The Surrender of the City demanded—The Refusal—Preparation to
Attack—The Enemy Flee—The Entrance of the Union Army—Scenes
that followed—General Sherman and the Negroes.
DECEMBER 20th, Fort Lee and other defences of Savannah had been taken,
but there was left a single narrow path of escape for the beleaguered
enemy—the Union Causeway, just below Hutchinson’s Island, which it was
difficult for our troops to reach. But General Sherman had his eye on
this outlet, intending to secure it within a day or two, shutting in
General Hardee and his army. The next morning a flag of truce was sent
toward the city gates, under whose protection was conveyed the demand
for its surrender. The brief message of General Sherman closed with the
words which General Hood used in his call for the surrender of Dalton, a
few months before, with its negro troops:
“If the demand is not complied with, I shall take no prisoners.”
General Hardee replied defiantly, declaring that he had men and supplies
for a successful defence. This was done to deceive the army closing like
the coil of an anaconda about him. General Sherman suspected it, but the
officers generally expected a battle. The preparations for assault went
forward rapidly.
The rebel chief improved his opportunity, and suddenly decamped under
cover of night, defiling along the causeway while our weary troops were
resting on their arms. He had stationed his iron-clads near Hutchinson’s
Island, which, with the battalions on its lower end, protected the
highway of the flying thousands whose arms reflected the glare of the
burning Navy Yard, fired during the evacuation. The thunder of exploding
iron-clads, destroyed by the rear-guard, was the last signal of his
retreat from the boastful Hardee: “The night was exceedingly propitious
for such an operation. It was dark and a heavy wind was blowing from the
west, conveying the sound of trampling feet over the pontoons away from
our lines. But during some of the lulls that occurred General Geary,
commanding the Second division, Twentieth Corps, the extreme left of our
lines resting on the Savannah River, heard the movement across the
bridge, but could not decide in which direction the troops were passing.
He ordered his division to be ready at a moment’s notice to move, and
then watched the progress of affairs. At midnight General Geary became
convinced in his own mind that the enemy were evacuating the town, and
notified the commanding general of this fact. The enemy’s skirmish line
continued a fusilade on our pickets, and did not cease until two or
three o’clock, when they were drawn in, and not many moments after our
picket line was advanced, and meeting no opposition, rushed still
further on, crawled through the abatis, floundered through the ditches,
and scrambled over the parapets and found the first line deserted.
General Geary immediately advanced his division, occupied the line and
pushed on toward the city. The second line was found abandoned as well,
and General Geary, at the head of a small body of men, hurried on.”
On the following morning, December 21st, the _Savannah Republican_,
which two days before emulated the departed commander in the language of
defiance—hurling the anathemas of southern chivalry upon the
“Yankees”—came out with an earnest appeal to the citizens, counselling
quiet and decorum, and the use of all proper means to secure the
“_respect of a magnanimous foe_.” What a strange revolution in
tactics—a marvellous light streamed into the city and the editor’s
“sanctum” along the causeway from the wake of the fugitive “Greybacks.”
Before General Geary “had entered the city, Mayor Arnold, of the city,
with four or five of the commonalty, rode up and surrendered the city to
him unconditionally, and expressed a trust in the magnanimity of an
honorable foe for the safety of the lives and property of the
inhabitants. General Geary accepted the surrender unconditionally, and
assured them that their lives and property should be protected. He then
entered the city, despatching Captain Veale of his staff, with four
hundred men, to take possession of Fort Jackson; and also another member
of his staff to General Slocum, to inform him of his occupation of the
town. The officer who bore this message had some difficulty in
convincing our soldiers that Geary’s division was in town. They said to
him, ‘You can’t come that, Johnnie Reb. The game is an old one and will
not work.’ Finally he assured them sufficiently to gain a passage, and
delivered his despatch to General Slocum, commanding the left wing of
the army. At eight o’clock all the enemy’s works were in our possession.
Captain Veale, with his party, took possession of Fort Jackson and Fort
Barlow, taking about sixty heavy guns in both works and lines connecting
with them. The enemy had fired the barracks, but the fire was soon
subdued.”
