circuitous march, had been too late to cut off the rebels' retreat, moved in conjunction with Moore's brigade directly toward Wilmington.

The gun-boats, preceded by a line of about thirty yawl-boats connected by drag ropes to take up torpedoes, pushed forward slowly as far as the water would permit. After sounding and buoying out the middle ground at Big Island, they were got over and opened fire on Fort Strong or Fort St. Philip, the work commanding the principal obstructions, and near which the rebels had sunk a barge steamer. The Sassacus was struck several times by shots from the fort, one of which entering below the water-line made her leak badly, but she suffered no loss in men. On the night of the 20th the rebels sent two hundred floating torpedoes down the river, but these were soon discovered by the picket-boats, and were sunk with musketry. One of them got into the wheel of the Osceola, blew her wheelhouse to pieces, and knocked down her bulkheak inboard, but did no damage to the hull. Some of the vessels used torpedo nets, and in the morning the Admiral had two fishing-nets stretched across the river as a further precaution. On the evening of the 21st, Admiral Porter hearing a sharp musketry fire a short distance from Fort Strong, again opened on the fort, which after exchanging a few shots again became silent.

On the 19th, General Cox advancing along the western side of the river, pursued the enemy to Town Creek, beyond which they had intrenched,

having previously destroyed the only bridge, their line being connected with Fort Strong as their former one had been with Fort Anderson. General Terry also, advancing on the east side. of the river, encountered the enemy, but in superior force, in their new line, three miles beyond that which they had abandoned, and Ames' division was moved back from the western side during the night to rejoin him. On the 20th, General Cox crossed his force Feb. over Town Creek below the en- 20. emy's position, and getting upon their flank and rear, attacked and routed them, capturing two guns and 375 prisoners, and on the morning of the 21st was again able to push on toward Wilmington. The force in front of General Terry, comprising the whole of General Hoke's division, was such as to prevent his making any farther advance; but he nevertheless occupied its attention so that no reinforcements could be sent to the western side of the river to the force routed by General Cox, and the latter, leaving Town Creek at ten in the morning, arrived at the Brunswick River opposite Wilmington an hour before midnight. The enemy burnt the railroad bridge over the Brunswick River to Eagle Island, and partially destroyed a pontoon bridge, cutting it adrift. But Cox's troops secured a few pontoons, effected a crossing, and soon established themselves on Eagle Island opposite the city and within musket-fire of the wharves. A few shells were then thrown into the city, and the rebels immediately began destroying steamers

Nearly a month was consumed by Sherman in refitting the army, in regulating the local government, and in making the proper disposition of the captured cotton and other property. General Grant sent Grover's division of the nineteenth corps to garrison the Jan. forts, and on the 18th of January 18. General Sherman transferred these and the city itself to General Foster, commanding the Department of the South, at the same time instructing him to follow the movements of the army inland by occupying in succession the city of Charleston and such other points northward along the coast as were of any strategic value. The capture of Fort Fisher gave Sherman an additional point of security on the coast; but he had already made up his mind to make Goldsboro the point from which he would re-open communications with the seaboard, and had given orders to Colonel Wright, superintendent of military railroads, to proceed in advance to Newbern, and make every preparation to extend the railroad from that point to Goldsboro, a distance of about forty-five miles, by the 15th of March. General Schofield was directed to move with the twenty-third corps from Newbern and Wilmington upon Goldsboro, so as to be there if possible on the arrival of Sher

man.

Before commencing the march, General Howard was directed to embark his command and proceed by sea to Beaufort, South Carolina, and from that point to send a force to make a lodgment on the Charleston Railroad at or

near Pocotaligo. This was effected on the 15th of January by the seventeenth corps under General Blair, and a dépôt of supplies established near the mouth of Pocotaligo Creek, having easy water communication with Hilton Head. General Slocum with the left wing of the army, and General Kilpatrick with the cavalry, were ordered to rendezvous about the same time near Robertsville and Coosawhatchie, in South Carolina, with a dépôt of supplies at Pureysburg or State's Ferry on the Savannah River. General Slocum accordingly had a pontoon bridge laid over the river opposite Savannah, and repaired and corduroyed the Union Causeway, which traverses the rice-fields northward from the city; but heavy rains swelled the river and overflowed all the adjacent low grounds, covering the Union Causeway with water four feet deep and breaking the pontoon bridge. He was then compelled to seek a crossing higher up the river, and moved to Sister's Ferry; but the bottomlands by the river were overflowed there also, so as to present a sheet of water three miles wide, and he was again detained.

On the 22d of January, General Sherman went in person to Hilton Head, and after a conference with Admiral Dahlgren and General Foster, proceeded to Beaufort, and on the 24th to Pocotaligo, where the seventeenth corps under General Blair was encamped. The fifteenth corps had not yet concentrated, General Wood's and General Hazen's divisions only being at Beaufort, while General John E. Smith's division was