eers　of　the　age；　perfectly　competent　to　advise　me　on　the　strategy　and　objects　of　the　new　campaign。　　He　expressed　himself　delighted　with　the　high　spirit　of　the　army；　the　steps　already　taken；　by　which　we　had　captured　Savannah；　and　he　personally　inspected　some　of　the　forts；　such　as　Thunderbolt　and　Causten's　Bluff；　by　which　the　enemy　had　so　long　held　at　bay　the　whole　of　our　navy；　and　had　defeated　the　previous　attempts　made　in　April；　1862；　by　the　army　of　General　Gillmore；　which　had　bombarded　and　captured　Fort　Pulaski；　but　had　failed　to　reach　the　city　of　Savannah。　　I　think　General　Barnard　expected　me　to　invite　him　to　accompany　us　northward　in　his　official　capacity；　but　Colonel　Poe；　of　my　staff；　had　done　so　well；　and　was　so　perfectly　competent；　that　I　thought　it　unjust　to　supersede　him　by　a　senior　in　his　own　corps。　　I　therefore　said　nothing　of　this　to　General　Barnard；　and　soon　after　he　returned　to　his　post　with　General　Grant；　at　City　Point；　bearing　letters　and　full　personal　messages　of　our　situation　and　wants。
  We　were　very　mUch　in　want　of　light…draught　steamers　for　navigating　the　shallow　waters　of　the　coast；　so　that　it　took　the　Seventeenth　Corps　more　than　a　week　to　transfer　from　Thunderbolt　to　Beaufort；　South　Carolina。　　Admiral　Dahlgren　had　supplied　the　Harvest　Moon　and　the　Pontiac；　and　General　Foster　gave　us　a　couple　of　hired　steamers；　I　was　really　amused　at　the　effect　this　short　sea…voyage　had　on　our　men；　most　of　whom　had　never　before　looked　upon　the　ocean。　　Of　course；　they　were　fit　subjects　for　sea…sickness；　and　afterward　they　begged　me　never　again　to　send　them　to　sea；　saying　they　would　rather　march　a　thousand　miles　on　the　worst　roads　of　the　South　than　to　spend　a　single　night　on　the　ocean。　　By　the　10th　General　Howard　had　collected　the　bulk　of　the　Seventeenth　Corps　（General　Blair）　on　Beaufort　Island；　and　began　his　march　for　Pocotaligo；　twenty…five　miles　inland。　　They　crossed　the　channel　between　the　island　and　main…land　during　Saturday；　the　14th　of　January；　by　a　pontoon…　bridge；　and　marched　out　to　Garden's　Corners；　where　there　was　some　light　skirmishing；　the　next　day；　Sunday；　they　continued　on　to　Pocotaligo；　finding　the　strong　fort　there　abandoned；　and　accordingly　made　a　lodgment　on　the　railroad；　having　lost　only　two　officers　and　eight　men。
  About　the　same　time　General　Slocum　crossed　two　divisions　of　the　Twentieth　Corps　over　the　Savannah　River；　above　the　city；　occupied　Hardeeville　by　one　division　and　Purysburg　by　another。　　Thus；　by　the　middle　of　January；　we　had　effected　a　lodgment　in　South　Carolina；　and　were　ready　to　resume　the　march　northward；　but　we　had　not　yet　accumulated　enough　provisions　and　forage　to　fill　the　wagons；　and　other　causes　of　delay　occurred；　of　which　I　will　make　mention　in　due　order。