In the haste of his departure Hardee strangely neglected to destroy the
ammunition of the forts, and the cotton in the city. Only a portion of
the guns left behind were spiked. Munitions of war, more than 30,000
bales of cotton, and railroad rolling stock, fell into our hands.
“General Sherman’s entry into the town was marked by no extraordinary
commotion. The city received him quietly and respectfully, though not
with open arms.
“The population of Savannah, during the past thirty days, has been
immensely increased by emigration from the interior. Thousands of
people, including many wealthy families, fled from the country
threatened by General Sherman’s march, to find, as they presumed, an
undisturbed refuge in the city. The houses overflow with them; numbers
dwell in sheds, and live upon the streets. Negroes form a large part of
this transient population. Many rebel officers and soldiers are found
concealed in houses, and probably considerable valuable property, not
yet estimated in the fruits of this almost bloodless siege, will yet be
brought to light likewise.
“A number of prisoners, which may be counted in addition to those found
in the city, were previously captured during our advance against the
enemy’s works. Colonel Clinch, of General Hardee’s staff, with thirty
men, was taken on board a transport in the Savannah River a few days
before the surrender. A quantity of whiskey was aboard the transport,
and when our officers reached it, every man on board, except Colonel
Clinch, was found in a state of beastly intoxication. General Harrison,
a militia general, and a man of considerable wealth, residing near the
city, was also taken prisoner during the siege.”
While the sun of December 21st was moving toward the zenith, General
Sherman rode at the head of his enthusiastic columns, with music and
banners enlivening the magnificent scene, into the broad, quiet streets
of Savannah, followed by his wing-commanders, the gallant Howard and
Slocum. Hour after hour the tramp of Union soldiers echoes on the
pavements, until at length, in mansions, public buildings, and tents,
the exultant host settled down into comparative repose. The next day the
wires of the telegraph transmitted to the President this laconic
message:
“SAVANNAH, GA., _December 22, 1864_.
“_His Excellency President Lincoln_;
“I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah,
with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition,
and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.
“W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.”
In all the world’s history of the Christmas times, was there ever a gift
so memorable, or one more worthy to receive it? You will always
recollect it with the delight expressed by a playful pen: “The sugar
plum which Sherman dropped into the national stocking that Abraham
Lincoln hung up, came in the semblance of Savannah. We have all enjoyed
it. We have admired its roundness and its sweetness. We rejoice over the
one hundred and fifty heavy guns, and the thirty-three thousand bales of
cotton. The capture of Savannah is an event which we have long
anticipated, and are therefore only quietly enjoying it. Reaching us, as
the intelligence did, on a day that was meteorologically gloomy, it shed
an interior sunlight brighter than a more substantial one.”
The quartermaster, in General Sherman’s behalf, a little later
announced, that “all persons wishing to leave the city under existing
orders, and go within the Confederate lines, are informed that the
steamer _F. R. Spalding_ will be in readiness at the wharf at the foot
of Drayton Street, at six o’clock A. M. on Wednesday, the 11th instant,
to transport them to Charleston, S. C. Wagons and ambulances will be
sent to the residences of families, to take them and their baggage to
the boat. As there are no conveniences on the boat to provide food, each
family had better provide itself with what it will require for
twenty-four hours.
“Applications for wagons and ambulances must be made to Captain J. E.
Remington, assistant quartermaster, last house on the west end of Jones
Street, south side.”
About two hundred citizens availed themselves of the opportunity thus
offered them to rejoin their relatives or friends within the enemy’s
lines. The new paper, the _Loyal Georgian_, thus hoisted its flag, with
the notices following: “The mind that conceived, and the arm that, under
Omnipotence, could execute these grand army movements, has not yet
finished its work. That same powerful body which with its gigantic wings
swept over the State of Georgia as a whirlwind, must yet move on its
irresistible course until the whole land shall acknowledge the power and
authority of the Government of the United States. When that day comes,
the commander will lay aside his laurels, the soldier his sword, and
this broad and fair abounding land of ours shall once more teem with the
busy hum of peaceful life. May a merciful God grant the happy day soon
to be ushered in upon us, and peace, sweet peace! be our portion; but
until the ‘last armed foe expires,’ the army of the Union will and must
stand as a bulwark against all destroyers, come from where they may.
