDAY EVENING, FEB. 24, 1865. they think the war has lasted about long enough, especially if they are called on to go. These are sad reflection, but we have to deal with things as they are. Sherman will press forward. No one can give us a good reason for believing he will be hurled back, and empty brag gadocia is no longer correct* What then ? Sherman will in ail hu man probability be here with the Spring, and to stay. The Governor, now so placid and calm, so full of fun and coarse jests, will have to fly to some obscure village as a refuge; while the Legisla ture, the people’s chosen representatives, are now assembled here, no doubt, for the last time during the continuance of the present war. From his obscure “headquarters” in some wayside village inn, his Excellency may call them to meet in Buncombe, on the top of Table Rock, or at some point ip that neutral territory beyond the Chowan ; but we have not the shadow ©f a doubt but the present body has met in Raleigh for the last time, and if the members desire to do anything to save the people of their State from the ruin that is to follow the events that we have foreshadowed, they must act now. Has the Governor no farewell word lor his “dear people ? ! ’ the Legislature no parting blessing for suf fering constituents? Are we to look on these august dignitaries to-day, knowing that to-morrow they depart to. be seen and known no more, by us, forever!— The people will stay where they are.and if Sherman comes, here and throughout the State generally they, will do as they have done in Savannah, make the best they cap of a condition of things they, could not help. But if we have no armies to meet armies why continue the unequal contest ? If there.be those in our Legislature who believe there is no salvation for the peo ple of North Carolina but in an appeal for their rights under the old constitu tion, let them speak out, for the time has come to discuss those questions. And if there be those who believe that the only way to save us from abolition negro equality, servile insurrections and a gen eral upheaving of society, but a restora tion of the old government, under the constitution of our fathers, let them pre sent their plans—the people will listen, reflect and take such action as-they may think best lor them and for posterity. * If we are subjugated, or as near it that a protraction off the unequal contest can end in nothing else, why continue the war ? This is a question tor our Governor and Legislature to answer to the people of North Carolina. The people of the country, not only- here in North Caro lina, but .throughout the whole South, begin to .see tlia state and condition to which the wap has brought them in it* true light, and to speak out. Bastiles, star chambers and inquisitions have lost their power to awe the people, and the great public heart begins to throb aloud, and the popular voice is loud and con stant for peace. We say candidly to our friends in the Legislature that we believe this to be their last chance. Do something now or you may never have another opportunity.?— And take, the bull by the nornsanddo something practical. What is to be done must be done quickly; for it is not thought that Sherman will give you more than sixty or ninety days to work in. The people want peace, regardless of Jeff. Davis and Abe Lincoln. Give them peace and protection for person and property, and they care very little about boundary lines or who may be President. [From the Richmond Sentinel, Feb. 15.] On Friday last Kilpatrick, with his cavalry,had reached Athens, (Aiken?) fifteen miles from Hamburg, where he was attackbd by Wheeler, defeated, and driven five miles, wiih considerable loss. Hamburg is in South Carolina, imme diately opposite Augusta, and it is sup- posed Kilpatrick was moving on the latter place when defeated by Wheeler. [From the Richmond Examiner, Feb. 16.] It was currently reported yesterday that a column of the enemy was mov ing on Augusta ! But the War De partment has no confirmation of this, further than a despatch, received some days ago, referring to the appearance of some force of the enemy near Aiken, which is eighteen miles from Augusta. [From the Richmond Disnatch, Feb. 15.] We have for some days been in doubt as to whaf force Sherman had sent in the direction of Augusta. The doubt has at length been solved. It seems that while his main army advanced towards Branchville and Charleston, he sent Kil patrick and his cavalry to demonstrate against Augusta and "to break up the Charleston and Augusta Railroad.— From official dispatches received at the War Department we learn that on last Friday General Wheeler attacked Kil patrick at Aiken, on the Charleston and Augusta Railroad, twenty miles north east of Augusta, and, after a considera ble engagement, drove him five miles in the direction of Branchville. An official despatch, received from Columbia yesterday,- states that, in con sequence of the enemy, having occupied Orangeburg in force, our troops have abandoned Branchville. This is, in ef fect, the same statement as made by us yesterday. Our troops have, by this time, no doubt, fallen back to the Congaree river, which, with the Wateree, forms the Santee. Columbia is situated im mediately on the right bank of the Con garee, thirty miles above its confluence with the Wateree. If our troops fall back behind the Congaree, the enemy will be abie to shell Columbia from the south bank of that stream. We also learn that the Congress and its tributary, the Saluda, are both easily fordable above the city. This disposes us to be lieve that oar troops will seek to give battle before crossing