Diary of 1st Lieutenant Daniel L. Ambrose: February 10, 1865

We move early this morning, but very slow; these swamps prove to be terrible obstacles to Sherman's seventy thousand. We soon come to the great Saltkatchie swamp at Beaufort's Bridge: we find the swamp all flooded, about one mile wide, and the bridge in the middle. Weak commanders would have faltered; things indeed look frightful, but General Corse gave the command forward. The Seventh led, and into the great Swamp the Fourth Division passed, and through it they waded, the water, winter cold, ranging from waist to neck deep. It did seem that some of the men would perish; that they would be left in that great swamp; but all passed safely through, and gaining a footing on the opposite side, drove the enemy far away, who were all the while disputing our passage. The ammunition train is now ordered to move across (the ammunition being raised out of water's reach); about midway they swamp, and the soldiers of Corse's Division are compelled to go back into the swamp and carry the ammunition boxes out to land.

Remaining here until the trains are crossed, we move forward and join the corps at Midway, on the South Carolina Railroad. Then began the movement on Orangeburg. We notice that Black Jack is at the head of the Fifteenth Corps, having arrived from his campaign on the northern line and assumed command at Pocataligo. We also find that the mounted portion of the Seventh are now (as the boys say) members of his staff. We cross the South Fork of the Edisto River at Halmond's bridge and move to Poplar Springs to support the Seventeenth Army Corps, moving straight to Orangeburg, which is taken by a dash of the Seventeenth.

From Poplar Springs we cross the North Edisto River at Skilling's bridge, and on the fifteenth we

find the enemy in strong position at Little Congaree bridge, but the gallant Logan, with his thundering Fifteenth, soon ousts them, when we move across and go into camp in front of Columbia. During the night our camp is shelled from a battery on the east side of the Congaree, above Grundy, causing considerable stir in the Fifteenth Corps' camp.

SOURCE: abstracted from Daniel Leib Ambrose, History of the Seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, p. 294-6

Captain Charles Wright Wills: February 7, 1865

Bamber's Station, A. & C. R. R.

February 7, 1865. 

Our regiment led the corps to-day. The 17th Corps strikes the railroad at Midway, three miles to our right, and the 20th to the left five miles. We are 14 miles northwest of Branchville. The enemy are on the opposite bank of the Edisto, two miles from us. There is a great "peace" excitement among the citizens here. This day's work cuts off all railroad communication between Georgia and the eastern part of the Confederacy. I saw another new thing (to me) in the destruction of railroads. After the iron has been heated by the burning ties, by a simple contrivance, four men twist each rail twice around. They put a clamp on each end of the rail, and put a lever in the clamp perpendicularly, and two men at each end of the lever, will put the neatest twist imaginable in the heated part of the rail. I never saw so much destruction of property before. Orders are as strict as ever, but our men understand they are in South Carolina and are making good their old threats. Very few houses escape burning, as almost everybody has run away from before us, you may imagine there is not much left in our track. Where a family remains at home they save their house, but lose their stock, and eatables. Wheeler's Cavalry is about all we have yet found in our front and they keep afar off. The citizens fear them fully as much as they do us. A lady said to-day that she would as lief have us come as Wheeler's men; she could see no difference. Wheeler's men say, "Go in, South Carolina!" and the Yankees say the same thing. We got 50 bales of cotton here, which I suppose will be burned. Struck the railroad at 9:30 a. m. 

SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, p. 342-3

Major Charles Wright Wills: February 9, 1865

Bamberg, S. C., February 9, 1865.

We were to go to Cannon's bridge on the Edisto four miles, but heard the bridge was burned, so we did not go. I think we will go up the river towards Augusta. Late Confederate papers say that Thomas has started south towards Montgomery, leaving Hood behind him. Many of the officers have strong hopes of something resulting from the peace movement. Can't say that I have.

SOURCE: Charles Wright Wills, Army Life of an Illinois Soldier, p. 343

Diary of 5th Sergeant Alexander G. Downing: Sunday, February 12, 1865

Our division relieved the Third Division on the skirmish line at the bridge this morning, while they went down the river about a mile, laid the pontoons and crossed over. The skirmishing was commenced at an early hour all along the line for a distance of fifteen miles. Our men threw shells across the river into Orangeburg, and the rebels left the bridge about 1 o'clock. Our division crossed the bridge two hours later and took possession of the town.¹

Orangeburg is nicely situated on the north bank of the Edisto river, and on the railroad running from Charleston to Columbia. The town is almost deserted, but before the war it had a population of three thousand. We destroyed the railroad and went into camp for the night.

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¹ The town was on fire when we arrived. The report was that the town was set on fire by a Jew, in revenge for the enemy's setting fire to his cotton, about fifty bales, when they evacuated the place. The high winds which prevailed rapidly spread the fire in spite of the efforts of the soldiers to extinguish it.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 252

Diary of 5th Sergeant Alexander G. Downing: Thursday, February 9, 1865

We remained in camp until noon, when we moved forward again about ten miles and went into bivouac on the east bank of the Edisto river. The First Division waded the river to drive the rebels back so that the engineers with our corps could lay the pontoons for the corps to cross. The Fifteenth Corps crossed the river about a mile above. A great deal of property is being destroyed by our army on this raid. The familiar clouds of smoke are becoming more numerous every day, while out on the left we can count from ten to twenty of the red clouds in the heavens every night.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 251-2

Diary of 5th Sergeant Alexander G. Downing: Tuesday, February 7, 1865

We had another all day, cold, drizzling rain. We left our bivouac at 7 o'clock and after marching fourteen miles stopped for the night. With every mile the road got better as we moved upon higher ground, and the forage also became more plentiful. Just after we had stacked arms to go into bivouac, our regiment was ordered to fall in again. We marched out on the Augusta and Charleston railroad to burn the bridge over the Edisto river, but the pickets, on hearing our approach, for it was too dark to see anything, all hastened across the bridge and set fire to it themselves. This saved us the trouble and we went back, reaching our bivouac about midnight, after marching in all about ten miles.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 251