“General Sherman has his headquarters at the house of Mr. Charles Green.
General Howard’s headquarters are at the house of Mr. Molyneux, late
British consul at Savannah, who is now in Europe. General Slocum’s
headquarters are at the late residence of Hon. John E. Ward. General
Geary, commandant of the post, has his office in the Bank building, next
door to the Custom House.
“Divine service will be held in the Independent Presbyterian, the
Lutheran, Baptist, St. John’s Church, and Methodist Churches, to-morrow
morning at half-past ten o’clock, by their respective pastors.
“I. S. K. AXSON, D. M. GILBERT,
S. LANDRUM, A. M. WYNN,
C. F. MCRAE.”
The condition of the city under the new rule was very clearly given by
rebel papers. January 10th, the Richmond _Whig_, whose hatred of the
North has been unsurpassed, was compelled to confess that General
Sherman was wise and humane in his administration, as an extract will
show:
“The Augusta _Chronicle_ and _Sentinel_ of the 4th instant publishes a
number of news items, derived from a gentleman who left Savannah on the
1st instant.
“The most perfect order is maintained in the city. No soldier is allowed
to interfere with the citizens in any particular. A citizen was arrested
by a drunken soldier a few days since. The citizen knocked the soldier
down. The officer of the guard, as soon as he arrived, said nothing to
the citizen, but had the soldier taken to the barracks, gagged and
soundly whipped for his misbehavior.
“A drunken soldier, who undertook to create a disturbance recently, and
who refused to allow himself to be arrested, was shot down at once by
the guard.
“One or two of the Insurance Companies of Savannah are considering the
project of establishing a National Bank for the issue of ‘greenbacks.’
“The Custom House and Post Office are being cleaned and repaired,
preparatory to the commencement of business again.
“The soldiers are not allowed under any circumstances whatever to enter
private residences.
“The negroes in most cases are orderly and quiet, remaining with their
owners and performing their customary duties.
“One store with goods from the North has already been opened.
“Nothing but ‘greenbacks’ are in circulation.
“The churches on Sundays are well filled with ladies. On week days,
however, but few of them are seen on the streets.
“A majority of the male population have remained in the city. The
families of most of the men who have left still remain.
“A majority of the citizens have provisions for some time to come, but
there is a scarcity of wood, but General Sherman has announced that he
will soon remedy this last difficulty by getting wood via the Gulf
Railway, and hauling it to the citizens.
“No pass is allowed to any male person to go toward the city.
“All females who are caught going toward the city are thoroughly
searched.
“Eleven hundred loaves of good baker’s bread, which had been collected
for the soldiers of Sherman’s army, but for which authorized agents did
not call, were on Thursday turned over to the Poor Association of
Savannah by the Committee acting in behalf of the Soldier’s Dinner, and
were yesterday distributed to the poor of the city. It was truly a kind
and providential gift, for the city is entirely out of breadstuffs of
every kind, and for days past have been unable to issue a pound of meal
or flour to the hundreds who were sorely in need of it.”
General Sherman had a very summary way of answering inquiries of the
citizens on whose lips was the gall of secession. To a proud lady who
said to him: “General, you may conquer, but you can’t subjugate us,” he
instantly replied, “I don’t want to subjugate you, I mean to kill you,
the whole of you, if you don’t stop this rebellion.” In conversation a
short time since with several citizens of Savannah on the subject of the
war, General Sherman, in his characteristic manner, remarked: “We wish
to cultivate friendly feeling with your people; if they love monarchy we
will not quarrel with them; but we love a strong republic and mean to
maintain it.” He also said he had been through Mississippi twice and
through Georgia once. “The sun goes North on the 21st, and by that time
I shall be ready to go North, too.” In a private letter to a
distinguished military man in New York, his noble and magnanimous spirit
appears:
“Colonel Ewing arrived to-day, and bore me many kind tokens from the
North, but none gave me more satisfaction than to know that you watched
with interest my efforts in the national cause. I do not think a human
being could feel more kindly toward an enemy than I do to the people of
the South, and I only pray that I may live to see the day when they and
their children will thank me, as one who labored to secure and maintain
a Government worthy the land we have inherited, and strong enough to
secure our children the peace and security denied us.