the Congaree. [From the Richmond Sentinel, Feb. 15.] A despatch was received at the War Department yesterday stating that, in consequence of the enemy having oc cupied’ Orangeburg, our troops had fallen back from Branchville. [From the Richmond Whig, Feb, 3.) , We learn upon good authority that Our forces are falling back before Sher man’s advancing columns in the direc tion of Columbia, S. G\, and will proba bly make a stand on the Santee* [From the Richmond Examiner, Feb. 15 ] < Among the multitude of reports at taching to Sherman's movement in South Carolina, we are as yet certain of only a few general facts. According to official advices last deceived at the Wat Depart ment, Sherman was moving on the up per branches of the Edisto, evidently in tending to flank Branchville, qnd strike the railroad to Columbia north of its junction with the South Carolina Rail road ; and as, since the date of these ad vices, several days ago, there has been no news of any interruption of this movement, it is concluded that General Beauregard has fallen hack from Branch ville to take up anew line to cover Co lumbia, and one better calculated for de fensive purposes. The opinion appears to prevail in official quarters that a bat tle is imminent; that Beauregard will fight it on ground of his own selection and with a force adequate for offensive or defensive purposes, as either may be come necessaiy, and that tfee general situation is encouraging for us. [From the Raleigh Progress, Jaa. 21.] A gentleman of intelligence apd posi tion, a man who would not be likely to exaggerate or state that which was not true, has just arrived in this citjr from Florida, coming through Georgia and South Carolina; and he assures us that the people of the last named State, as far as he could see and tear, in working his way through, (the roads being broken by freshets) are thenvorst whipp ed set that he has ever seen or heard of. They look on all as gone, believe Sher man will meet no serious obstacles, and in fact, want the best peace they can get, and want it now. Such, he says, is the feeling in South Carolina, and we know the , man well, and know that “he be lieves what he says to be so. * And does not the tone of the Georgia and South Carolina papers lead to the same conclusion ? We think so. The following wail of despair and bitter irony is trom the editorial columns of the Mercury : GENIUS, PLUCK, ENERGY. It is a conceded fact that South Caro lina is not the Botany Bay Os the Con federate army. We enjoy here at leisure, and in the greatest prolusion, the ablest and boldest leaders from every part of the broad land this side of the Missis sippi river. By the blessing of God, Kirby Smith finds it too much trouble to ship any of his great and sober officers quite so far. We are only subject to such men as other generals this side of the Missis sippi most highly appreciate. We con gratulate every man, woman and child m this State on that singular circum stance. We desire to express, in behalf of all the graceful and appreciative peo ple here, our proposed thankfulness for this special dispensation of Providence in our behalt. We’ think a “day of last ing, humiliation and prayer,” should be speedily appointed by way of expressing our felicity. The Cobfederate govern ment is most bountiful, most considerate, most wise. South Carolina is ndw t&b key of the Confederacy. Most no'bty is she to be defended bv invincible pluck that fears no odds. Mr. Jefferson Davis is wise. All is great. God is good. The department is in a superb condition. We have never fought here before against odds. But now not an officer is whipped; our military organizations are all perfect; our discipline admirable; our leaders models of capacity, courage, sobriety, tenacity and wisdom—all dull o*f fight to the very eyes. Let us all sing T<> Deums and hurrah for Jefferson Davis—Jeff. Davis for ever, and the devil the next day! Now how do “patriots and property holders” like that ? Are" not the “Caro linians,” according to this testimony, quite as much disgusted'with Jejf. Davis now as they were -with Abe Lincoln in 1861 ? We think So. But Gherman’s columns are moving on, and soon they will have a chance to spill that last drop of blood of which they hsve said so much- Mr. Boyce knew what his people wahted, and his position was taken to try to save them from the ravages of an invading army ; but Mr. Boyce was silenced by the minions of power, the blood suckers whose drunken debauchery and wasteiul extravagance are starving the women and children of the land ; Ins lips are closed, as are the,' lips of all who would speak to save,: -while hell itself seems to have spawned and emptied all its demons into the “departments" of the government,'whose rulers and agents are carry ins' us to destrnctiou with a speed of at least sixty miles an hour. Sherman is coming. The enemy South Carolina has affected so much to despise is at her own door, and we ‘shall wait in breath less anxiety for that spartan courage, that heroic daring, that is to save that “sacred soil” and turn the tide of revolu tion. ' .• * J We may be mistaken, but we thinlf the people of South Carolina, a majority of them, w.ould jump at peace with recon struction, ana we doubt not that Sher man’s reception in that State will strengthen that conviction within us. Advice to Captains in the Army. —ln forming your companies on the banks of a deep and rapid river be careful how you order the men to “fall in.” * *s *' - • ■***• £r- ** a ' \xßsJ f PRICE \Flve Cental.

Georgia Historic Newspapers

Savannah daily herald. (Savannah, Ga.) 1865-1866, February 24, 1865, Image 1