The distance from Milledgeville to Millen was about one hundred miles.  At this point Wheeler, who had been ordered from Tennessee, arrived and swelled the numbers and efficiency of the troops confronting Sherman.  Hardee, a native of Georgia, also came, but brought no troops with him.  It was intended that he should raise as large an army as possible with which to intercept Sherman’s march.  He did succeed in raising some troops, and with these and those under the command of Wheeler and Wayne, had an army sufficient to cause some annoyance but no great detention.  Our cavalry and Wheeler’s had a pretty severe engagement, in which Wheeler was driven towards Augusta, thus giving the idea that Sherman was probably making for that point.

Millen was reached on the 3d of December, and the march was resumed the following day for Savannah, the final objective.  Bragg had now been sent to Augusta with some troops.  Wade Hampton was there also trying to raise cavalry sufficient to destroy Sherman’s army.  If he ever raised a force it was too late to do the work expected of it.  Hardee’s whole force probably numbered less than ten thousand men.

From Millen to Savannah the country is sandy and poor, and affords but very little forage other than rice straw, which was then growing.  This answered a very good purpose as forage, and the rice grain was an addition to the soldier’s rations.  No further resistance worthy of note was met with, until within a few miles of Savannah.  This place was found to be intrenched and garrisoned.  Sherman proceeded at once on his arrival to invest the place, and found that the enemy had placed torpedoes in the ground, which were to explode when stepped on by man or beast.  One of these exploded under an officer’s horse, blowing the animal to pieces and tearing one of the legs of the officer so badly that it had to be amputated.  Sherman at once ordered his prisoners to the front, moving them in a compact body in advance, to either explode the torpedoes or dig them up.  No further explosion took place.

On the 10th of December the siege of Savannah commenced.  Sherman then, before proceeding any further with operations for the capture of the place, started with some troops to open communication with our fleet, which he expected to find in the lower harbor or as near by as the forts of the enemy would permit.  In marching to the coast he encountered Fort McAllister, which it was necessary to reduce before the supplies he might find on shipboard could be made available.  Fort McAllister was soon captured by an assault made by General Hazen’s division.  Communication was then established with the fleet.  The capture of Savannah then only occupied a few days, and involved no great loss of life.  The garrison, however, as we shall see, was enabled to escape by crossing the river and moving eastward.