“Judging from the press, the world magnifies my deeds above their true
value, and I fear the future may not realize its judgment. But whatever
fate may befall me, I know that you will be a generous and charitable
critic, and will encourage one who only hopes in this struggle to do a
man’s share.”
Two days later a gentleman addressed a note to General Sherman, asking
questions designed to draw from him his views upon the prospects of
Georgia, and her relations to the General Government. His reply is
marked with his original thought, and reveals his high ability as a
statesman:
“HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI, }
IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GA., _Jan. 8, 1865_. }
“_N. W——, Esq., —— County, Ga._:
“DEAR SIR: Yours of the 3d instant is received, and in answer to
your inquiries, I beg to state I am merely a military commander,
and act only in that capacity; nor can I give any assurances or
pledges affecting civil matters in the future. They will be
adjusted by Congress when Georgia is again represented there as
of old.
“Georgia is not out of the Union, and therefore the talk of
‘reconstruction’ appears to me inappropriate. Some of the people
have been and still are in a state of revolt; and as long as
they remain armed and organized, the United States must pursue
them, with armies, and deal with them according to military law.
But as soon as they break up their armed organizations and
return to their homes, I take it they will be dealt with by the
civil courts. Some of the rebels in Georgia, in my judgment,
deserve death, because they have committed murder, and other
crimes, which are punished with death by all civilized
governments on earth. I think this was the course indicated by
General Washington, in reference to the Whiskey Insurrection,
and a like principle seemed to be recognized at the time of the
Burr conspiracy.
“As to the Union of the States under our Government, we have the
high authority of General Washington, who bade us be jealous and
careful of it, and the still more emphatic words of General
Jackson, ‘The Federal Union, it must and shall be preserved.’
Certainly Georgians cannot question the authority of such men,
and should not suspect our motives, who are simply fulfilling
their commands. Wherever necessary, force has been used to carry
out that end; and you may rest assured that the Union will be
preserved, cost what it may. And if you are sensible men you
will conform to this order of things or else migrate to some
other country. There is no other alternative open to the people
of Georgia.
“My opinion is, that no negotiations are necessary, nor
commissioners, nor conventions, nor any thing of the kind.
Whenever the people of Georgia quit rebelling against their
Government and elect members of Congress and Senators, and these
go and take their seats, then the State of Georgia will have
resumed her functions in the Union.
“These are merely my opinions, but in confirmation of them, as I
think, the people of Georgia may well consider the following
words referring to the people of the rebellious States, which I
quote from the recent annual message of President Lincoln to
Congress at its present session;
“‘They can at any moment have peace simply by laying down their
arms and submitting to the national authority under the
Constitution. After so much, the Government would not, if it
could, maintain war against them. The loyal people would not
sustain or allow it. If questions should remain we would adjust
them by the peaceful means of legislation, conference, courts,
and votes. Operating only in constitutional and lawful channels,
some certain and other possible questions are and would be
beyond the Executive power to adjust, as, for instance, the
admission of members into Congress and whatever might require
the appropriation of money.’
“The President then alludes to the general pardon and amnesty
offered for more than a year past, upon specified and more
liberal terms, to all except certain designated classes, even
these being ‘still within contemplation of special clemency,’
and adds:
“‘It is still so open to all, but the time may come when public
duty shall demand that it be closed, and that in lieu more
vigorous measures than heretofore shall be adopted.’
“It seems to me that it is time for the people of Georgia to act
for themselves, and return, in time, to their duty to the
Government of their fathers.
“Respectfully, your obedient servant,
“W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.”
Bearing the same date of this able letter, are his words of
congratulation to his rejoicing army:
“IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GA., _Jan. 8_.
“The General Commanding announces to the troops composing the
military division of the Mississippi, that he has received from
the President of the United States and from Lieutenant-General
Grant, letters conveying the high sense and appreciation of the
campaign just closed, resulting in the capture of Savannah and
the defeat of Hood’s army in Tennessee.
