Union General William T. Sherman arrives at Pooler this day, some twelve miles from the port city. Soon, Savannah will be his. Twenty miles from Savannah, Sherman’s rear guard, under the command of Major General Jefferson C.Davis, crosses Ebenezer Creek on pontoon bridges. Up to 5000 fugitive slaves, following the Federal army, are told to…
Today in Georgia Union General William T. Sherman, preparing for his march across Georgia to the port city of Savannah, issues Special Field Orders No. 120. The orders declare that the army “will forage liberally on the country during the march,” including “corn or forage of any kind, meat of any kind, vegetables, corn-meal, or…
Today in the Battle of Johnsonville, Confederate cavalry commander Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest, in an effort to smooth the way for the South’s Army of the Tennessee to invade Tennessee from Alabama, prepares to engage Union forces in Benton and Humphreys counties, Tennessee. Forrest’s target is the lightly-guarded Union supplies and infrastructure Johnsonville, as…