179                                HISTORY OF THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT O.V.V.I.

on the plank road, near Silk Hope. While our line extended far to the right, a portion of the Fifteenth Corps went down the Great Ogeeche river, and after a brief engagement captured Fort McAlister, and opened the way to our fleet and we were again in communication with our friends.

           In so long and interesting a march, we could not help meeting with many incidents worthy of special notice; were they half noted it would fill a volume, and I can only skim over the ground to tell you that we were there, and that now we are here. The rice plantations are made to include a strip of land, which extends for miles, and which is elevated a few feet above the general level. It is comparatively dry, and affords ground for the fine mansion, gin houses, negro quarters and rice mills.

           The face of the country is generally undulating, and much of it is marshy. The low lands are laid off in squares of perhaps five hundred acres each, divided by embankments of earth, and so arranged as to be subject to inundation at the will of the planter. A more than ordinary depression of the surface extends in a semi-circle around Savannah, about eight miles from the city, and by closing the sluices, the rebels had formed a water barrier to the advance of our troops, about one thousand yards wide, and had built forts and planted cannon at all the accessible points, and held us at bay.

           General Sherman's first care was to put himself in communication with Fort McAllister, capturing two hundred and fifty men, and twenty-two pieces of artillery, and having received a supply of bread and forage sufficient for the entire army, he sent the rebel General notice that if the city was not surrendered within three days he would take it. The rebel troops immediately crossed the Savannah river, leaving their cannon in the forts and city, an immense amount of ammunition, ordnance stores, eighteen fine locomotives and seven railroad cars, several steam vessels, and a very large amount of other Government property.

           Over two hundred pieces of cannon were surrendered, the most of them in fine order. In the thi-

rtyseven days that we were marching, we were completely cut off from our mails, newspapers, telegraph, express and reinforcements – yet a more contented, fearless, determined and confident body of men could not be found on earth – so completely were we in possession of the land, that our foraging parties would go full fifteen miles across the country, and but few men were captured. The Third Division lost a few men, who were picked up, and sixteen men were wounded and one killed during the short siege.

           The Seventy-Eighth Ohio lost two by capture, but fortunately had none killed or wounded, although constantly exposed to the shells of the enemy, while opposite the rebel forts, and in the skirmish line.

           Savannah is a large and beautiful city, and was of far greater importance to the rebels than was supposed. Here, for the first time, the people are submissive, and acknowledge our power. In other places they were defiant and insolent, but we see now the evidence that the conviction is deep, that our army can go over the Confederacy at will, and they have no army to stand before it.

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