“In order that all may understand the importance of events, it
is proper to revert to the situation of affairs in September
last. We held Atlanta, a city of little value to us, but so
important to the enemy that Mr. Davis, the head of the
rebellious faction in the South, visited his army near Palmetto,
and commanded it to regain it, as well as to ruin and destroy us
by a series of measures which he thought would be effectual.
“That army, by a rapid march, first gained our railroad near Big
Shanty, and afterward about Dalton. We pursued, but it marched
so rapidly that we could not overtake it, and General Hood led
his army successfully far toward Mississippi, in hopes to decoy
us out of Georgia. But we were not then to be led away by him,
and purposed to control and lead events ourselves. Generals
Thomas and Schofield, commanding the department to our rear,
returned to their posts, and prepared to decoy General Hood into
their meshes, while we came on to complete our original journey.
“We quietly and deliberately destroyed Atlanta and all the
railroads which the enemy had used to carry on war against us;
occupied his State capital, and then captured his commercial
capital, which had been so strongly fortified from the sea as to
defy approach from that quarter.
“Almost at the moment of our victorious entry into Savannah came
the welcome and expected news that our comrades in Tennessee had
also fulfilled, nobly and well, their part; had decoyed General
Hood to Nashville, and then turned on him, defeating his army
thoroughly, capturing all his artillery, great numbers of
prisoners, and were still pursuing the fragments down into
Alabama. So complete a success in military operations, extending
over half a continent, is an achievement that entitles it to a
place in the military history of the world.
“The armies serving in Georgia and Tennessee, as well as the
local garrisons of Decatur, Bridgeport, Chattanooga, and
Murfreesborough, are alike entitled to the common honor, and
each regiment may inscribe on its colors at pleasure the words
‘Savannah,’ or ‘Nashville.’
“The General Commanding embraces in the same general success the
operations of the cavalry column under Generals Stoneman,
Burbridge, and Gillem, that penetrated into Southwestern
Virginia, and paralyzed the efforts of the enemy to disturb the
peace and safety of the people of East Tennessee. Instead of
being put on the defensive, we have, at all points, assumed the
bold offensive, and completely thwarted the designs of the
enemies of our country. By order of
“Major-General W. T. SHERMAN.”
This was followed on the 14th by a message regulating the trade and
social life of the people:
“IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GA., _Jan. 14_.
“It being represented that the Confederate army and armed bands
of robbers, acting professedly under the authority of the
Confederate government, are harassing the people of Georgia and
endeavoring to intimidate them in the efforts they are making to
secure to themselves provisions, clothing, security to life and
property, and the restoration of law and good government in the
State, it is hereby ordered and made public:
“I. That the farmers of Georgia may bring into Savannah,
Fernandina, or Jacksonville, Fla., marketing, such as beef,
pork, mutton, vegetables of any kinds, fish, &c., as well as
cotton in small quantities, and sell the same in open market,
except the cotton, which must be sold by or through the Treasury
agents, and may invest the proceeds in family stores, such as
bacon and flour, in any reasonable quantities, groceries, shoes,
and clothing, and articles not contraband of war, and carry the
same back to them families. No trade-store will be attempted in
the interior, or stocks of goods sold for them, but families may
club together for mutual assistance and protection in coming and
going.
“II. The people are encouraged to meet together in peaceful
assemblages to discuss measures looking to their safety and good
government, and the restoration of State and national authority,
and will be protected by the national army when so doing; and
all peaceable inhabitants who satisfy the commanding officers
that they are earnestly laboring to that end, must not only be
left undisturbed in property and person, but must be protected
as far as possible consistent with the military operations. If
any farmer or peaceful inhabitant is molested by the enemy,
viz., the Confederate army of guerillas, because of his
friendship to the National Government, the perpetrator, if
caught, will be summarily punished, or his family made to suffer
for the outrage; but if the crime cannot be traced to the actual
party, then retaliation will be made on the adherents to the
cause of the rebellion. Should a Union man be murdered, then a
rebel selected by lot will be shot; or if a Union family be
persecuted on account of the cause, a rebel family will be
banished to a foreign land. In aggravated cases, retaliation
will extend as high as five for one. All commanding officers
will act promptly in such cases, and report their action after
the retaliation is done. By order of
“Major-General W. T. SHERMAN.”
