The governor, who had been almost defying Mr. Davis before this, now fled precipitately, as did the legislature of the State and all the State officers.  The governor, Sherman says, was careful to carry away even his garden vegetables, while he left the archives of the State to fall into our hands.  The only military force that was opposed to Sherman’s forward march was the Georgia militia, a division under the command of General G. W. Smith, and a battalion under Harry Wayne.  Neither the quality of the forces nor their numbers was sufficient to even retard the progress of Sherman’s army.

The people at the South became so frantic at this time at the successful invasion of Georgia that they took the cadets from the military college and added them to the ranks of the militia.  They even liberated the State convicts under promise from them that they would serve in the army.  I have but little doubt that the worst acts that were attributed to Sherman’s army were committed by these convicts, and by other Southern people who ought to have been under sentence—­such people as could be found in every community, North and South—­who took advantage of their country being invaded to commit crime.  They were in but little danger of detection, or of arrest even if detected.

The Southern papers in commenting upon Sherman’s movements pictured him as in the most deplorable condition:  stating that his men were starving, that they were demoralized and wandering about almost without object, aiming only to reach the sea coast and get under the protection of our navy.  These papers got to the North and had more or less effect upon the minds of the people, causing much distress to all loyal persons particularly to those who had husbands, sons or brothers with Sherman.  Mr. Lincoln seeing these accounts, had a letter written asking me if I could give him anything that he could say to the loyal people that would comfort them.  I told him there was not the slightest occasion for alarm; that with 60,000 such men as Sherman had with him, such a commanding officer as he was could not be cut off in the open country.  He might possibly be prevented from reaching the point he had started out to reach, but he would get through somewhere and would finally get to his chosen destination:  and even if worst came to worst he could return North.  I heard afterwards of Mr. Lincoln’s saying, to those who would inquire of him as to what he thought about the safety of Sherman’s army, that Sherman was all right:  “Grant says they are safe with such a general, and that if they cannot get out where they want to, they can crawl back by the hole they went in at.”

While at Milledgeville the soldiers met at the State House, organized a legislature, and proceeded to business precisely as if they were the legislative body belonging to the State of Georgia.  The debates were exciting, and were upon the subject of the situation the South was in at that time, particularly the State of Georgia.  They went so far as to repeal, after a spirited and acrimonious debate, the ordinance of secession.