  On　the　last　day　of　December；　1864；　Captain　Breese；　United　States　Navy；　flag…officer　to　Admiral　Porter；　reached　Savannah；　bringing　the　first　news　of　General　Butler's　failure　at　Fort　Fisher；　and　that　the　general　had　returned　to　James　River　with　his　land…forces；　leaving　Admiral　Porter's　fleet　anchored　off　Cape　Fear；　in　that　tempestuous　season。　　Captain　Breese　brought　me　a　letter　from　the　admiral；　dated　December　29th；　asking　me　to　send　him　from　Savannah　one　of　my　old　divisions；　with　which　he　said　he　would　make　short　work　of　Fort　Fisher；　that　he　had　already　bombarded　and　silenced　its　guns；　and　that　General　Butler　had　failed　because　he　was　afraid　to　attack；　or　even　give　the　order　to　attack；　after　（as　Porter　insisted）　the　guns　of　Fort　Fisher　had　been　actually　silenced　by　the　navy。
  I　answered　him　promptly　on　the　31st　of　December；　that　I　proposed　to　march　north　inland；　and　that　I　would　prefer　to　leave　the　rebel　garrisons　on　the　coast；　instead　of　dislodging　and　piling　them　up　in　my　front　as　we　progressed。　　From　the　chances；　as　I　then　understood　them；　I　supposed　that　Fort　Fisher　was　garrisoned　by　a　comparatively　small　force；　while　the　whole　division　of　General　Hoke　remained　about　the　city　of　Wilmington；　and　that；　if　Fort　Fisher　were　captured；　it　would　leave　General　Hoke　free　to　join　the　larger　force　that　would　naturally　be　collected　to　oppose　my　progress　northward。　I　accordingly　answered　　Admiral　Porter　to　this　effect；　declining　to　loan　him　the　use　of　one　of　my　divisions。　　It　subsequently　transpired；　however；　that；　as　soon　as　General　Butler　reached　City　Point；　General　Grant　was　unwilling　to　rest　under　a　sense　of　failure；　and　accordingly　dispatched　back　the　same　troops；　reenforced　and　commanded　by　General　A。　H。　Terry；　who；　on　the　15th　day　of　January；　successfully　assaulted　and　captured　Fort　Fisher；　with　its　entire　garrison。　　After　the　war　was　over；　about　the　20th　of　May；　when　I　was　giving　my　testimony　before　the　Congressional　Committee　on　the　Conduct　of　the　War；　the　chairman　of　the　committee；　Senator　B。　F。　Wade；　of　Ohio；　told　me　that　General　Butler　had　been　summoned　before　that　committee　during　the　previous　January；　and　had　just　finished　his　demonstration　to　their　entire　satisfaction　that　Fort　Fisher　could　not　be　carried　by　assault；　when　they　heard　the　newsboy　in　the　hall　crying　out　an　〃extra〃　Calling　him　in；　they　inquired　the　news；　and　he　answered；　〃Fort　Fisher　done　took！〃　　Of　course；　they　all　laughed；　and　none　more　heartily　than　General　Butler　himself。
  On　the　11th　of　January　there　arrived　at　Savannah　a　revenue…cutter；　having　on　board　Simeon　Draper；　Esq。；　of　New　York　City；　the　Hon。　E。　M。　Stanton；　Secretary　of　War；　Quartermaster…General　Meigs；　Adjutant…General　Townsend；　and　a　retinue　of　civilians；　who　had　come　down　from　the　North　to　regulate　the　civil　affairs　of　Savannah。。。。
  I　was　instructed　by　Mr。　Stanton　to　transfer　to　Mr。　Draper　the　custom　house；　post…office；　and　such　other　public　buildings　as　these　civilians　needed　in　the　execution　of　their　office；　and　to　cause　to　be　delivered　into　their　custody　the　captured　cotton。　　This　was　accomplished　by…
  ＇Special　Field　Orders；　No。　10。＇
  HEADQUARTERS　MILITARY　DIVISION　OE　THE　MISSISSIPPI；　IN　THE　FIELD；　NEAR　SAVANNAH；　GEORGIA；　January　12；　1865。