We have now a very remarkable interview between a delegation of the
negro population, including twenty men, nearly all of whom were
preachers, and Secretary Stanton and General Sherman. There were members
of the parishes whose pastors were present, worth from $3,000 to
$30,000. Rev. Garrison Frazier, sixty-seven years of age, was the
speaker. The answers to various questions touching slavery, the war, and
the ability of the negroes to take care of themselves, were promptly and
intelligently answered. After General Sherman had left the room, an
inquiry touching their opinion of General Sherman was made, with the
following reply:
“We looked upon General Sherman prior to his arrival as a man in the
Providence of God specially set apart to accomplish this work, and we
unanimously feel inexpressible gratitude to him, looking upon him as a
man that should be honored for the faithful performance of his duty.
Some of us called on him immediately upon his arrival, and it is
probable he would not meet the Secretary with more courtesy than he met
us. His conduct and deportment toward us characterized him as a friend
and a gentleman. We have confidence in General Sherman, and think
whatever concerns us could not be under better management.”
The conference was followed by the following order:
“HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIV. OF THE MISS., }
IN THE FIELD, SAVANNAH, GA., _Jan. 16, 1865_. }
“I. The islands from Charleston, south, the abandoned
rice-fields along the river for thirty miles back from the sea,
and the country bordering the St. John River, Florida, are
reserved and set apart for the settlement of the negroes now
made free by the acts of war and the President of the United
States.
“II. At Beaufort, Hilton Head, Savannah, Fernandina, St.
Augustine, and Jacksonville, the blacks may remain in their
chosen or accustomed avocations; but on the islands, and in the
settlements hereafter to be established, no white person
whatever, unless military officers and soldiers detailed for
duty, will be permitted to reside; and the sole and exclusive
management of affairs will be left to the freed people
themselves, subject only to the United States military authority
and the acts of Congress. By the laws of war, and orders of the
President of the United States, the negro is free, and must be
dealt with as such. He cannot be subjected to conscription or
forced military service, save by the written orders of the
highest military authority of the department, under such
regulations as the President or Congress may prescribe. Domestic
servants, blacksmiths, carpenters, and other mechanics, will be
free to select their own work and residence; but the young and
able-bodied negroes must be encouraged to enlist as soldiers in
the service of the United States, to contribute their share
toward maintaining their own freedom, and securing their rights
as citizens of the United States. Negroes so enlisted will be
organized into companies, battalions, and regiments, under the
orders of the United States military authorities, and will be
paid, fed, and clothed according to law. The bounties paid on
enlistment may, with the consent of the recruit, go to assist
his family and settlement in procuring agricultural implements,
seed, tools, boats, clothing, and other articles necessary for
their livelihood.
“III. Whenever three respectable negroes, heads of families,
shall desire to settle on land, and shall have selected for that
purpose an island or a locality clearly defined within the
limits above designated, the Inspector of Settlements and
Plantations will himself, or by such subordinate officer as he
may appoint, give them a license to settle such island or
district, and afford them such assistance as he can to enable
them to establish a peaceable agricultural settlement. The three
parties named will subdivide the land, under the supervision of
the inspector, among themselves and such others as may choose to
settle near them, so that each family shall have a plot of not
more than forty acres of tillable ground, and, when it borders
on some water channel, with not more than eight hundred feet
front, in the possession of which land the military authorities
will afford them protection until such time as they can protect
themselves, or until Congress shall regulate their title. The
quartermaster may, on the requisition of the Inspector of
Settlements and Plantations, place at the disposal of the
inspector one or more of the captured steamers to ply between
the settlements and one or more of the commercial points
heretofore named in orders, to afford the settlers the
opportunity to supply their necessary wants, and to sell the
products of their land and labor.
“IV. When a negro has enlisted in the military service of the
United States, he may locate his family in any of the
settlements at pleasure, and acquire a homestead and all other
rights and privileges of a settler as though present in person.
