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Canal. Captain Duncan from my cavalry escort liad carried Sherman’s mes-sages down the Ogeechee in a boat past Confederate guards and topedoes,and gone out to sea. He was picked up by a United States vessel and hismessage taken to the admiral. Hence navy and provision ships were waitingoff the headlands, uncertain just where Sherman would secure a harbor.
Owing to swamps and obstructed roads and Hardee’s force behind them,we could not enter Savannah . Our food was getting low. True, Shermanhad sent Kilpatrick to try and take Fort McAllister, a strong fort which heldthe mouth of the Ogeechee. But as its capture was too much for the cavalry,I asked Sherman to allow me to take that fort with infantry. Hazen’s divi-sion was selected. My chief engineer, Reese, with engineers and pioneersand plenty of men to help him, in three days repaired the burnt bridge, over1000 feet long, near King’s house. Hazen, ready at the bridge, then marchedover and took Fort McAllister by assault, which Sherman and I witnessedfrom the rice mill, some miles away on the other bank of the Ogeechee. Nowwe connected with the navy, and our supplies flowed in abundantly. Slocumsoon put a force beyond the Savannah . Hardee, fearing to be penned up,abandoned his works and fled during the night before Slocum had seized hislast road to the east. On December 23d the campaign culminated as Shermanentered Savannah . He sent the following dispatch to President Lincoln,which he received Christmas Eve: “ I beg to present to you, as a Christmasgift, the city of Savannah , with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plentyof ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.”
& There seem to have been hut 230 men in the work. Hazen’s loss was 24 killedand 110 wounded.— Editors.
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