  1。　　Brevet　Brigadier…General　Euston；　chief…quartermaster；　will　turn　over　to　Simeon　Draper；　Esq。；　agent　of　the　United　States　Treasury　Department；　all　cotton　now　in　the　city　of　Savannah；　prize　of　war；　taking　his　receipt　for　the　same　in　gross；　and　returning　for　it　to　the　quartermaster…general　He　will　also　afford　Mr。　Draper　all　the　facilities　in　his　power　in　the　way　of　transportation；　labor；　etc。；　to　enable　him　to　handle　the　cotton　with　expedition。
  2。　　General　Euston　will　also　turn　over　to　Mr。　Draper　the　custom…　house；　and　such　other　buildings　in　the　city　of　Savannah　as　he　may　need　in　the　execution　of　his　office。
  By　order　of　General　W。　T。　Sherman；
  L。　M。　DAYTON；　Aide…de…Camp。
  Up　to　this　time　all　the　cotton　had　been　carefully　guarded；　with　orders　to　General　Euston　to　ship　it　by　the　return…vessels　to　New　York；　for　the　adjudication　of　the　nearest　prize…court；　accompanied　with　invoices　and　all　evidence　of　title　to　ownership。　　Marks；　numbers；　and　other　figures；　were　carefully　preserved　on　the　bales；　so　that　the　court　might　know　the　history　of　each　bale。　　But　Mr。　Stanton；　who　surely　was　an　able　lawyer；　changed　all　this；　and　ordered　the　obliteration　of　all　the　marks；　so　that　no　man；　friend　or　foe；　could　trace　his　identical　cotton。　　I　thought　it　strange　at　the　time；　and　think　it　more　so　now；　for　I　am　assured　that　claims；　real　and　fictitious；　have　been　proved　up　against　this　identical　cotton　of　three　times　the　quantity　actually　captured；　and　that　reclamations　on　the　Treasury　have　been　allowed　for　more　than　the　actual　quantity　captured；　viz。；　thirty…one　thousand　bales。
  Mr。　Stanton　staid　in　Savannah　several　days；　and　seemed　very　curious　about　matters　and　things　in　general。　　I　walked　with　him　through　the　city；　especially　the　bivouacs　of　the　several　regiments　that　occupied　the　vacant　squares；　and　he　seemed　particularly　pleased　at　the　ingenuity　of　the　men　in　constructing　their　temporary　huts。　Four　of　the　〃dog…tents；〃　or　tentes　d'abri；　buttoned　together；　served　for　a　roof；　and　the　sides　were　made　of　clapboards；　or　rough　boards　brought　from　demolished　houses　or　fences。　　I　remember　his　marked　admiration　for　the　hut　of　a　soldier　who　had　made　his　door　out　of　a　handsome　parlor　mirror；　the　glass　gone　and　its　gilt　frame　serving　for　his　door。
  He　talked　to　me　a　great　deal　about　the　negroes；　the　former　slaves；　and　I　told　him　of　many　interesting　incidents；　illustrating　their　simple　character　and　faith　in　our　arms　and　progress。　　He　inquired　particularly　about　General　Jeff。　C。　Davis；　who；　he　said；　was　a　Democrat；　and　hostile　to　the　negro。　　I　assured　him　that　General　Davis　was　an　excellent　soldier；　and　I　did　not　believe　he　had　any　hostility　to　the　negro；　that　in　our　army　we　had　no　negro　soldiers；　and；　as　a　rule；　we　preferred　white　soldiers；　but　that　we　employed　a　large　force　of　them　as　servants；　teamsters；　and　pioneers；　who　had　rendered　admirable　service。　　He　then　showed　me　a　newspaper　account　of　General　Davis　taking　up　his　pontoon…bridge　across　Ebenezer　Creek；　leaving　sleeping　negro　men；　women；　and　children；　on　the　other　side；　to　be　slaughtered　by　Wheeler's　cavalry。　　I　had　heard　such　a　rumor；　and　advised　Mr。　Stanton；　before　becoming　prejudiced；　to　allow　me　to　send　for　General　Davis；　which　he　did；　and　General　Davis　explained　the　matter　to　his　entire　satisfaction。　　The