In like manner negroes may settle their families, and engage on
board the gunboats, or in fishing, or in the navigation of the
inland waters, without losing any claim to land or other
advantages derived from this system. But no one, except an
actual settler as above defined, or unless absent on government
services, will be entitled to claim any right to land or
property in any settlement by virtue of these orders.
“V. In order to carry out this system of settlement, a general
officer will be detailed as Inspector of Settlements and
Plantations, whose duty it shall be to visit the settlements, to
regulate their police and general management, and who will
furnish personally to each head of a family, subject to the
approval of the President of the United States, a possessory
title in writing, giving as near as possible the description of
boundaries, and who may adjust all claims or conflicts that may
arise under the same, subject to the like approval, treating
such titles as altogether possessory. The same general officer
will also be charged with the enlistment and organization of the
negro recruits, and protecting their interests while so absent
from their settlements, and will be governed by the rules and
regulations prescribed by the War Department for such purpose.
“VI. Brigadier-General R. Saxton is hereby appointed Inspector
of Settlements and Plantations, and will at once enter on the
performance of his duties. No change is intended or desired in
the settlement now on Beaufort Island, nor will any rights to
property heretofore acquired be affected thereby.
“By order of Major-Gen. W. T. SHERMAN.”
This was a kind and honorable provision—giving the unfortunate race
just the opportunity which was desired of self-culture and progress.
They do not desire to come north and mix with the white population, but
own themselves, and have a fair opportunity for improvement.
An “Educational Association” followed, to establish schools for the
freedmen, which should be taught by those of their own people already
possessed of some learning. All were invited to join it by paying three
dollars. The first evening the number of members swelled the fund to
more than seven hundred dollars. Then five hundred children were
gathered together to be formed into schools. Rev. J. W. Alvord was a
leading philanthropist in the work. They were divided into ten schools,
of fifty scholars, and, with a teacher at the head of each, marched in a
procession two by two through the city—a strange spectacle indeed to
all beholders! “The procession marched on till they came to the old
Slave-market—a large building, three stories high. General Geary, who
now commands the city, said they might have this for a school-house. So
they took possession of it, placing the children along the very
platforms where the old slave-traders used to set men and women to be
examined for sale. The fathers and mothers of the children looked on in
wonder to think what a change had taken place; while many wept joyful
tears, and shouted praises to God who had done such great things for
them.”
But oh, the sad want and suffering of the masses in the conquered city!
All that could be done by General Sherman to alleviate the famine, was
promptly offered.
The mayor and a few of the citizens had not only a formal meeting to
express loyalty to the Stars and Stripes, so long dishonored there, but
asked for an exchange of rice for other articles of food. For this
purpose a vessel was sent by permission of the commander-in-chief to New
York. That city, Boston, and Philadelphia, immediately took measures to
forward supplies. The accompanying message of the mayor of Boston was a
fraternal and excellent tender of former friendship and a renewal of old
associations. When, on January 19th, the steamship _Rebecca Clyde_ lay
at the wharf with her large cargo of provisions, the mayor thanked the
people of the North for their generosity, and complimented very warmly
the “wise and impartial administration” of General Geary. He said: “He
has restored order out of chaos, and made the people of Savannah feel
that the Northern army has not come among them to ruin or pillage them.
Life and property have been as safe during the Federal occupation as it
ever had been under civil rule.”
Captain Veale, of General Geary’s staff, replied, assuring the mayor
that the “Federal officers and soldiers had always treated the people of
the South with kindness and forbearance, and hoped that they would soon
again join in one bond of brotherhood for the preservation and welfare
of our common country. He also thanked the mayor for his high eulogium
on General Geary, and assured him that the general’s object was to
promote the welfare of Savannah and make her citizens feel that the
Northern army was not inimical to the South.”
Savannah in the old Revolutionary days extended her hand in time of
trouble to Massachusetts, whose sons repay the debt of gratitude with
unfeigned delight.
Such were the events and scenes attending the return of the old flag to
its place in Savannah, never again to be trailed in the dust by
traitorous hands.