CAMP OF THE 2D MASS., CITY
{-TIME PHOTOGRAPH.
MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS.
BY DANIEL OAKEY, CAPTAIN, 2d MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS.
T o us of the Twelfth Corps who had gone Westwith the Eleventh Corps from the Army of thePotomac, the distant thunder of “ the battle of theclouds ” was the first sound of conflict in the newfield. Some of our “ Potomac airs,” which hadearned us the name of “Kid gloves and paper col-lars,” j began to wear away as we better under-stood the important work to be done by the greatarmy organizing around us, and of which we wereto form a considerable part. A most interestingfeature of these preparations was the reenlistmentof the old three-years regiments. The two Potomaccorps were consolidated, and we of the Twelfthwho wore “the bloody star” were apprehensivelest different insignia should be adopted; but thestar became the badge of the new (Twentieth)corps, the crescent men amiably dropping theirTurkish emblem.
General W. H. Slocum, who had commanded theTwelfth so long, was assigned to commandat Vicks-burg , but was recalled to succeed Hooker in thecommand of the Twentieth Corps when toward theend of August, 1864, Hooker asked to be relievedbecause Howard, who was his junior, had beenplaced at the head of the Army of the Tennesseeto fill the vacancy made by the death of McPhersonat Atlanta . This temporary separation from ourcommander was hard, as all will remember whocrowded to his headquarters on the evening of April7th, 1864. But the sorrow of the hour wasdispelledby the generous hospitality of his staff and his in-dulgent order to waive all rank for the occasion.We observed in the Western troops an air of in-
dependence hardly consistent with the nicestdiscipline ; but this quality appeared to some pur-pose at the battle of Resaca, where we saw ourWestern companions deliberately leave the line,retire out of range, clean their guns, pick up ammu-nition from the wounded, and return again to thefight. This cool self-reliance excited our admira-tion. On we went in a campaign of continualskirmishes and battles that ended in the captureof Atlanta . The morale of the troops had beenvisibly improved by this successful campaign.
On my way to army headquarters at Atlanta tocall upon a staff friend, I met General Sherman,who acknowledged my salute with a familiar“How do you do, Captain.” Scrutinizing the in-signia on my cap, he continued, “Second Massa-chusetts ? Ah, yes, I know your regiment; youhave very fine parades over there in the park.”
Sherman could be easily approached by any ofhis soldiers, but no one could venture to be fa-miliar. His uniform coat, usually wide open atthe throat, displayed a not very military blackcravat and linen collar, and he generally wore lowshoes and one spur. On the march he rode witheach column in turn, and often with no largerescort than a single staff-officer and an orderly.In passing us on the march he acknowledged oursalutations as if he knew us all, but hadn’t time tostop. On “the march to the sea” a soldier calledout to Sherman, “Uncle Billy, I guess Grant’swaiting for us at Richmond.” Sherman’s acquaint-ance among his officers was remarkable, and ofgreat advantage, for he learned the character of
J The Twelfth Corps of the Army of the Potomac was division, and Banks was its first commander. Mansfieldnamed “ Kid gloves and paper collars ” by the Pour- commanded the corps at Antietam, where he was killedteenth Corps of the Western Army owing to the careful and was succeeded by Slocum. The corps had as subordi-discipline of the Twelfth Corps. It was originally the nate commanders such men as A. S. AVilliams, Charles S.Fifth Corps (March, 1862), then it became the Second Hamilton, JohnW. Geary, GeorgeH. Gordon,Huger, An-Corps, Army of Virginia (June, 1862 ), then the Twelfth drews, William Hawley, and the discipline they impartedCorps (September, 1862). The basis of it was Banks ’s old continued to the end and affected other troops.—D. O.
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