ton, and
up the Northeastern Railroad to St. Stephen's, on the Santee. It was
feared a raiding party from Georgetown would come up the Santee and
cut the bridge, thereby isolating the army Hardee had in Charleston
and vicinity. Slowly Sherman "dragged his weary length along." On the
13th of February the corps of General Blair reached Kingsville and
drove our pickets away from the bridge over the Congaree.

On the 15th of February the advance column of the Twentieth Corps came
in sight of Columbia. All the bridges leading thereto were burned and
the Southern troops withdrawn to the eastern side. Frank Blair's Corps
left the road leading to Columbia at Hopkin's, and kept a direct
line for Camden. Another corps, the Fifteenth, crossed the Broad
at Columbia, while the Fourteenth and Twentieth were to cross at
Freshley's and Alston. Orders had been given to evacuate Charleston,
and all the troops under General McLaws, at Four Hole Swamp, and along
the coast were to rendezvous at St. Stephen's, on the Santee, and
either make a junction with the Western Army at Chester, S.C., or if
not possible, to continue to Chesterfield or Cheraw. The plan of the
campaign was now to concentrate all the forces of Hood's State
Troops and Hardee's at some point in upper South Carolina or in North
Carolina, and make one more desperate stand, and by united action
crash and overthrow Sherman's Army, thereby relieving Lee.

On the morning of the 16th of February the enemy, without any warning
whatever, began shelling the city of Columbia, filled with women and
children. Now it must be remembered that this was not for the purpose
of crossing the river, for one of Sherman's corps had already crossed
below the city and two others above. One shell passed through the
hotel in which General Beauregard was at the time, others struck the
State House, while many fell throughout the city. General Hampton
withdrew his small force of cavalry early on the morning of the 17th,
and the Mayor of the city met an officer of the Federal Army under a
flag of truce and tendered him the surrender of the city, and claimed
protection for its inhabitants. This was promised.

All during the day thousands of the enemy poured into the city,
General Sherman entering about midday. Generals Davis' and Williams'
Corps crossed the Saluda and continued up on the western bank of Broad
River, one crossing ten, the other twenty-five miles above Columbia.
The people of Columbia had